Towards Sustainable Social Inclusion: A Handbook for Implementing Social-Inclusion Measures at the Level of Centres for Social Work

About the Handbook

Centres for Social Work have a legal obligation to work on the social inclusion of work-capable recipients of Financial Social Assistance, but in practice they operate without a standardised methodology. This handbook provides concrete guidance on needs assessment, planning of individualised support, motivating recipients, and coordination with other actors in the local community. Its focus is on work with recipients who face long-term unemployment, poverty, limited access to services, education and support, as well as other obstacles that hinder their full participation in society.

Priručnik polazi od uloge centara za socijalni rad u sistemu socijalne zaštite, ali ne svodi socijalno uključivanje samo na radnu aktivaciju. On naglašava širi pristup: osnaživanje korisnika, razvoj veština, pristup pravima i uslugama, uspostavljanje odnosa poverenja i povezivanje podrške u zajednici.

Who It Is For

The handbook is intended primarily for:

• Professional staff in Centres for Social Work;
• Managers and supervisors in the social-protection system;
• Local actors involved in supporting recipients of Financial Social Assistance;
• Institutions and organisations working on social inclusion, activation, and poverty reduction.

What the Handbook Covers

The handbook follows the logic of the professional procedure and addresses the key steps in working with recipients of Financial Social Assistance:

• Informing beneficiaries and building trusting relationships;
• Assessing needs, potential, and obstacles to social inclusion;
• Planning support;
• Monitoring and evaluating the activities carried out;
• Motivating recipients to change and engage in support measures;
• A culturally sensitive approach to the work;
• Coordination with actors in the local community.

A particular value of the handbook is that it connects the professional procedure with the concrete skills needed for work with recipients of Financial Social Assistance, including motivational interviewing, a strengths-based approach, and building a partnership relationship between the professional and the recipient.

How to Use the Handbook

The handbook can be used as a practical guide in the day-to-day work of Centres for Social Work. Professional staff can use it to prepare conversations with the recipient, structure the assessment, define support objectives, plan activities, and monitor progress. In addition to the theoretical and legal framework, the handbook also contains practical annexes and templates for assessment, planning, and evaluation that can help standardise the work and make the implementation of social-inclusion measures easier in practice.

About the Programme

The handbook was prepared within the programme “PRO — Local Governance for People and Nature,” jointly implemented by the United Nations agencies in Serbia — UNOPS, UNICEF, UNFPA, and UNEP — in cooperation with the Government of the Republic of Serbia, with the financial support of the Government of Switzerland.

How to Cite

Milanović, M., Nešković, V., Milanović, L. (2024). Ka održivoj socijalnoj uključenosti: Priručnik za primenu mera socijalne uključenosti na nivou centara za socijalni rad. Centar za istraživanje i razvoj društva IDEAS, Beograd.

You can download the handbook: HERE