1. 1 Reform of the Child Care System: Taking Stock and Accelerating Action, Bulgaria, Sofija Case Management and Other Innovations in Statutory Services at Sub- National Level: Case of Tuzla Canton Bosnia and Herzegovina Smajl Joldić, Director, Centre for Social Work Srebrenik, Tuzla Canton, Bosnia and Herzegovina

2. 2 Social protection in Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina Post-war period and transition - Significant changes of the social protection system (organisation, quality and level of services, financing) - Changed and increased needs to address (displaced persons, increased poverty, family facing greater risks). Social protection regulated at the level of Entity and District Brčko, as well as at the level of Cantons, and not at the level of state (14 laws on social and child protection; combination of decentralised and centralized systems). Financing of social and child protection is not uniform at the level of BiH; there is no social security minimum (in different locations different entitlements and payments/amounts).

3. 3 Social protection system in BiH Bosnia and Herzegovina BiH COUNCIL OF MINISTERS RS Ministry of Health and Social Protection Public Fund for Child Protection of RS (44) CSWs + (18) DEPT. FOR SOCIAL PROTECTION NGOs and local community (2) Institutions for children without parental care Brčko District Department for Social Protection FBiH Ministry of Labour and Social Policy (10) Cantonal Ministries (57) CSWs + (22) Dept. for social protection NGOs and local community (2) Cantonal CSW (Sarajevo and BPC) (14) Institutions fpr ChDPC + (3) religious ones

4. 4 Bosnia and Herzegovina Tuzla Canton (TC) Sociodemographic and other caracteristics Area: 2649 square km Tuzla Canton makes 10,14% of FBiH territory or 5,17% of territory of BiH TC has around 506 000 inhabitants; Tuzla town, the administrative centre of the Canton, has around 175 000 inhabitants TC is important and the most developed industrial and mining region in BiH Comprises 13 municipalities, each municipality has a Centre for Social Work Total number of unemployed in TC is 87 197 (May 2007) In 13 CSWs, 80 staff are employed (50% professionals) The number of children without parental care in TC (Dec 2006) is 552 (institutional placement 192, foster families 360)

5. 5 Bosnia and Herzegovina Development of Standard Professional Instruments in the area of social and child protection (2001– 2006) Project of Promotion and Development of Alternative Forms of Care (SC UK, USAID) –Development of a model of foster care in TC –Standardisation of services and improvement of policy and practice of protection of children deprived of parental care. Reasons for the development of the instruments: –Legislative framework does not provide clear guidance (lack of by-laws, procedures and instructions) –Different interpretation of legislative provisions –Different levels of professional expertise of CSWs staff –Different approaches in working with beneficiaries –Improvement of protection and facilitation of the work of the CSW.

6. 6 Bosnia and Herzegovina Development of Standard Professional Instruments – Continued Partners –Ministry of Labour and Social Policy of Tuzla Canton –14 Centres for Social Work (TC and Brčko District) –Save the Children UK –Association of Foster Parents of Tuzla Canton Familija Process –Local practitioners and professionals as authors, multidisciplinary working groups –Extensive field testing within everyday work of CSWs –Process took several years –Publishing (forms and instructions, including electronic version of forms) –Formalisation (through by-laws) –Expansion to other areas in BiH (Republika Srpska, Una-Sana Canton, Hercegovina-Neretva Canton; 37% CSWs in BiH use or partially use the instruments).

7. 7 Bosnia and Herzegovina Development of Standard Professional Instruments – Continued RESULTS ACHIEVED Improved quality of protection and work of CSW (the work without standard professional instruments is unimaginable- a social worker; instruments provide the lacking professional guidelines) Uniform approach in service provision – standardisation of services (procedures, registration/identification, assessment, treatments, monitoring and reporting) More systematic and efficient work of CSW Less time spent on administrative tasks, more time spend on rendering professional services Creation of preconditions for better organisation of work Better quality data and information, that can be processed and analysed, and a more comprehensive and better quality case documentation Participation of beneficiaries/child in the decision making on care/protection arrangements - Individual Care Plan Increased CSW capacities with respect to the protection planning and monitoring In addition to the state/statutory, usage by NGO sector

8. 8 Bosnia and Herzegovina Development of Standard Professional Instruments – Continued CATEGORIES OF STANDARD FORMS - LAW 1. GENERAL FORMS 2.1.CHILDREN/PERSONS WITHOUT PARENTAL/FAMILY CARE 2.2.EDUCATIONALLY NEGLECTED/UNCARED FOR CHILDREN 2.3.CHILDREN WHOSE DEVELOPMENT IS DISTURBED BY FAMILY CIRCUMSTANCES 2.4.PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES 2.5.PERSONS WITHOUT SECURE INCOME AND UNABLE TO WORK 2.6.PERSONS WITH SOCIALLY UNACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOUR 2.7.PERSONS EXPOSED TO ABUSE AND FAMILY VIOLENCE 2.8.PERSONS AND FAMILIES IN SOCIAL NEED WHO, DUE TO EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES, RQUIRE APPROPRIATE SOCIAL PROTECTION 2.9.PROTECTION OF CIVIL VICTIMS OF WAR 3.PROTECTION OF FAMILY WITH CHILDREN

9. 9 Bosnia and Herzegovina Standard Professional Instruments and case management CATEGORIES OF STANDARD FORMS – CASE MANAGEMENT Registration/Identification of beneficiary Assessment of the situation of the child and identification of short-term and long-term needs of the child (with participation of the beneficiary/child) Individual Care Plan for the child -The best interests of the child -Participation of the child (participation in finding a solution and decision making) -Inclusion of resources from the social network (immediate and wider family, local community) -Key tasks, responsible persons and organisations/institutions, and deadlines for realisation of the plan Monitoring and review of the care plan realisation (regular and as needed reviews)

10. 10 Bosnia and Herzegovina Changes in the work of Centre for Social Work Organisation of the work in the CSW – case management (one person in charge of a case) Improved planning and monitoring of protection (care plan produced and review of the care plan conducted) Partnership with and participation of beneficiary in the decisions re his/her protection Involvement of all relevant actors from the beneficiarys environment Improved professional social work and usage of modern methods of work with child and family Cooperation with NGO sector and other actors in the community (eg. involvement of Familija)

11. 11 Bosnia and Herzegovina Changes in the work of Centre for Social Work - Preconditions Human capacities –Adequate number of professional staff and sufficient time to work on a case –Development of skills and knowledge of CSW staff – training (child rights and child participation, individual approach in working with clients, social work with family, case management, work in local community: coordination, networking and work in partnership, computer usage, etc.) Strengthening of specialised work and CSW reform –Organisation of work which enables specialised work –By-laws which regulate new way of work Material and technical equipping –Financial resources for work - salaries, premises, transport, services –Support by local community/municipality in additional financing –Technical equipping Normative/regulative framework –Formalisation of instruments (still pending in TC – CSW not obliged to use the instruments; complicated process for BiH) –Harmonisation of normative framework –Regulating of supervision/monitoring of professional work

12. 12 Bosnia and Herzegovina Preconditions for introduction of standard instruments in the work of Centres for Social Work Human capacities Training of staff Equipment (computers) Formalisation through by-laws

13. 13 Standard instruments developed and introduced in the work, and being replicated to new locations Securing of financing from several sources (co- financing) Development of capacities of Centre for Social Work Specialisation of professional staff Bosnia and Herzegovina Results

14. 14 Work in partnership It is possible to work on the improvement of child and social protection without waiting for specific laws to be passed Participation of children/beneficiaries in the process of protection is important With some organisational changes, Centre for Social Work has successfully fitted into these processes Centres for Social Work and their staff present a significant resource for replication of new approaches and models of work Bosnia and Herzegovina Lessons learned