Inter-University Center for Postgraduate Studies
The IUC Dubrovnik

Over the last two decades, overall changes in political, economy and value systems in numerous countries, particularly in South Eastern and Central Europe and the former Soviet Union, coupled with unfavourable demographic trends disrupted the social balance in these societies - leading to large rise of unemployment, deeper poverty and social stratification, as well as increased vulnerability of children, disabled and elderly people, additionally aggravated by the weakening of protective capacity of family.

Large, bureaucratized, rigid and highly centralized social protection systems in these countries became increasingly ineffective and too expensive. Overwhelming reliance on residential placement and cash allowances started gradually being replaced by the so called "alternative services". Introduction and development of these community based services (specialized foster care, head start and wrap-around services, personal assistants for disabled, in home support.) was championed by NGOs. Social protection systems in some countries, like Baltic States, relatively quickly absorbed these practices, while some are in the process of officially introducing them into the system.

This course is envisaged as a platform for exchange of experiences, exploration of answers in differing country-specific environments, extraction of lessons learned and re-examination of existing solutions. How are alternatives financed from the state and local budgets? How do "alternative" services get regulated, monitored and evaluated? What are statutory and what transferable services? How do new and innovative solutions become part of the official social protection system? Are "alternative services" really more effective than "state services"?

Through a lively dialogue, debate and reflection, among numerous NGO and state representatives from a number of countries around the world, 2008 Symposium will attempt to offer some possible answers, enrich professional knowledge of participants and generate ideas for further development of social protection services in countries which are reforming their social protection systems.