Social services are a key pillar of support for citizens facing various life challenges. They are provided to support independent living, job placement, school training, and the provision of crisis assistance through telecommunications technology.

Social services provided free of charge to citizens are:

• Interpretation
• Crisis assistance provided through telecommunication technologies,
• Support for independent living
• Preventive activity
• Assistance in asserting rights and legitimate interests
• Job placement assistance
• Help with preparing for school and accompanying your child to and from school and school
• Stimulating the complex development of a child with disabilities
• Social counselling
• Social rehabilitation
• Developing work skills

The local government has the task of providing funding to organisations that provide social services without profit. These funds go towards the operation of various facilities such as:

• Shelter
• Halfway home
• Emergency housing facility
• Temporary childcare facility
• Supported living facility
• Rehabilitation centre
• Social Services Home
• Specialised equipment
• Early Intervention Service
• Interpreting service
• Social service in the integration centre
• Support for independent living
• Specialised social counselling as an independent professional activity
• Social rehabilitation as an independent professional activity

If you need a social service and are of pensionable age, you should contact the municipality where you live. Residential care facilities should be used for people whose social situation is no longer solved by another type of social service; we recommend that you first use outreach and outpatient social services or nursing care. The municipality will carry out an assessment of your need for assistance. If you are assessed as having a dependency level between IV and VI, you may be placed in a facility for the elderly. If the chosen facility does not have available capacity, your application will be placed on a waiting list. It may happen that a person in need of social services is no longer able to sign the application for social services due to his/her health condition and does not have a court-appointed guardian. In that case, another person can file the application for him or her. This person will need a doctor’s certificate confirming your relative’s health condition. This means that the application can be made by someone else with the patient’s consent and with a medical certificate confirming the patient’s inability to sign. If you need help with personal hygiene, meals, or doctor’s appointments and do not want to go to a residential facility, a nursing home is a good option for you. This service is for people who are dependent on the help of another person. Your need for care must be assessed by the municipality where you live. If you meet the necessary conditions, the service includes help with everyday activities such as eating, washing, and other basic social activities. The municipality will assess your case and determine how much help you need. If you need to get to a doctor and have limited mobility or orientation, you can apply for a transportation service. This service is for people with severe disabilities or limited mobility. To get this service, you need an assessment from the relevant Job Centre, Social Affairs and Family Services or a certificate from your health provider. For further information and advice, contact the staff at your municipal or town hall, or the local authority offices. If you are deaf and need an interpreter, you can use a social interpreting service. The service offers different forms of interpreting: sign language, articulatory interpreting, and tactile interpreting, depending on your specific needs and type of disability. Online interpreting or simultaneous transcription of spoken language is also possible. You will confirm your need for this service with a doctor’s note. For advice, you can contact staff at municipal, town or county offices. If you have a disability and need aids, you can use a social service that provides loans of the aids you need. To obtain these aids, you must present a certificate from a health care provider about your medical condition or an assessment from the competent labour, social affairs and family office proving your need for these aids. The service will provide the aids for an agreed period of time until you obtain them through public health insurance or another source. For further information and advice, contact the staff at the municipal, town or county offices.

If you have a disability and want to meet people without staying in a facility, you can use a residential day centre or day centre. A day centre provides help, social counselling, rehabilitation, meals, skills development and leisure activities for a period of time during the day, as determined by an assessment from your community. The day center offers counseling and interest activities specifically designed for seniors, parents with children, or persons with disabilities. To apply for these services, contact your local or county government. If you are unable to prepare your own meals, you can use the services of the canteen, which is designed for people without the ability to meet the basic needs of life, people with severe disabilities, or for the elderly. The cafeteria can also provide meals by delivery directly to your home. For more information about availability and options, contact your local municipal, town or county government office for further advice. If nursing care is not enough for you, you can consider different types of social services. Nursing care facilities offer short-term care, social counselling, rehabilitation, meals and housing for people who are dependent on help. If more intensive care is needed, you can use a retirement home or a specialised facility. These provide a wider range of services, including personal care and leisure activities. Your municipality of residence assesses your need for these services on the basis of a medical certificate of health. If you are caring for a person with a disability and want to take a break or have surgery scheduled, you can use a respite service. This service is for people who are caring for others with a severe disability. The service is provided for full days, up to a maximum of 30 days in a calendar year, and unused days do not carry over to the next year. The service allows carers the necessary rest to ensure that their physical and mental health is maintained. During the period of this service, the municipality must provide the necessary social services to replace the guardianship, as agreed, either on a field, outpatient or residential basis, with a minimum of 12 hours per day. The person’s dependence on the need for care must be proven by an assessment from the competent labour, social affairs and family office.