Romania’s Labor Ministry to work together with priests to identify persons in need of assistance

Individuals from disadvantaged categories who need to be included in social assistance programs will be identified by the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection with the help of Orthodox priests, according to a protocol recently signed between the Ministry and the Romanian Orthodox Church.

"[...] We have signed a protocol of collaboration aimed at continuing and intensifying cooperation in the social field, both in terms of long-term care and other social programs and projects targeting all disadvantaged social categories, supported by approximately 800 institutions and social services of the Romanian Orthodox Church," labor minister Marius Budai said in a post on Facebook.

According to the protocol, church structures will be informed about funding opportunities provided by the Ministry of Labor or those financed with European funds.

Additionally, the Ministry of Labor will provide the church with information from its databases or those of subordinate public institutions regarding the number of individuals from vulnerable families at risk of poverty and social exclusion who are eligible to access social services or related services (care, recovery, etc.), according to Digi24. The services can be provided with the support of or through the structures of the Romanian Orthodox Church.

Other provisions of the protocol allow priests to identify local, county, or regional priorities in the field of social assistance and include them in the national mechanism for social inclusion. The clergy will also be involved in consultative community councils for the identification and resolution of problems faced by vulnerable persons, alongside social partners such as the Territorial Administrative Unit, DGASPC, and other organizations.

Joint projects and documents in the field of social assistance, alongside their implementation, are also included in the protocol.

The ministry has also committed to training students from faculties of theology as social assistants and to involve them in the process of providing social assistance services. The state will support the development of the national network of social services provided at the level of the Romanian Orthodox Church eparchies by providing consultancy in the accreditation and licensing process required by law.

(Photo source: Marius Budai on Facebook)