The social assistance system – One of the ingredients of social inclusion policy

Abstract

Social assistance system is intended for persons who are not employed or have not been employed for a long period of time and do not receive services from national social security system or do not qualify for state social benefits, or do not generate sufficient income from work and do not provide means of subsistence for themselves or overcome particular difficulties of life and who are not receiving adequate assistance from anybody else. Socially excluded person is denied of or has difficulties to exercise their rights to obtain sufficient income, receive a range of essential services and goods, and also to defend their rights. Social exclusion means both reduced material resources, as well as inability to effectively participate in economic, political and cultural life, loss of feeling of belonging, which to some extent causes sense of estrangement and alienation from society. Thus, emergence of poverty is not only affected by personal lack of resources, but also lack of availability of resources in community. For instance, locations of existing social institutions whose services are required are too distant from place of residence or poorly developed public transport network are reasons that limit availability of required social services. The nature of social exclusion is also related to consistency and durability, in sense that longer multitude of social problems is not addressed, greater is risk of social exclusion for particular social groups. Lombardi indicates that the objective of social inclusion policy is to ensure possibility to participate in social life, gain pleasure and enjoy high level of quality of life, to each and every resident, irrespective of their social or economic grounds. 1 Social inclusion, then, is process of ensuring possibilities and resources, required to comprehensively participate in economic, social and cultural life, ensure prosperity and standard of living adopted in society, as well as greater opportunities for participation in decision-making and access to fundamental human rights to persons subjected to risk of social exclusion and poverty.