THE REGULATORY TRAJECTORY AND CURRENT ORGANISATIONAL
FRAMEWORK OF SOCIAL SERVICES AND SOCIAL CARE IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC
Jana Havlíková, Research Institute for Labour and Social Affairs
Kateřina Kubalčíková, Masaryk University
Introduction
The development in the area of social services in the Czech Republic differs in many respects
from that in Western Europe. While in the first half of the 20th century the development of
social policy and social protection was in line with mainstream European principles, the year 1948
when the communist regime was established meant a disruption in the Western tradition which
lasted until the Velvet revolution in 1989. In the 1990s, a new welfare system was set up with the
aim to realign the policies with the European ideology. However, it has not been easy to
overcome the forty-year gap. As a result, some of the developments and reforms instituted in
Western countries in the 1980s and 1990s occurred later in the Czech Republic; for example, the
process of deinstitutionalization of care for people with disabilities has only begun since 2012.
In this working paper we focus especially on outlining the regulatory and organizational context
of the provision of social services in the Czech Republic. We decided to choose only one of the
domains suggested by the COST Action IS1102 WG1 coordinator, namely the domain of Social
and care services, because of two reasons: first, due to the discontinuity in social development in
the Czech Republic it is necessary to explain the changes more in depth, which would require an
enormously long paper; second, our case study for the WG2 concerns social care services for the
elderly, and therefore it is important to explain the context of the services provision. The other
domains, i.e. Education and Healthcare, are therefore just briefly described in the section 1.3
below.
Finally, we would like to point out that the notion of the domain of Social services as understood
in the Czech environment is narrower than the concept of Social services of general interest
(SSGI) accepted by the United Nations and the European Union. The areas included in SSGI, i.e.
health, housing, education, employment, social security, and social protection, are governed by
national social policy in the Czech Republic, and perhaps the closest “umbrella” term to describe
them would be the welfare system (systém sociální ochrany).
1. Classification, terminology and definition of social services in the Czech
Republic
This section is divided into two parts. The first part is devoted to a more in-depth
conceptualization of the Social and care services in the Czech Republic, as well as to clarification
of the terminology and definitions used in the area of Czech social and care services. The second
part contains an overview of public services provided in the domains of Education and
Healthcare.
1.1. Classification, terminology and definition of the Social and care services
The system of social services is regulated by Act No. 108/2006 Coll., on Social Services, and by
the Decree of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs No. 505/2006 Coll., implementing some
provisions of the Social Services Act.
The term “social services“ is defined more narrowly in the Czech Republic than is the case in discussions
at the European Community level. Social services are defined as provision of support and assistance to
persons in adverse social situation in a manner that preserves their human dignity and respects
individual human needs, while bolstering the possibility of social inclusion of every individual in
his or her natural social environment at the same time. As a result, social services represent the
aggregate of the specialised activities helping a person to overcome his/her adverse social
situation. As such situations have various causes, there is a whole spectrum of social services on
offer (see Table 1.1).
In line with this legal definition, social services are classified into three basic areas by the Social
Services Act: Social counselling, usually specialised for specific target groups or situations, with basic
counselling being an integral component of all social services; Social care services, the main
objective of which is to arrange for people’s basic needs which cannot be met without care and
assistance by another person; Social prevention services serve to prevent the social exclusion of
persons who are endangered by adverse social phenomena.
Social services are also classified according to the place where they are provided: Field-based services
are provided at a person’s place of residence, i.e. in his/her household, at the place where he/she
works, studies, or spends his/her spare time. Examples of these types of services include
domiciliary service, personal assistance and field-based programmes for endangered youth. In
order to receive non-residential services, clients must visit specialised facilities such as counselling
facilities, day care centres for disabled people or drop-in centres for people at risk of substance
abuse. Residential services are provided in facilities where a person lives year-round at a certain stage
of his/her life. These mainly include homes for the elderly and homes for disabled persons, as
well as so-called sheltered housing for people with disabilities and shelter for mothers with
children or for homeless people (for more information about the organizational framework of social services
provision see section 3 below).
The following Table 1.1 contains a list of social services as they are defined by the Social Services
Act. Individual kinds of social services are grouped according to the classification mentioned
above (i.e. into three basic groups: social counselling, social care services, and social prevention
services). The Czech term for the service and its English translation are then given. The last
column of the table provides a shortened legal definition of the service.
As the Czech social services are defined according to the adverse social situations which establish
a person’s entitlement to special support and assistance, it is not possible to group the social
services according to the target group of users. As a rule, a single, legally defined, kind of social
service (see Table 1.1) can be provided to a relatively broad group of users. As an example, we
chose three target groups most relevant to the COST Action I1102 and, with the help of the
national Register of social services providers (http://iregistr.mpsv.cz), created a list of all the
kinds of social services targeted at these respective groups of users in the South Moravian
Region:
 Children and youth at risk in the age of 6-26 years: Social counselling, Services in drop-in
centres for drug users, Low-threshold services for children and minors, Telephone crisis
support, Shelter services, Outreach programmes, Social rehabilitation, Social activation
services for families with children, Follow-up services, Halfway houses.
 Immigrants: Social counselling, Services in drop-in centres for drug users, Low-threshold
services for children and minors, Telephone crisis support, Shelter services, Outreach
programmes, Social rehabilitation, Crisis assistance.
 Older people: Social counselling, Domiciliary care service, Homes for the elderly, Special
care homes, Day care centres, Day services centres, Respite care, Guiding and reading
services, Emergency assistance, Personal assistance, Interpreting services, Social activation
services for senior citizens and people with disabilities, Social and therapeutic workshops,
Telephone crisis support, Crisis assistance, Outreach programmes, Social rehabilitation,
Services in drop-in centres for drug users.
To complete the description of social and care services we need to point out that the Social
Services Act stipulates not only the in-kind services (see Table 1.1.) but also a cash social security
benefit – the care allowance provided to people dependent on assistance by another person due to
their age or health status. The recipient may use the allowance to pay his/her
relative/neighbour/‘social care assistant’ for care, he/she may hire a social care services provider
or combine both of these possibilities. The care allowance statistics (MoLSA, 2011) indicate that
informal care plays a crucial role in social care provision in the Czech Republic (72 % of care
allowance recipients spent the allowance solely on informal care in 2010, and 9.5 % combined
care delivered by informal and formal caregivers).
Table 1.1. Czech national terminology and definition of social services included in the Social and care
services.
Social and
care
services –
basic area
Services in
local
language
English terminology
used
National (legal) definition
Social
Counselling
Odborné
sociální
poradenství
Social counselling Social counselling includes general social counselling and
specialised social counselling. General social counselling
provides beneficiaries with essential information helping them to
cope with the adverse social situation they find themselves in.
Social counselling is a basic activity implemented within all types
of social services; social services providers shall always be
obliged to arrange for this service. Specialised social counselling
is provided, according to the needs of individual social groups, in
civic counselling facilities, marriage and family counselling
facilities, counselling facilities for senior citizens, disabled
persons, and victims of crime and domestic violence; it also
includes social work with persons whose lifestyle may conflict with
that of the wider society. These services are provided free of
charge.
Social Care
Services
Osobní
asistence
Personal assistance Personal assistance is a field-based service provided to persons
whose self-sufficiency is reduced due to age, disability or chronic
illness, where their situation requires that they be assisted by
another person. The service is provided without time limitation, in
the beneficiary’s natural social environment, and covers tasks
demanded by the beneficiary (e.g. in the areas of personal care,
access to public places, household care, and contact with the
family and broader society. The user contributes towards the
costs of the service.
Pečovatelská
služba
Domiciliary care
service
Domiciliary care service is a field-based or non-residential service
provided to persons whose self-sufficiency is reduced due to age,
chronic illness or disability, and to families with children, where
their situation requires that they be assisted by another person. It
includes assistance with personal care, meal preparation or meal
delivery and assistance in running a household. The service is
provided at a specified time (with the time specification being the
main factor differentiating this service from the personal
assistance service) in the beneficiary’s household or in nonresidential
care facilities. The clients are provided with the service
for a fee.
Tísňová péče Emergency
assistance
Emergency assistance is a field-based service offering non-stop
remote-voice and electronic communication to persons who find
themselves at a permanent life-threatening or health-threatening
risk should their health or abilities suddenly deteriorate. The aim
of this service is to enable the users to remain in their homes,
while substantially reducing the associated health risks. The
clients are provided with the service for a fee.
Průvodcovské
a
předčitatelské
služby
Guiding and reading
services
Guiding and reading services are field-based or non-residential
services in the area of orientation and communication provided to
persons whose self-sufficiency is reduced due to age or disability,
with the aim to help the users to manage their own affairs by
themselves. The purpose of this service is assistance with
asserting the users’ rights and justified interests and looking after
personal matters. The clients are provided with the service for a
fee.
Podpora
samostatného
bydlení
Supported housing Supported housing is a field service provided to persons whose
self-sufficiency is reduced due to disability or chronic ailment,
including mental disorder, and whose situation requires
assistance by another person. This service includes the following
basic activities: a) assistance with running a household, b)
pedagogical, educational and activation activities, c) mediating
contact with the social environment, d) social and therapeutic
activities, e) assistance with asserting the users’ rights and
justified interests and looking after personal matters. The user
participates in the funding of the service.
Odlehčovací
služby
Respite care Respite care is field-based, non-residential or residential service
provided to persons whose self-sufficiency is reduced due to age,
chronic illness or disability, who are normally cared for in their
natural social environment; the aim of the service is to enable the
regular caregiver to get the necessary rest. The provider supplies
services to the user at times when the family members are at
work, on holiday, do common errands outside the home, etc. Care
is delivered in the household or in specialized institutions (in the
form of day care or short-term stays of up to three months). The
user participates in the funding of the service.
Centra
denních
služeb
Day service centres In the day service centres, non-residential services are provided
to persons whose self-sufficiency is reduced due to age or
chronic disability, where their condition requires that they be
regularly assisted by another person. Although it is legally
possible to offer this kind of social service to both older people
and people with disabilities, in reality, the users are predominantly
older people. Day service centres offer a combination of services,
the purpose of which concerns physical and psychological
support of the users’ self-sufficiency and improvement in their
overall quality of life. The clients are provided with the service for
a fee.
Denní
stacionáře
Day care centres Day care centres are quite similar to the above-mentioned day
service centres; however, day care centres provide assistance
above all to people with disabilities, especially to people with
mental disability. This kind of social service is provided on an nonresidential
basis. The service consists in therapeutic and
educational activities provided with the objective of promoting the
self-sufficiency of users in managing personal care and stabilizing
and improving their quality of life. The emphasis is placed on the
users’ initiative and their possibility of engaging in everyday life.
The clients are provided with the service for a fee.
Týdenní
stacionáře
Week care centres Week care centres are intended for people whose capabilities are
limited, particularly in the areas of personal care and household
care, and who cannot live their everyday lives at home without
someone else's assistance. Providing temporary housing may be
part of the service. The user participates in the funding of the
service.
Domovy pro
osoby se
zdravotním
postižením
Homes for people
with disabilities
Homes for people with disabilities are intended for people whose
capabilities are limited, particularly in the areas of personal care
and household care, and who cannot live on their own. The
provision of housing tailored to the users’ needs and substitute
homes for the users are part of the service. The service is not
restricted by time. The user participates in the funding of the
service.
Domovy pro
seniory
Homes for the elderly Homes for the elderly are residential services provided to persons
whose self-sufficiency is reduced due to age, where their
condition requires that they be regularly assisted by another
person. This service includes the following basic activities: a)
provision of accommodation, b) provision of meals, c) assistance
with essential personal care, d) assistance with personal hygiene
or arranging the conditions for personal hygiene, e) mediating
contact with the social environment, f) social and therapeutic
activities, g) activation activities, h) assistance with asserting the
users’ rights and justified interests and looking after personal
matters. The clients are provided with the service for a fee.
Domovy se
zvláštním
režimem
Special care homes In special care homes, residential services are provided to
persons whose self-sufficiency is reduced due to chronic mental
illness or substance abuse, or due to old-age senile dementia/
Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia, where the
clients’ condition requires that they be regularly assisted by
another person. The regime in these facilities is adapted to meet
these persons’ specific needs. The clients are provided with the
service for a fee.
Chráněné
bydlení
Sheltered housing Sheltered housing is a residential service provided to persons
whose self-sufficiency is reduced due to disability or chronic
illness, including mental illness, where their situation requires that
they be assisted by another person. Sheltered housing takes the
form of either group or individual accommodation in standard
apartments and houses that represent a home for the users and
are managed by the provider. The clients are provided with the
service for a fee.
Social
prevention
services
Raná péče Early intervention
services
Early intervention services are oriented towards the needs of
entire families with small children whose development is at risk
because of disability or illness. The service includes the use of
educational, social and healthcare measures. The objective is to
restore or sustain the parents’ competence to raise the child and
create suitable conditions for the child’s development. The
services are provided in the household and specialised day care
establishments, usually free of charge.
Telefonická
krizová
pomoc
Telephone crisis
support
Telephone crisis support is a field-based service provided for a
temporary period to persons in a life-threatening, healththreatening
or another serious situation which they are
temporarily unable to resolve on their own. Professional staff are
contacted by telephone and thus there is no direct contact
between the client and the professional counsellor. This service is
provided free of charge.
Tlumočnické
služby
Interpreting services Interpreting services are field-based or non-residential services
provided to persons with communication disorders, namely
caused by sensory difficulties, preventing them from engaging in
normal communication with their surroundings without assistance
of another person. This service is provided free of charge.
Azylové domy Shelter services Shelter services are intended for homeless people who are
interested in acquiring housing of their own. The focus of the
service is to provide temporary accommodation together with
counselling and guidance concerning access to regular housing
and improvement of the beneficiaries’ living conditions. This
support and assistance are provided in specialised asylum
institutions. The users usually participate in the funding of the
service.
Domy na půl
cesty
Halfway houses Halfway houses offer temporary housing to persons up to 26
years of age who, upon coming of age, leave children’s homes
and secure children’s homes for young offenders or sometimes
other types of institutional facilities for children and youth care.
The services provided include the following: accommodation,
mediation of contact with social environment, therapeutic
activities and assistance in advocacy of rights and interests.
Halfway houses are a paid service.
Kontaktní
centra
Drop-in centres The service is intended for substance abusers who live in
degrading conditions or live a risky lifestyle and, as a result, fail to
or refuse to cope with their unfavourable social situation. The
purpose of the service is to create the conditions for establishing
contact and, if requested, provide information and advice on how
to handle the users’ problems. The service is provided free of
charge.
Krizová
pomoc
Crisis assistance Crisis assistance is a field-based, non-residential or residential
service available for a temporary period to persons in a lifethreatening
or health-threatening situation who are temporarily
unable to manage their adverse social situation on their own. This
service is provided free of charge.
Intervenční
centra
Intervention centres The services of intervention centres are targeted at victims of
domestic violence in the case when the aggressor was evicted
from the joint place of residence. A person at risk of violent attack
is offered assistance within 48 hours, at the latest, from the
eviction of the aggressor. Intervention services may also be
initiated in response to an application made by the person who is
threatened with violence by someone sharing the same
residence, or even in the absence of such an instigation, that is
immediately after the moment of the intervention centre learning
of a person being threatened with violence. This service also
includes arranging for cooperation and sharing of information
among the intervention centres, providers of other social services,
authorities responsible for the social and legal protection of
children, municipalities, units of the Police of the Czech Republic
and municipal police, and other public administration bodies.
Social services of the intervention centre are provided on an nonresidential,
field-based or residential basis. This service is
provided free of charge.
Nízkoprahová
denní centra
Low-threshold day
centres
Low-threshold day centres provide non-residential or field-based
services to homeless people. It includes following services:
provision of meals, access to regular bathing, assistance with
asserting the users’ rights and justified interests and looking after
personal matters. This service is provided free of charge.
Nízkoprahová
zařízení pro
děti a mládež
Low-threshold
services for children
and adolescents
The service is intended for children and minors facing the risk of
social exclusion, "street kids" in particular. Most often this is street
work. The social worker’s support includes offering meaningful
leisure activities, addressing inadequate family care or assisting
with personal problems. The low-threshold character of the
service is understood to mean the possibility to avoid the
necessity to present an identity document, comply with a regular
schedule or be obliged to participate in the activities on offer. The
service is provided free of charge.
Noclehárny Hostels Hostels are intended for homeless people who are only interested
in overnight stays. The number of nights per user is unlimited. No
active effort towards obtaining one’s own housing is required. The
service primarily involves a shelter for the night and possibly food,
but also the provision of information on available follow-up social
services to address the users’ problems. The users usually
participate in the funding of the service.
Služby
následné
péče
Follow-up services Follow-up services are non-residential or residential social
services provided to persons with chronic psychiatric disorders
and to substance abusers who either have completed or undergo
inpatient therapy in a healthcare facility or outpatient therapy, or
to recovering addicts. The aims of this kind of social services are:
to sustain and develop the positive outcomes of previous
interventions and/or prevent relapse into addiction; to inform the
clients about publicly available services; to improve the clients’
social skills and ability to manage common and complex life
situations; to help the clients search for job opportunities in the
labour market and to keep their jobs; to develop the clients’ ability
to engage in social interactions and build new social ties. This
service is provided free of charge, save for the costs of arranging
housing.
Sociálně
aktivizační
služby pro
rodiny s dětmi
Social activation
services for families
with children
Social activation services for families with children are field-based
or non-residential services provided to families with children
whose development is at risk due to the effects of a long-term
critical social situation which the parents are unable to handle on
their own without assistance. This service is provided free of
charge.
Sociálně
aktivizační
služby pro
seniory a
osoby se
zdravotním
postižením
Social activation
services for senior
citizens and people
with disabilities
Social activation services are non-residential or field-based
services provided to persons of retirement age or disabled
persons at risk of social exclusion. The services include the
following activities: a) mediating contact with the social
environment, b) social and therapeutic activities, c) assistance
with asserting the users’ rights and justified interests and looking
after personal matters. This service is provided free of charge.
Sociálně
terapeutické
dílny
Social and therapeutic
workshops
Social and therapeutic workshops are outpatient services
provided to persons whose self-sufficiency is reduced due to
disability and who thus have no opportunities in the open and
protected labour markets. The purpose of these workshops is to
provide long-term and regular support and development of work
habits and skills by way of social work therapy. This service is
usually provided free of charge.
Terapeutické
komunity
Therapeutic
communities
The service is intended for substance abusers who went through
a detoxification programme and are interested in changing their
lifestyle and returning to normal life. The service is provided in a
residential institution with a strict regime. The maximum stay in
the therapeutic community is normally one year. The user
participates in the funding of the service. This kind of service
belongs to the domain of social services, like the other kinds of
services listed in this table.
Terénní
programy
Outreach
programmes
These are programmes for people at risk of social exclusion.
They are intended for substance abusers, people who find
themselves in degrading or risky situations and those who live in
environments affected by socially pathological phenomena and
are directly at threat. The objective is to increase the users’
orientation in the social environment and create the conditions for
managing their problems. The service is provided free of charge.
Sociální
rehabilitace
Social rehabilitation Social rehabilitation is a set of specific activities focused on
attaining self-reliance, independence and self-sufficiency by
developing the users’ specific abilities and skills, strengthening
their habits and practising everyday activities necessary for
leading an independent life, using the clients’ preserved abilities,
potential and competencies. Social rehabilitation is provided in
the form of field-based and non-residential services, as well as in
the form of residential services of social rehabilitation centres.
This service is usually provided free of charge.
Sources: MoLSA (2009), http://www.mpsv.cz/en/1613, Act No. 108/2006 Coll. on Social Services, CSO (2012).
1.2. Terminology and definition of the public services included in the domains of
Education and Health Services
The provision of education is governed by the basic principles contained in the Charter of
Fundamental Rights and Freedoms, which is part of the Czech Constitution. The Charter says
that ''it is the parents’ right to care for and bring up their children. Children have the right to
parental upbringing and care '' (Article 32, paragraph 4).
Article 33 says: “Everyone has the right to education. School attendance shall be obligatory for
the period specified by law. Citizens have the right to free primary and secondary school
education, and, depending on particular citizens’ ability and the capability of society, also to
university-level education. Private schools may be established and instruction provided there only
under conditions set by law; education may be provided at such schools for tuition. “
The Act No. 561/2004 Coll., on Pre-school, Elementary, Secondary, Tertiary Professional and
Other Education – the Education Act, for short, concerns all spheres of education with the
exception of university-level education which is subject to the Higher Education Act. Public
higher education is currently free of charge for Czech citizens, with a few exceptions
(administrative fees related to admission procedures; fees for exceeding the standard length of
studies and fees for the study of an additional degree programme).
Healthcare in the Czech Republic is provided primarily on the basis of statutory health
insurance. Healthcare services are covered by the health insurance funds. The following services
are fully or partially covered by health insurance:1
1. outpatient and institutional (inpatient) care,
2. emergency and ambulance services,
3. preventive care,
4. dispensary care,
5. supply of medicaments, medical supplies (e.g. hearing aids, bandages),
6. balneological care, care in specialised children's hospitals and sanatoria,
7. industrial healthcare,
8. transport of the sick, reimbursement of travel expenses,
9. examination of the deceased and autopsy.
There are many procedures that are co-financed by the insured persons. These are procedures
and medical devices that are above the standard of care as it is defined by law. Dental procedures,
some balneological care and some medicaments are cases in point. Some medicaments are fully
covered by the insurance companies, whereas others are co-financed by the patients. In every
category of medicaments there must be at least one medicament that is fully covered by public
insurance. The costs of medicaments and medical devices provided during a stay in hospital are
fully covered by the insurer, with the insured person not having to directly pay for treatment
(Kinkorová, Topolčan, 2012).
The system and the provision of healthcare are regulated by the following laws:
- Resolution of the Presidium of the Czech National Council 2/1993 promulgating the Charter
of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms as part of the Czech constitutional order
- Act No. 48/1997 Coll., on Public Health Insurance, amending certain related Acts
- Act No. 20/1966 Coll., on Public Healthcare, amending certain related Acts
- Act No. 592/1992 Coll., on Premiums for Universal Healthcare, amending certain related Acts
- Act no. 258/2000 Coll., on Public Health Protection and Amending Certain Related Acts, as
amended
1 Source: http://www.mzcr.cz/prevence/uk/uk.html
The following Table 1.2. contains a list of the services within the domains of Education and
Healthcare. The Czech term for the service and its English translation are given. The last column
of the table provides a shortened definition of the service.
Table 1.2. Czech national terminology and definition of social services included in the domains of
Education and Healthcare
Domains Services in
local
language
English terminology
used
National (legal) definition
Education
Pre-primary
education
Mateřská
škola
Nursery school A nursery school offers pre-school education of children from 3 to 6
years of age. It is not compulsory, yet enrolment is very high. A
place at a nursery school must be made available for any
interested child in their last pre-school year. The nursery school
does not provide a defined level of education (ISCED level 0), but it
creates preconditions for sustainable education and helps to
compensate for developmental disparities among children before
their enrolment in primary education. It offers special education
and care to children with special educational needs.
Primary
education
Základní škola Primary school Primary school combines primary and lower secondary levels of
education (ISCED 1+2) within a single organisational unit and
provides compulsory education. It lasts for nine years, which
corresponds to the length of compulsory schooling. Children attend
it from the age of 6 to 15. It is divided into a five-year first level and
a four-year second level. Upon completion of the first level, pupils
who show interest and succeed in the admission procedure may
transfer to a multi-year secondary general school – they may
continue at an eight-year grammar school after the fifth year of
primary school, or at a six-year grammar school after the seventh
year, or at a dance conservatoire after the fifth year and complete
their compulsory schooling there. Having completed primary school
(or equivalent) the pupils attain a primary education level (ISCED
2A).
Základní škola
speciální
Special primary
school
Pupils with serious mental disability, pupils with multiple disabilities
and autistic pupils are entitled to be educated at special schools,
from the pre-primary to upper secondary level. The curriculum and
qualifications are as close as possible to those at mainstream
schools and the methods are adjusted to the specific educational
needs. At the compulsory level, there are special primary schools
for pupils with medium and severe mental disabilities and multiple
mental disabilities, and basic practical schools for pupils with mild
mental disabilities. Pupils who complete the special primary school
attain the ISCED 2C level.
Secondary
education
Střední
učiliště/
praktická škola
Secondary vocational
school or practical
school
Upper secondary general and vocational education is acquired
through completion of an educational programme lasting 1-2 years
(ISCED 2C/3C). The age of students is 15-16/17. This kind of
school is intended above all for children with learning disabilities.
Střední
odborné
učiliště
Secondary vocational
school
Upon completion of this secondary education programme, the
students receive an apprenticeship certificate (ISCED 3C). The
programme lasts for 2-3 years. The age of students is 15-17/18.
The school provides very practically oriented upper secondary
vocational education.
Střední
odborná škola
Secondary technical
school
This is secondary education programme completed by schoolleaving
examination (ISCED 3A). The duration of education is 4
years. The age of students is 15-19.
Lyceum Lyceum Lyceum offers upper secondary education with the choice of
several specializations: pedagogical, business, technical, etc.;
completed by school-leaving examination (ISCED 3A). The
duration of education is 4 years. The age of students is 15-19.
Gymnázium Grammar school Grammar schools provide secondary education aiming to develop
the pupils’ key competencies and a broad knowledge base,
preparing them above all for higher education and various types of
tertiary education and professional specialisation. The study is
completed by school-leaving examination (ISCED 3A). The
duration of education is 4 years. The age of students is 15-19.
Konzervatoř Conservatoire The conservatoire is a special type of school providing artistic
education through studies of dance, music, singing or a
combination of music and drama. The programme can last for 4, 6
or 8 years – depending on whether the new pupils come upon
completion of compulsory schooling or only 5 years of primary
school. The admission procedure requires candidates to
demonstrate their talent in the form of an aptitude test. Depending
on the length of the education programme, the school is completed
either with school-leaving examination (ISCED 3A) or with
“absolutory examination”. The passing of the latter exam awards
the “qualified specialist” certification (DiS.) to those leaving “tertiary
professional education in conservatoire” (ISCED 5B).
Tertiary
education the
school-
leaving
examination
certificate is
the minimum
entrance
requirement
for all tertiary
education
programmes
Vyšší odborná
škola
Tertiary professional
school
Tertiary professional schools provide students with practically
oriented qualifications at the ISCED 5B level. They were
established with the aim to fill the gap in qualification needs
between secondary and tertiary school degrees. The study is
completed by “absolutory examination” awarding the “qualified
specialist” certification (DiS.). The duration of education is 3 years.
These schools can charge fees where the maximum level is
regulated.
Vysoká škola/
univerzita –
bakalářský
program
Higher education
institution – university
and non-university
type (Bachelor’s
studies)
It is completed by state examination and defence of a thesis, and
gaining the Bc./BcA (Bachelor/Bachelor of Art) qualification. The
duration of education is 3-4 years (ISCED 5A).
Vysoká škola/
univerzita –
magisterský
program
Higher education
institution – university
and non-university
type (Master’s
studies)
It is completed by state examination and defence of a thesis, and
gaining the Mgr./MgA (Master/Master of Art) or Ing./Ing.arch. (for
technical studies and economics / architecture) qualification. The
duration of education is 1-3 years (ISCED 5A).
Vysoká škola/
univerzita –
doktorský
program
Higher education
institution – university
type (Doctoral
studies)
It is completed by state doctoral examination and defence of a
thesis, and gaining the Ph.D./Th.D. (theology) degree. The
duration of education is 3-4 years (ISCED 6).
Healthcare Ambulatní
péče
Outpatient care Outpatient care is provided by primary care physicians or
specialists. If a person is taken ill, they usually contact a primary
care physician working near their home. Primary care physicians
include general practitioners for adults, general practitioners
for children and young people, dentists and gynaecologists.
The patient can only register with a physician who has a contract
with the insurance company where the patient is insured. Health
insurance is obligatory in the Czech Republic.
If healthcare is to be reimbursed from public health insurance, the
insured person must first register with a primary care physician (the
general local healthcare provider). A physician may only refuse to
register an insured person if doing so would increase his or her
workload to a point detrimental to the quality of care provided to
this and other patients of the physician.
A patient can make an appointment with a specialist physician in
the Czech Republic without a referral from the primary care
physician.
Nemocniční
péče
Institutional (inpatient)
care
If the patient’s condition requires inpatient hospital treatment, a
primary care physician or outpatient specialist can make necessary
referrals or directly arrange for hospital admission.
Inpatient care is provided in hospitals and specialised
institutions such as psychiatric hospitals and rehabilitation
centres, hospices, sanatoria, and long-term care hospitals.
Pohotovost a
zdravotnická
záchranná
služba
Ambulance service
and emergency
medical services
Ambulance services serve people with acute illness or injury who
cannot come to their physician, yet need immediate treatment and
possibly transport to a healthcare facility in order that further
deterioration of their health or risk to life are avoided. Emergency
medical services serve people who are at risk to life e.g. due to
heart attack or car accident.
Lázeňská
péče
Balneological care Balneological care can be regarded as an essential part of the
curative process. Entitlement to balneological care is
recommended, and claimed on a pre-printed form, by the
registering general physician, or attending physician in the case of
hospitalisation. In both cases it must be confirmed by a reviewing
physician.
Dlouhodobá
péče
Long-term care Long-term care for older or disabled people is provided in two
overlapping settings with different systems of organisation
and funding: residential long-term care facilities and other social
services financed from the central, regional or municipal budgets,
and healthcare facilities for long-term inpatient care financed
primarily through the social health insurance.
Psychiatrická
péče
Mental healthcare Mental healthcare is provided both in outpatient settings and in
inpatient facilities which include hospital psychiatric
departments, psychiatric hospitals and psychiatric institutes.
Výdej léčiv a
zdravotnických
prostředků
Dispensing
medicaments and
medical devices
In the Czech Republic, there is an extensive network of
pharmacies dispensing medicaments and medical devices, both
on prescription and over the counter.
Preventivní
péče
Preventive care Preventive examinations and vaccination against infectious
diseases are performed by primary care physicians.
Sources: MoEYS (2011); European Commission, EACEA (2008); http://www.mzcr.cz/prevence/uk/uk.html; Kinkorová,
Topolčan, 2012.
2. The regulatory trajectory of the welfare state in Social and care services
Since the development in the Czech Republic differs in many respects from that in Western
Europe, given the country’s former inclusion in the Soviet Union’s zone, let us start with a brief
overview of the most important social changes that took place in this country. Such a broader
introduction will be helpful for a better understanding of the developments in the area of social
services or, to be more precise, in the area of personal social and care services.
In this section, we begin with a brief outline of the main features of social policy during the
communist regime (1948-1989), we follow with a general outline of the basic stages of
‘construction’ of the new welfare model, and finally, we focus in more detail on the development
of social and care services.
2.1. Main features of social policy during the communist regime (1948-1989)
The basic features of social policy prior to 1989 were as follows (Matoušek et al., 2007):
 Absolute dominance of the state over social policy, paternalistic approach, almost
absolute monopoly, and authoritative manner of decision-making about social issues;
 Personal responsibility for one’s life conditions was undermined, and no civic initiatives
were allowed;
 Provision of extensive, universal and flat social guarantees disregarding the principle of
merit - e.g. the levelling of retirement pensions, incomes, etc.;
 Ineffective and non-transparent redistributive mechanisms, centralisation of financial
resources and their redistribution through the state budget – a principle that produced the
illusion of many social services being free of charge;
 It also needs to be said that social policy was exploited as an instrument of repression
against certain individuals and groups (e.g. underground activists).
2.2. Early stages of ‘construction’ of the new welfare model
A system transformation of social policy represented an integral part of the overall
transformation of Czech society after 1989, that is after the Velvet Revolution. A new social
policy model was gradually formulated which differed fundamentally from the pre-1989
conception.
The reform of society initiated in the early 1990s reflected the dynamic changes of the
transformation process:
 Ideological foundations and principles changed;
 Economic transformation took place at the same time;
 Society was confronted with social problems that either had not existed before or had
been artificially suppressed - e.g. unemployment, poverty, increase in drug
consumption, the issue of minorities, and unfavourable demographic trends.
Potůček (1999) outlines the basic stages of formation of the new Czech social policy as follows:
December 1989 – June 1990
At this stage, the basic principles of the envisaged reforms were discussed. Various groups of
experts on individual reform branches took part in the preparations on a voluntary basis. In some
cases, even analytical studies elaborated in the “grey zone” prior to 1989 were taken up.
July 1990 – June 1992
Basic principles of social policy were defined and many of them were laid down in legislation.
Simultaneously, the state paternalism of earlier years was gradually replaced with more flexible
and decentralised mechanisms. However, the state retained its competencies in some areas. The
principal element of social policy – social security system – was endorsed. These changes gave
rise to a welfare system that was, from an ideological perspective, a mixture of social liberal and
social democratic approach.
July 1992 – June 1996
This period started with the split of Czechoslovakia into two successor states, which brought
about a delay in the legislative process. In the new state – the Czech Republic, the predominant
political philosophy consisted in a mixture of neoliberalism and conservatism. The proclaimed,
and partially achieved, social policy goal was to reduce the role of the state. Simultaneously, the
role of market mechanisms was emphasised. Nevertheless, in some areas of social policy,
solutions corresponding rather to social democratic or social liberal principles were implemented.
July 1996 – June 1998
At this stage, social policy was affected by economic problems – the government proceeded with
partial cuts in expenditures. As a result, there were efforts to diminish state interventions in social
issues, and the neoliberal conservative approach prevailed.
It is apparent from this brief overview that the early stages of ‘construction’ of the new welfare
model were not grounded on a consistent social and political philosophy. The social reform was
shaped by many influences and while it corresponded with the neoliberal conservative view in
some respects, in other respects, the social democratic motivation was apparent. As a result of
these early processes the welfare regime established in the Czech Republic after 1989 could be
defined as a welfare mix, with an increasing inclination towards the neo-liberal model at present
(Pfeiferová et al., 2013).
The social policy domains of the current Czech welfare system can be outlined as follows (Krebs
et al., 2010):
 Healthcare policy – the state has a partially regulatory function, it guarantees the quality
and availability of care (as a constitutional right); healthcare is financed from
compulsory insurance;
 Family-related policy – for example, tax relieves for families with children, a system of
financial benefits;
 Housing policy – particularly rent regulation in public housing, special apartments for
disabled citizens or the elderly etc.;
 Employment policy – encouraging job creation, re-qualification courses etc.;
 Education policy – guaranteeing the constitutional right to education available to
everyone and free of charge etc.;
 Social security system which is described in more detail below.
The lastly-mentioned social security system is a set of institutions and measures designed to
prevent, alleviate or eliminate the consequences of social events affecting citizens. The
conception of social security in the Czech Republic is usually described as a system of ‘three
pillars’:
 Social insurance – citizens or groups of citizens reduce their present consumption
for the sake of uncertain future social events – health insurance, unemployment
insurance, retirement pension insurance, etc.
 State social support – citizens are protected against specific social events defined by
the state; state social support represents, in fact, a solidarity scheme organised by the
state and based on the principle of redistribution of resources;
 Social assistance – unlike insurance and support, social assistance is applied
individually; it involves protection of citizens against such situations that can neither
be managed by means of insurance, nor is there entitlement to the state social
support. In cases of material need – assistance can be both financial and material,
however, there is no fixed entitlement to it and claims cannot be automatically set up;
assistance is usually provided by municipalities; in cases of social need – the situation
is usually managed by temporary or permanent provision of personal social services.
2.3. Development of social and care services after 1989
We start with the period of 1990s to show how difficult the transition was from paternalistic and
state-provided social assistance and care to the modern social services.
1990 – 2006
Over this period, major changes occurred in the provision of social services. The changes were
prompted and implemented from the bottom up, primarily thanks to individual providers both
from the non-governmental and the governmental sectors. The fast development of social
services occurred without being co-ordinated and regulated by law. The users of social services
became more self-confident and wished to influence to a significant degree where, by whom and
how the service will be provided. However, the users’ involvement in decision making about the
manner and form of social services provision was limited in that period and they took almost no
part in the control processes. The providers introduced new methods of social work and were
thus better able to respond to the requirements of individual users. However, further
development of social services was hindered by out-dated legislation, division of competencies,
methods of distribution of funds and professional abilities of social workers in the public sector.
Institutional (e.g. closed) services continued to prevail over community (e.g. open) services,
however, no process of de-institutionalisation was initiated. Social services were also often
influenced by the medical approach. Additionally, the system lacked any consistent set of tools to
implement social policies at the level of municipalities and regions.
It was clear that a fundamental transformation of the system was necessary. Probably the most
important role in the field of social services was that played by the strong non-profit, nongovernmental
sector striving to provide modern social services. One factor that proved crucial
was the direct involvement of stakeholders (users, providers, self-government and state
administration) in the process of social services reform (MoLSA, not dated). In the mid-1990s,
social services providers and social workers started to discuss the parameters of a new
conception of social services provision (e.g. specification of the types of social services, rules of
service delivery, staff qualification requirements, etc.). This initiative was recognized by the Czech
government and the overall reform of social services system was started. In 2000, the first
proposal for quality standards was ready. It was formulated by this grassroots initiative and
accepted by the appropriate ministry as a non-binding model that was to be tested in practice.
Nevertheless, in the final stage, the formulation of new legislation and tools for quality
management became part of the power games among major political parties at the governmental
level and the influence of other subjects weakened. As a result, the reform became purely a
government matter, alienated from those to whom it applied (Havlíková, Hubíková, 2011).
2007
The process of social services reform was concluded with the coming into effect of the new Act
No. 108/2006 Coll., on Social Services. This Act profoundly changed the system of social services in
the CR, as well as the conditions of social services provision, including social services targeted at
the elderly and at people with disabilities (for further details see section 3). Since then, the social
services system in the Czech Republic has been regulated by Act No. 108/2006 Coll., on Social
Services, and by the Decree of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs No. 505/2006 Coll.,
implementing some provisions of the Social Services Act. These regulations are still valid and
only minor alterations have been made since 2007.
The main legislative milestones in the development of the Czechoslovakian and, subsequently,
Czech social services system are displayed in Table 2.3 below.
Table 2.3. Chronology of the building and restructuring of the welfare state in the domain of Social and
care services
Year State level
concerne
d
Legislation/Act Current status Content (synopsis)
1948 national Act No. 174/1948 cancelled Transfer of the obligation to provide citizens in
need of social help with assistance and support
from the municipalities to the state
1956 national Act No. 55/1956 cancelled Introduction of the communist conception of
social welfare. The Act stipulates that: the State
helps persons who need its help, particularly
persons with reduced ability to work, children and
elderly or severely disabled people, to improve
their material conditions and develop their culture
through provision of services (counselling, work
placement, residential care facilities) and
benefits.
1964 national Act No. 101/1964 cancelled Broadening assistance provided to people with
severe disability – they are allowed to take part in
special public canteens (where diet food was
served), and are entitled to domiciliary care
services and some extra benefits.
1975 national Act No. 121/1975 cancelled ‘Care’ for maladaptive persons in the form of
forced employment.
1988 national Act No. 100/1988 cancelled As regards the field of social services, the Act
defined the target groups entitled to state
assistance; they were as follows: families with
children, severely disabled people, older people,
people in need of special assistance, and
maladaptive citizens. Simultaneously, five kinds
of social services were defined: counselling,
residential social care, domiciliary care service,
common meals, and cultural activities.
2007 national Act No. 108/2006 valid This Act has profoundly changed the system of
social services in the Czech Republic. It defines
the kinds of social services (see Table 1) and the
basic principles of service provision, such as
registration requirements that social services
providers must meet, assessment of the users’
life situation, the funding of social services with
an element of direct payments, care allowance
rules, qualification requirements imposed on
employees of social services provider
organisations, standards of quality in social
services, local strategies of social services
development utilising the community planning
method, and basic framework for informal care
provision.
2007 national Decree No.
505/2006
valid Implementing some provisions of the Act No.
108/2006.
Sources: Matoušek et al. (2007).
3. The current organizational framework in the provision of Social and care
services in the Czech Republic
As mentioned earlier, since 2007, the social services system in the Czech Republic has been
regulated by Act No. 108/2006 Coll., on Social Services, and by the Decree of the Ministry of
Labour and Social Affairs No. 505/2006 Coll., implementing some provisions of the Social
Services Act.
This Act has profoundly changed the system of social services in the Czech Republic. It defines
the kinds of social services (see Table 1.1) and the basic principles of service provision, such as
the duty to obtain a licence for social services provision, the funding of social services with an
element of direct payment, care allowance rules, qualification requirements imposed on
employees of social services provider agencies, standards of quality in social services (for more
information see Hubíková, Havlíková, 2011), local strategies of social services development
utilising the community planning method, and basic framework for informal care provision (for
more information see Kubalčíková, 2009).
While the kinds of social services and the conditions of service provision are set at the national
level under the Social Services Act, the planning and delivery of social services are mostly
decentralised.
3.1 Main actors and their role
There are several types of actors in the domain of Social and care services in the Czech Republic.
These are above all the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Regions and Municipalities, and Non-profit
organizations. Furthermore, there are several pressure groups of users (among the most influential
ones is the Czech National Disability Council) and volunteers. However, the influence of these two
groups of actors over the social services system is rather limited (cf. Lusková, Lusková, 2012). In
the text below we therefore discuss the role of the first three mentioned actors:
The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MoLSA) is responsible for the preparation of long-term
systematic measures and relevant legal regulations, the setting of long-term social policy
priorities, as well as for quality enhancement support in the area of social services provision. As
regards funding, the Ministry distributes subsidies towards the operation and development of
social services delivered by other providers, the NGOs including. The subsidies are granted on a
yearly basis. The MoLSA itself is directly responsible for only five specialized social care
institutions. Finally, the MoLSA has a duty – through the regional offices of the Public
Employment Service – to inspect the quality of social services provision and responsibility to
carry out inspections monitoring whether or not individual social service agencies fulfil the
National Standards of Quality for Social Services Provision.
The role of municipalities and regions is very similar. They seek to establish suitable conditions for
the development of social services, particularly by researching people’s real needs and securing
the resources necessary to satisfy these needs, besides setting up organisations to provide social
services. At the level of municipalities and regions, two or three-year plans for the development
of social services are also formulated; nevertheless, these plans should be in accord with the
stated national social policy priorities. Municipalities and regions themselves provide social
services and also take part in financing social services.
Despite these roles and duties common to both municipalities and regions, regions may carry out
some additional tasks within the organizational framework of the provision of social and care
services. They may take part in inspection into the quality of social services provision, but it is
not a duty. Furthermore, regions are the licensing authority for social services providers; the
provision of social services without a licence is prohibited under the national Social Services Act.
Non-governmental, non-profit organisations and individuals provide a wide spectrum of services and
are an important party in social services provision. They often play the role of innovators and
sometimes form associations or pressure groups to influence the policy of the MoLSA.
3.2. The division of labour within the state (national, regional, local)
In this section, we focus on the ‘vertical’ division of labour (‘vertical subsidiarity’) among the
different state/government levels in the field of Social and care services in the Czech Republic
(for summary see Table 3.2.).
As is obvious from the table below, there is quite a clear distinction between the tasks and
responsibilities of the state on the one hand, and those of the regions and municipalities on the
other hand. While the state, or more precisely, the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, plays a
crucial role in legal regulation, quality control, as well as the funding of social services, the
regions and municipalities are responsible above all for planning for the development of social
services, monitoring social services, and also for the provision of services in the field of social
care. The fact that regions provide 40 % of social care services by themselves does not derive
from legislation, but from specific historical circumstances: during the communist period,
residential care was the most commonly provided type of social care service and it was provided
by the state; after the Velvet Revolution (1989), these social care facilities were transferred from
the state to the districts which continued the provision of these services; in 2002, the districts, as
administrative units, were abolished and the social care facilities were transferred to the regional
authorities; as a result, the regions are, up to now, the main provider of residential social care
services (Matoušek et al., 2007).
Table 3.2. The division of labour within the state (which level does what) in Social and care services
Phases Central Regional Municipal
Legislation/regulation XXX†
Stipulates the
kinds of social
services and the
conditions for
service provision
X
Is only responsible
for regulation
needed to
implement social
services
X
Is only responsible
for regulation
needed to
implement social
services
Funding (in 2010) Social
counselling*
61 % 14 % 13 %
Social care
services**
28 % 6 % 10 %
Social prevention
services***
52 % 12 % 11 %
Programming/planning X
Sets the long-term
social policy
priorities
XXX
Plans and
coordinates social
services within the
region
Issues licences for
social services
provision
XXX
Plans and
coordinates social
services within the
municipality
Production/delivery (in
2012)
Social
counselling*
0.2 % 7 % 5 %
Social care
services**
1 % 40 % 25 %
Social prevention
services***
0.2 % 3 % 8.5 %
Monitoring/evaluation XX
Inspects the
quality of social
services provision
XX
May take part in
inspection of the
quality of social
services provision
Monitors whether
the regional plan for
social services
development is
being met
XX
Monitors whether
the municipal plan
for social services
development is
being met
Sources: MoLSA (2011, 2013), Pfeiferová et al. (2013)
Notes: * Social counselling is one of three branches of social services in the Czech Republic (cf. Table 1.1.).
** Social care services are the second branch of social services in the Czech Republic, consisting of 13 kinds of social
services (cf. Table 1.1.).
*** Social prevention services are the third branch of social services in the Czech Republic, consisting of 18 kinds
of social services (cf. Table 1.1.).
† An X shows the relative intensity of engagement (e.g. XXX=high; X=low).
When reading Table 3.2., you may have noticed the figures for the distribution of financial
resources which cover the costs of social services. As you can see, there is a clear disproportion
between state funding towards social care services (28 %) on one hand, and social counselling (61 %)
and social prevention services (52 %) on the other hand. This results from an interplay of two
circumstances. Firstly, as we mentioned above, the state is the major financing body in the field
of social services in general. Secondly, the Social Services Act stipulates the kinds of social
services with which the clients must be provided free of charge and those which can be provided
for a fee (cf. Table 1.1.). As social counselling belongs among the social services which must be
provided for free, it is clear that its main source of funding is the state budget. Similarly, some
kinds of social prevention services must be provided for free as well, while others (e.g. hostels,
shelter services) can be charged with a fee; nevertheless, the typical clients of these kinds of
social services are very poor people and so they are not able to pay high prices for the service
provision. On the other hand, the position of social care services with regard to funding is
completely different: all these services are paid for (cf. Table 1.1.), with co-funding by the clients
being estimated at 50 % of the costs (see section 3.3.). In addition to their own financial
resources (pensions, savings), the clients may cover the service costs using the care allowance,
provided, of course, they are entitled to it. As a result, it is not only well-off people who are able
to purchase social care services in the Czech Republic.
The division of labour described in this section has remained more or less stable over time.
However, the state is planning to transfer more of the funding responsibilities to regions in the
near future.
3.3. The division of labour among actors (which actor does what)
In this section, we focus on the ‘horizontal’ division of labour among actors (‘horizontal
subsidiarity’) within the different state levels in the field of Social and care services in the Czech
Republic (for summary see Table 3.3).
First of all, it should be noted that there is a lack of statistical data on for-profit providers of
social services, as in Czech official statistics providers are defined as follows: the state, region,
municipality, church, others. As a result, for-profit providers and NGOs that are not run by
church organisations are counted together. For-profit providers of social services were very rare
until approximately the year 2010, and therefore it used to be possible to take the figures for
‘other providers’ as standing for NGOs. However, there is some evidence (not statistical
evidence, unfortunately) that the number of for-profit providers has slowly risen since then, but
it is not possible to assess by how much.
Bearing these limitations in mind, we may say that the state level (in this sense represented by the
state, regions and municipalities) plays a strong role in all the selected phases. However, there are
two exceptions: first, in the area of funding social care services, it is the users who are the main
funding body as they cover about 50 % of the costs. Second, while in the field of social services
provision the state (specifically, the regional and local authorities) is a major provider of social
care services, social counselling and social prevention services are ensured predominately by non-profit
parties (their share in the provision of social counselling and social prevention services could be
estimated at 85 %). This situation is a result of the historical circumstances accompanying the
shift from the communist paternalistic regime to a modern European welfare state (cf. section 2).
In short, during the communist period, the typical target groups of social prevention services did
not officially exist or were perceived as in need of medical care (e.g. people with disabilities,
psychiatric disorders or addictions) or as deserving punishment (e.g. unemployed or homeless
people). Consequently, social prevention services did not exist then. After the Velvet Revolution
in 1989, the above-mentioned groups of people started to be perceived as clients of the social
services – which were being developed by NGOs in the first place. And NGOs have remained
the major provider of these kinds of social services up to now (cf. Havlíková, Hubíková, 2011).
Table 3.3. The division of labour among actors (who does what) in Social and care services
Phases State Market Non-profit Family/users
For-profit
organisations
Hired help Organisations/
associations
Volunteers
Legislation/ regulation XXX† X
Pressure
Groups
- X
Pressure
Groups
- X
Pressure Groups
Funding: XXX – in
Social
Counselling
and Social
Prevention
services
XX – Social
care
services
X - X - No – in Social
Counselling
X- in Social
prevention
services
XXX – in Social
care services
(50 %)
Programming/ planning XXX XX
Can take part in
the community
planning of
social services
development
(CPSSD)
X
As
participants
in the
CPSSD
XX
Can take part in
the CPSSD
X
As
participants
in the
CPSSD
XX
Can take part in
the CPSSD
Production
/delivery
(in 2012)
Social
counselling*
12 % 88 % n.a. irrelevant
Social care
services**
66 % 34 % n.a. irrelevant
Social
prevention
services***
12 % 88 % n.a. irrelevant
Monitoring/evaluation XXX X
As participants in
the CPSSD
X
As
participants
in the
CPSSD
X
As
participants in
the CPSSD
X
As
participants
in the
CPSSD
X
As participants in
the CPSSD
Sources: MoLSA (2011, 2013), Pfeiferová et al. (2013)
Notes: * Social counselling is one of three branches of social services in the Czech Republic (cf. Table 1.1.).
** Social care services are the second branch of social services in the Czech Republic, consisting of 13 kinds of social
services (cf. Table 1.1.).
*** Social prevention services are the third branch of social services in the Czech Republic, consisting of 18 kinds
of social services (cf. Table 1.1.).
† An X shows the relative intensity of engagement (e.g. XXX=high; X=low).
The ‘horizontal’ division of labour has remained more or less stable up to now. However, there
are some indications that the number of for-profit providers in the field of social care services
and providers who operate semi-legally in this field, beyond the regulations stipulated by the
Social Services Act, has slowly been increasing.
Finally, it is obvious from Table 3.3. that involvement of volunteers is modest and can hardly be
expressed in comparable figures in the field of social and care services in the Czech Republic.
However, an inquiry into the volunteer sector was carried out in 2011 (Lusková, Lusková, 2012).
According to its results based on representative administrative data, 34.7 % of agencies providing
social services have some experience with voluntary workers and two thirds of these agencies
cooperate with more than one volunteer. There were 21 198 volunteers working in the area of
social and care services and the annual average amount of working hours per volunteer was 28.
The contribution of volunteer work towards the various kinds of social services differed a great
deal. Although the greatest number of volunteer hours worked (i.e. one fourth of the total hours
worked) was reported by homes for the elderly, in economic terms, the volunteer work only ‘saved’
the providers of homes for the elderly 0.02 % of their annual expenditure (the authors’ own
computations based on Lusková, Lusková, 2012; and MoLSA, 2012). On the contrary, volunteers
working in social activation services for senior citizens and people with disabilities ‘saved’ the providers costs
amounting to 2 % of their annual budget, even though volunteer work in this sector of social
services only accounted for 10 % of the total number of volunteer hours worked in 2011. In the
EU context, the level of volunteering in the Czech Republic could be perceived as relatively low,
as only 10 % - 19 % of adults engage in voluntary work, which is similar to the level of
volunteering in Belgium, Cyprus, Ireland, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Romania, Slovenia
and Spain (Volunteering, 2010).
4. The impact of the restructuring of social services in the Czech Republic
The concepts of the restructuring of social services and of the impact of the recent global
financial crisis are only partially relevant to describing and analysing the processes in the area of
social services that have occurred in the Czech Republic since the 1990s. There are two main
reasons for this.
First, the need for ‘restructuring’ social services in the early 1990s did not arise from the end of
the ‘Golden Age’ of welfare expansion as was the case in Western European Countries, but came
from the demise of the communist regime in 1989 and, consequently, from the transition of
Czech society to the market economy and democracy (cf. section 2). Second, the recent global
economic crisis has so far influenced the Czech Republic in a much softer way than, for example,
the Mediterranean and some other European countries, and has not as yet had an obvious impact
on the area of social services.
Therefore, the changes of the organizational framework of the social services in the Czech
Republic which took place during the 1990s and the first half of the 2000s should rather be
understood as a radical transformation from one social services regime to another. While the
denial of the ‘old welfare regime’ was rapid and radical, it took more than 15 years to establish
the ‘new welfare regime’. The process was not crowned with success until 2006 when the Social
Services Act was accepted.
Given these historical circumstances, the main parameters of the ‘new’ conception of social
services and social services organization – consisting in the rejection of the state as a dominant
service provider and in stressing the role of NGOs in social services provision – have to be
understood above all as a result of efforts to strengthen the ‘newly born’ civic society.
Nevertheless, after approximately 7 years of consolidation of the ‘new’ social services system (i.e.
in 2013), the national government announced changes comprising the transfer of the financing
of social services from the national to the regional level, as well as ‘flexibilization’ of social
services through a new and a much broader definition of the kinds of social services. We are
convinced that these expected changes could be perceived as signs of the ‘restructuring’
processes; however, they have not come into effect yet.
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http://www.mzcr.cz/prevence/uk/uk.html