In early August, in Ashgabat, with the support of small grants from UNDP within the framework of the Joint Program of the UN and the Government of Turkmenistan on the implementation of a new model of social services at the community level, the implementation of three new social services will begin.

These services will be implemented by the National Red Crescent Society of Turkmenistan (NRCST) and the “Ýeňme” Public Association.

New social services will be offered to adults with chronic diseases, disabilities and single older people to support their independent life in their communities and to prevent their placement in specialized residential institutions.

In order to start the implementation of the services, their coordinators from these public organizations underwent a five-day specialized online training organized by UNDP in Turkmenistan in partnership with the Bulgarian Institute of Social Activity and Practice, whose specialists were involved in the process of training the personnel of social services in Turkmenistan within the framework of the Joint programs in the past nine months.

The main focus of the training was on the issues of quality standards, human resource management, planning methods and the provision of social services.

This training was preceded by preparatory training for civil society staff, during which about 15 employees who will directly provide services to target groups, improved their skills and knowledge in the field of social work, based on the individual needs of recipients and human rights. On-the-job training was, among other things, one of the prerequisites for receiving small grants from UNDP.

In addition to financial support, small grants from UNDP are aimed at testing the mechanism of state social order in Turkmenistan. This procedure involves the selection of non-state providers of social services by state institutions on a competitive basis using state funds.

RCST and “Ýeňme” have successfully passed the competitive process to pilot new social services at the local level.

The joint program “Improving the social protection system through the introduction of inclusive quality social services at the local level”, funded by the Joint SDG Fund, is being implemented by several UN agencies, namely UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA and UNODC and the Government of Turkmenistan with the aim of introducing a new model of social services at the local level, a review of the legal and regulatory framework for the provision of social services and the professional development of national social workers, according to a UNDP press release.

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