ECNL is conducting a project on social contracting with Bulgarian Center for Not-for-Profit Law and the National Association of Municipalities in Bulgaria. The Project aims to improve the mechanism of support and social inclusion of vulnerable people.
The Project “SOCIAL CONTRACTING– A TOOL FOR ACHIEVING BETTER RESULTS FOR THE PEOPLE” Contract BG051PO001-7.0.017-0104-C0001 is funded by the Operational Program “Human Resources development” and co-financed by the European Social Fund of the European Union. The Operational program “Human Resource Development” is a tool for using financial resources, co-funded by EU’s European Social Fund and the national budget of the Republic of Bulgaria.
The project lasts from 1 June 2013 until 30 November 2014. The specific aims of the Project are:
- To increase the efficacy of social contracting of services;
- To create innovative contracting models in the provision of public services in the fields of healthcare and education;
- To improve the quality of the support provided for vulnerable people in the fields of healthcare, education and social inclusion;
- To increase the accessibility and flexibility of public services and forms of support in the fields of healthcare, education and social inclusion;
- To create an informal network between social service providers for exchange of experience. We aim to achieve these goals though the following activities:
- We will conduct research on how has social contracting developed over the past years;
- We will organize a roundtable on the issues and challenges to social contracting;
- We will assess the current social contracting mechanism;
- We will also research into the foreign experience in the provision of social services through analysis of regulations and practices in 5 other European states and by two visits to exchange experience to the Netherlands and Hungary;
- We will develop a strategic document with proposals for improving and expanding the social contracting model in the fields of healthcare and education. The Project results will be presented at a closing conference and along with it the Project partners will also run an intensive information campaign which will periodically inform the public about the project development and achievements. An online platform for sustainable exchange of experience and professional consultation between all participants in the social contracting process will continue to function after the Project is completed.