Provinces back action to improve services for children and youth
A report issued by the state provincial offices at the end of May assessing primary social services gives full backing to the current development project for the social welfare sector and highlights the need to improve services for children and young people.
The report, which deals with the development of primary services and the problems facing them, stresses that municipalities need to collaborate more if they are to ensure that residents receive the services they need. It points out that only a few years ago services for families with children were a novelty but that now some three quarters of municipal authorities provide them.
The numbers of young people receiving child welfare services has increased significantly, even though the overall numbers of children and young people are less due to a lower birth rate. There are not enough primary and special services, and the chances of families with children to receive home care assistance from municipalities are virtually nonexistent.