The activity of social welfare is performed by social welfare institutions, units of local and regional self-government, i.e., the City of Zagreb. Supervision over the performance of social welfare activities is carried out by the ministry in charge of social welfare affairs. The matter of social welfare is regulated by the Social Welfare Act (Official Gazette no. 18/22).
Foreigners realise their rights in the social welfare system in accordance with their statuses recognised in the Republic of Croatia on the basis of certain documents defining such statuses.
Foreigners who are in an unfavourable situation with one of the following statuses are:
– Foreigners and stateless persons with permanent residence in the Republic of Croatia,
– Foreigners with an established status of victims of trafficking in human beings,
– Foreigners with subsidiary protection and asylum holders and members of their families legally residing in the Republic of Croatia.
These persons have the same rights in the social welfare system as nationals of the Republic of Croatia residing in Croatia.
All others who are not listed may be entitled to a one-time compensation and accommodation service in other cases under the conditions prescribed by the Social Welfare Act, provided this is necessary due to the person’s circumstances at the time.
The Central State Office for Reconstruction and Housing Care ensures accommodation to asylum seekers and foreigners under subsidiary protection, if they are unable to settle their housing costs by their own means, according to the Act on International and Temporary Protection (Official Gazette Nos. 70/15, 127/17). Housing costs are settled from the state budget. Accommodation is provided for a maximum period of 24 months from the date of the decision on the approval of international protection.
Social welfare rights are the following:
- Guaranteed minimum benefit,
- Housing allowance,
- Allowance for the endangered energy source buyers,
- Personal allowance for accommodation beneficiary,
- One-time benefit,
- Compensation for funeral expenses,
- Compensation for full-time study,
- Payment of expenses in the student dormitory,
- Personal disability allowance,
- Assistance and care allowance,
- the status of parent-caretaker and the status of caretaker.
Social services are the following:
- first social service,
- comprehensive assessment and planning service,
- counselling,
- professional assessment,
- psychosocial counselling,
- social mentoring,
- family mediation,
- psychosocial treatment to prevent violent behaviour,
- psychosocial support,
- early development support,
- assistance in inclusion in regular education programmes,
- home help,
- stay,
- organized housing and
- accommodation.
The Croatian Institute for Social Work decides on the recognition of rights and social services in the administrative area of social welfare by a decision or referral, except for the right to compensation for housing costs decided by the local self-government unit, i.e., the City of Zagreb.
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