Overall Objective

To strengthen the capacity of the Government of Albania to successfully implement reforms in the area of social inclusion, through social care services, inclusive education, and VET and employment. 

Expected Results

• Integrated system of social and community care services at local level is established and functional;
• Financial and regulatory framework for modem social care practice and standards elaborated;
• Improved child well-being in schools;
• Increased inclusion and well-being of children with special needs;
• Increased labour market participation, including youth, women, men and other populations at-risk of exclusion;
• Extended Vocational education and training (VET) offer tailored to needs of youth, women and men and populations at-risk of exclusion in municipalities;
• Increased outreach and targeted cash assistance support to families responding to CO VID 19 crisis;
• Extended support to the most vulnerable families through the relief operation responding to COVID 19 crisis;
• Increased outreach and targeted measures to the unemployed responding to COVID 19 crisis.

Activities

• Engagement in policy dialogue around conditions and government reform priorities, the verification of conditions, targets and the payment of budget support;
• Transfer of EUR 50.65 million to the beneficiary country over fiscal years 2020, 2021,2022, 2023 and 2024 with disbursements of fixed and variable tranches.
• Continued support to reinforce Government's institutional capacities to implement the National Strategy on Social Protection (NSSP), National Strategy on Employment and Skills (NESS), and supplementary measures to expand the scope and provision of inclusive education.
• Enhancing workforce skills and capacities at local and central level to ensure good quality of provision of social services, skills for inclusive education for teachers, psychologists, social workers and other personnel in schools, in VET institutions and National Employment Service, skills development to case management and other contemporary practices in working with specific needs of various groups through technical assistance
• Enhancing donor coordination through regular dialogue and capacity building for the Social Protection and Employment and Skills strategy, and inclusive education by related technical assistance and grant schemes.
• Enhanced coordination and support to respond to COVID 19 crisis in the area of social protection, employment, VET and pre-university education.
• Strengthening monitoring and evaluation systems for tracking implementation of the Social Protection and Employment and Skills Strategy, and the inclusive education and social inclusion dimensions in Pre-university Education (PEUS);
• Enhancing policy coordination and implementation at local level and partnerships between municipalities and civil society in service provision, monitoring and evaluation of existing and new standards of service provision;
• Regular monitoring of budget support eligibility criteria.
• Communication and visibility of budget support linked as well to local level grants support.
• Enhanced transparency and public consultations with civil society actors and other key stakeholders in the sector such as, private business, social partners.
• Grants aimed at supporting municipal partnerships and expanding service delivery; improving labour market and inclusive education for Roma and Egyptian populations, and expanding inclusive education measures to 320 schools – including the school for deaf children and the school for blind children.