Georgia: Supporting legislative reforms for social protection

“It involves providing a real space for exchanges so that Georgia can learn about European social assistance practices. It will subsequently be able to take the best of these practices and adapt them to its own social protection system.”

This project fits in with a context of comprehensive reforms and improving social protection policies in Georgia. These government actions stem from a commitment to move closer to European standards set out in the “Towards Building a European State” programme for 2021-2024 which focuses on the development of social policies and human capital.

See also: Strengthening Social Protection in Georgia
 

Significant social progress in Georgia

Over the last decade, the introduction of a number of social protection systems has reduced the absolute poverty rate in Georgia from 37.3% in 2010 to 17.5% in 2022:

• Introduction of Targeted Social Assistance (TSA)
• Development of family and child support services
• Introduction of the Universal Healthcare Programme
• Introduction of a mandatory pension contribution scheme
• Increase in pensions and benefits for residents of mountainous regions  
• Increase in the universal old-age pension and disability pensions
• Creation of the Employment Agency, the Agency for Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) and the Eco-Migrant Agency.

While this rapid growth has significantly reduced poverty in Georgia, it does, at the same time, bring a number of challenges for the Government: establish a legislative framework for social protection, evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the programmes, improve the quality of social services, develop information systems, integrate gender-related issues, etc.

To address these challenges, Expertise France has assisted the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs by conducting a survey which was published in June 2022. It mainly focuses on Georgian people’s awareness of the social protection programmes and services and the experience of users when they use these services.

KAP (Knowledge, Attitude and Practices) survey on social protection programmes and services in Georgia

The objective of the survey is to generate data representative of the population’s overall level of awareness of social protection in Georgia and evaluate the services provided by collecting user experience. This survey combines quantitative and qualitative data collection methods. Over 1,952 households and 6,259 people, recipients and non-recipients of the social protection programmes in Georgia, took part in the survey.

The study has collected a great deal of data, ranging from the sociodemographic profile of households to user experience of the programmes and services, and including indicators on knowledge of social protection schemes, the availability of information and the approach and awareness of the population to the social protection programmes. The agencies and programmes concerned by the findings and recommendations of the study are:

• The Social Services Agency (targeted social assistance, old-age pension and other benefits)
• The National Care Agency (social rehabilitation of disabled persons and assistance for children)
• The Universal Healthcare Programme (emergency care, surgical procedures, etc.)
• The Pension Agency (accrued pension)
• The National Employment Agency.

Results and recommendations for the social protection agencies

As suggested by the results of the quantitative survey, the most frequently used programmes and services are the universal old-age pension (54.1%), targeted social assistance (20.9%) and the mandatory old-age pension contribution scheme (19.3%). The use of the Universal Healthcare Programme is limited to people who are eligible and need surgery, which results in a significant turnover of the beneficiaries. The number of rejections of applications for social assistance is particularly high among households which apply to be included on the lists of beneficiaries of targeted social assistance (71 out of 85 cases).

Social Services Agency (SSA): Over half of the beneficiaries of each SSA programme give a positive assessment of the technical aspect of the implementation of the programme. According to the results of the qualitative survey, the discontent of the beneficiaries of targeted social assistance is due to the household assessment procedure. Indeed, the criteria and scoring system included in the household assessment procedure are partly perceived as unfair and not representative of their real state of vulnerability. To overcome these problems, the study suggests reviewing and improving the household assessment procedures in order to ensure that there is a true assessment of their situation. Furthermore, more transparency in the procedures for scoring and assessment, combined with an improved capacity of social agents, would be highly beneficial for the overall process in order to decrease the all too often negative perceptions and beliefs among the population.

National Care Agency: Most of the beneficiaries of the National Care Agency’s assistance programmes say they are satisfied with the accession phase for the programme and the services provided by the agency. However, certain factors such as the poor geographical coverage and lack of information hinder this accession and can be mitigated. The National Care Agency provides in-kind assistance (medical equipment), service vouchers, cash benefits and training to the beneficiaries of its programmes. In most cases, the assistance is provided in due time and meets the beneficiary’s needs, with the exception of two cases: firstly the strips provided to measure the blood sugar level of diabetic beneficiaries do not allow an effective monitoring and could be replaced by a continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) device to be more effective. Secondly, the wheelchairs provided are adapted to the size and needs of the beneficiary, but are not of high quality and require frequent repairs. More robust wheelchairs would be easier for the beneficiaries to handle.

Universal Healthcare Programme: the satisfaction rate of the beneficiaries of the Universal Healthcare Programme is very high (over 75%). However, there are still problems such as deficiencies in care management for people with disabilities or the significant expenses related to the purchase of medicines. Indeed, most of the reasons for dissatisfaction are related to the fact that there is no financing for medicines and that some medical services are not included in the programme. To resolve this dissatisfaction, the report suggests including more medicines in the programme’s coverage or making the purchase of medicines more affordable. Finally, to avoid inappropriate care for people with disabilities, the report suggests improving awareness of the specific needs of people with disabilities when they receive care.

National Employment Agency: according to the results of the qualitative survey, the beneficiaries of the agency’s programmes generally refrain from working due to the unsuitability of the job vacancies offered, the working conditions and the salaries. It is important for the beneficiaries to receive job offers which correspond to them, their skills, their education and their qualifications. Furthermore, the unemployment of women beneficiaries with children is due to the lack of childcare and support for the household. It is therefore recommended to take the needs of this target group into account and include job vacancies offering flexible working hours, part-time work or work from home.

KAP Knowledge, Attitude and Practices Survey

A multitude of actors working together for social protection in Georgia…

On Wednesday 29 June 2022, a conference was held to share the results of the study in the presence of the Minister of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia, the Deputy Head of the European Delegation to Georgia and the respective Ambassadors of France and the Czech Republic.

The findings of the study will help strengthen the assumptions on which the project has been prepared and adjust certain project operations. The objective is to support the implementation of the future social protection policy in Georgia, in consultation with the Georgian ministries, civil society organisations and the other national and international stakeholders of the project.

The Georgian Government wishes to constitute a “Social Code” in order to incorporate in a single text the normative texts – laws or legal rules – of diverse nature concerning social protection. Expertise France and the European Union wish to actively contribute to this initiative to harmonise legislation on social protection in Georgia through the project’s activities, the creation of thematic working groups and the findings of this survey. Indeed, the survey provides precise data to inform the exchanges in the working groups set up by the project: labour policy, housing policy, protection of the rights of children, social assistance, displaced persons, disabled persons, health, institutional management, gender equality, non-discrimination… These working groups are real consultation forums for social protection actors in Georgia and pillars of the synergy between the stakeholders. They ensure a coordinated action among the actors in order to improve the quality of the services and also serve as specialised consultative bodies to help the Georgian Government prepare the “Social Code”.
 

See also: Technical Assistance to Social Welfare II in Georgia