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Kazakhstan is introducing licensing for specialized social services.

Kazakhstan is introducing licensing for specialized social services.

It is expected that this will create conditions for improving the quality of services provided and reducing the number of violations in this area. According to the results of the pre-licensing analysis conducted by the Committee for Regulation and Control in the Field of Social Protection, it has been established that out of 1007 organizations providing social services, 72.3% comply with the requirements.

The introduction of licensing is one of the stages in modernizing the system of providing special social services and is aimed at: enhancing the quality of services provided; ensuring the safety and protection of the rights of service recipients; establishing unified standards for organizations providing social services.

“There has long been a need to ensure the proper quality of social services regardless of the ownership form of the organizations providing these services. One only has to remember the tragic incident that occurred last year at one of the special social service centers, where children with disabilities were poisoned, resulting in fatalities. As a result of a comprehensive inspection, it was found that the rights of children with disabilities were grossly violated in the organization: household services were not provided in full; minimum standards for the provision of bed linen, clothing, and footwear were not met; screening examinations were not conducted; nutrition standards were violated. In the past 11 months, as a result of 167 inspections, 148 subjects were issued orders to eliminate identified violations, and 15 fines were imposed totaling 1.75 million tenge,” said the Committee Chairman Tolegen Ospanqulov.

He emphasized that the quality of social services directly depends on two main factors: the level of professional qualifications of employees and the compliance of organizations providing services with established requirements.

“Currently, there are 12,700 social workers in the field of social protection across the republic. Of these, only 12% have specialized education, while 88% have medical, pedagogical, economic, and other backgrounds. To enhance the quality of personnel, a professional standard has been developed this year, which sets requirements for social workers. More than 8,300 social workers have already undergone specialized training and received certificates this year. Starting in 2025, a Register of Social Workers will be implemented, which will reflect all data related to their professional competencies. Additionally, from next year, social workers will be able to undergo retraining and professional development at 14 universities of the republic that have specialized departments, with which the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection has signed memorandums. To address the creation of adequate conditions in organizations providing social services, licensing will be introduced starting in 2025,” the committee chairman emphasized.

Some of the main conditions for obtaining a license include: the presence of a building suitable for providing social services and compliant with Sanitary rules and Fire Safety regulations; having the necessary material and technical base to ensure the proper quality of services provided; having a staff of employees; ensuring accessibility of buildings for persons with limited mobility, and more.

Since October of this year, territorial departments of the Committee have been conducting pre-licensing analysis, during which it was established that 72.3% of the 1007 organizations providing social services fully meet the licensing conditions.

Local executive bodies are working to bring state centers for providing special social services in line with established requirements.

At the same time, among the non-governmental sector organizations providing social services, 86 entities were identified that do not have fire safety certificates, 70 lack SES conclusions, and 87 organizations' buildings do not provide access for individuals with disabilities.

“We continue to address licensing preparation issues with akimats and NGOs, providing necessary consultations and support for passing pre-licensing control. Licensing organizations will primarily ensure the quality of social services provided and, secondly, ensure the effectiveness of social rehabilitation for individuals with disabilities and other categories of service recipients for their further integration into society,” Ospanqulov emphasized.