WELFARE STATE IN POLAND
System of Social Assistance in Poland
Social assistance in Poland is regulated by the Law of 12 March 2004 on Social Assistance (uniform text Journal of Laws
2009.175.1362.), and is organised by units of central and local administration in cooperation with organisations such as foundations,
associations, the Catholic Church, other churches, religious groups, employers and both natural and legal persons.
Units of social assistance are as follows:
• in municipalities and communes – social assistance centres;
• in poviats (districts) – poviat centres for family support;
• in voivodships – regional social policy centres.
Voivode (regional level) is, among others, responsible for assessment of conditions and efficiency of
social assistance as well as supervising the quality of activities and observation of standards of services
provided by social assistance organisational units in communes and districts. The minister responsible for the
social security sector (i.e. The Minister of Labour and Social Policy) is in charge of creation of the concept and
strategy of social assistance, developing of legal regulation in the field of social assistance, defining standards
of services provided by social assistance organisational units as well as analysing the effectiveness of the
measures taken.
The governmental administration at central and regional level also play
an important role in the social assistance system.
The majority of social assistance services are provided by social assistance centres and powiat
centres for family support.
They are responsible for payment of cash benefits as well as non-financial assistance. Regional social policy centres
focus on cooperation with providers and organisers of social assistance (for example NGOs). NGOs provide services such
as: shelters for the homeless, homes for single mothers, day-care homes and other support centres, and many others.
Beneficiaries of Social Assistance
According to the provisions of the Act on Social Assistance, persons holding Polish citizenship, residing and staying within the
territory of the Republic of Poland, and foreigners residing and staying on the territory of the Republic of Poland, holding a residence
permit or refugee status, as well as citizens of the European Union and European Economic Area, who stay on the territory of Poland
and who hold a stay permit are entitled to social assistance benefits.
Social assistance is granted to persons and families, in
particular for the following reasons:
poverty, orphanage, homelessness, need to protect motherhood, unemployment,
disability, prolonged illness, incompetence in childcare matters likewise in running a household,
particularly in case of incomplete and large families, alcoholism or drug addiction, difficulties in
adjusting to life after discharge from penitentiary institution, natural or ecological disasters.
The main groups of social assistance
beneficiaries are as follows:
the homeless (assistance in form of providing shelters,
meals, clothes)
the unemployed (cash benefits, integration activities)
the disabled and the dependent people (care services,
social assistance homes, cash benefits)
the poor (cash benefits)
the elderly (care services, social assistance homes, cash
benefits)
families and children (cash benefits, supplying nutrition for
children in schools)
victims of natural and ecological disasters (purpose benefit)
Social assistance should lead to the social integration and social inclusion of its beneficiaries, as well as
their greater activity and independence.
Forms of assistance and support
Social assistance consists of various categories of cash benefits as well as different forms of non-financial support e.g. services
in the form of social work, care services, specialist counselling - mainly legal and psychological, help in settling official matters or other
key livelihood issues.
Cash benefits
According to the Act of 12 March 2004 on Social Assistance, there are three
basic types of cash benefits from social assistance system: permanent benefit,
periodical benefit and purpose benefit (together with special purpose benefit).
As the rule, cash benefits can be granted to persons and families whose
income per capita does not exceed criteria stipulated in the Act on Social Assistance.
According to the provisions of art. 8 of the Act, the criterion of income of a person
keeping a single household is now stated as PLN 477 and the criterion of income per
person in the family - PLN 351.
Permanent benefit
Permanent benefit is an obligatory allowance, granted to persons incapable of
working, due to her/his age or disability, provided that her/his income does not
exceed the income criterion. This benefit constitutes a complement to their income,
up to the amount of the legal income criterion. The amount of this benefit is stated
as the difference between the income criterion and the personal income. The
amount of this benefit cannot be lower than PLN 30 per month per person.
Temporary benefit may be granted to persons and families without sufficient
income (income lower than legal income criterion), particularly due to prolonged
illness, disability, unemployment, and possibility to maintain or acquire the rights to
benefits on other social security systems.
The amount of a temporary benefit
The amount of a temporary benefit is stated as up to the difference between the income
criterion and the personal income. However, according to the provisions of the Act on Social
Assistance, the level of the single benefit cannot be lower than 50% of the difference between
the income criterion and the person’s income. The amount of the temporary benefit cannot be
lower than PLN 20 by month.
Assistance to persons covered by international protection.
The Act on Social Assistance also provides for integration assistance to persons covered by international protection. At present,
it applies to the refugees and foreigners granted the subsidiary protection on the territory of Poland.
The assistance is provided within an individual integration programme, agreed
between the poviat centre for family support and the foreigner, specifying the
amount, the scope and the forms of assistance, depending on the individual life
situation of the foreigner and his/her family.
The assistance is provided during a period not exceeding 12
months, and its major components are:
• benefits in cash for the maintenance and coverage of expenses connected with the learning of the Polish
language,
• the payment of contributions to the health insurance specified in the provisions on the general insurance
with the National Health Fund;
• specialised guidance .
More information:
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welfare_in_Poland
• http://www.euro.centre.org/rescalingDocuments/files/Poland.pdf
• https://www.quora.com/How-does-the-welfare-system-in-Poland-compare-to-that-of-the-United-States-for-an-average-poor-indivi
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