PROTECTION OF VULNERABLE POPULATIONS IN BULGARIA

Abstract

Social policy as a set of principles, legal norms, activities and institutions, aimed at creating conditions that ensure the quality of life of the citizens of a country, is an expression of the social relations between the state and its citizens. Social policy determines safety (social, health, economic) and security of the individuals in society.Social policy should be seen as an activity that guarantees the security of those affected by the risks of labour, family and life. In a broader sense, social policy regulates a very broad range of social relationships that relate to employment, income, education, and others. Social security can therefore be seen as the main objective of social policy. In modern concepts, social security is perceived as a system of public rules, institutions and social payments that enable the dignified exitense of every person, who in an unusual state of vitality. Social security can therefore be seen as a set of measures to protect people in an unusual situation. Forms of social security: social security coverage; social assistance; social provision.Apart from thier nature, purpose and funding, social security and social assistance differ according to the principles of organization and management. Social assistance is a decentralized system, and social security can be centralized or decentralized depending on the principles adopted. Through these forms of social security, people receive material security for their existence on the basis of common and unified rules. In any case, however, not always will the indigent be covered by these forms of social security, regardless of their social protection needs. It is possible that even socially protected persons may be in need because of the low income recevied by this system. In such cases the intervention of social assistance is needed as a means of “plugging the holes”. For the sake of clarity, social security can be defined as the first defense net, and social assistance as the second defense net, i.e. social assistance must take on the part of the population which, for one or other reason, does not fall from or land either from the upper levels of the social protection system or when the level of this protection has been insufficient or it provides social protection from the last instance.