Inhabitants of rural areas account for around 40% of our entire society. It is a very numerous group, which was neglected for a long time. This began to change a few years ago.

On Thursday, the first conference from the cycle ‘Prospects for inhabitants of rural areas’ (already the third cycle of this kind) was held in the presence of President Andrzej Duda. During the meeting, representatives of ministries, including the family department, presented programs having a real impact on rural areas and their inhabitants.

MFL&SP vs. Polish villages – support for families, employees and seniors

Programs and activities of the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy (MFL&SP) are aimed at supporting the safety and stabilisation of Polish families. Their task is to improve significantly the quality of life of each citizen, irrespective of their place of residence.

Since 2015, expenses for Polish families have been gradually increased; in 2020, they will reach around 4 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (with 1.78 per cent of GNP in 2015). The outcome of programs such as ‘Good Start’, ‘Family 500+’ or ‘Toddler Plus’ is already visible and appreciable by each Polish family. The average Polish support per one child in family rose from PLN 1,776 in 2015 to PLN 8,280 in 2018, and the disposable income per one person in a household rose from PLN 1,386 to PLN 1,693. We must also note the increasingly attractive Big Family Card, which is accepted by over 6,300 partners in over 24,000 points of sale throughout Poland today.

This is obviously not all.

Prevention of unemployment and co-ordination of public employment services. Consequently, the unemployment level constantly decreases and has now reached the lowest rate in 30 years. However, there are areas calling for state intervention; therefore, actions have been undertaken to stimulate activity within various groups of unemployed persons, including those living in rural areas. They include, e.g., ‘Support of young persons in a particularly difficult situation’ or ‘Supportive youth in action’.

We must not forget about disabled persons, either.

Since 2015, there has been a systematic increase of state budget expenses for the support of disabled persons and their caregivers. It is estimated that financial outlays for this group of people exceeded PLN 22 billion at the end of 2019. These are not only disability pensions, benefits, allowances or social and health insurance premiums. Other – non-financial – forms of aid create a support network throughout the country. It consists of social welfare centres, social and professional activation processes, existing mechanisms and new forms of caring about disabled persons at home and outside.

In 2020, planned costs of implementation of all forms of support for disabled persons, including dedicated programs/tasks, within the Solidarity Fund will amount to ca. PLN 5 billion.

Seniors are different, and so are their needs

Programs such as ‘Senior+’ or ‘Government Program for the Social Activation of the Elderly for years 2014-2020’ support the social activity of elderly persons. Particularly in villages and smaller cities, elderly persons lack the adequate space and conditions for self-fulfilment, spending time together or participation in various workshops and activities. Almost half of institutions opened in 2018 was established in villages and small cities up to 3,000 inhabitants.

But not everyone is so agile and independent. In order to address the needs of such persons, programs ‘Care 75+’ or ‘Meal at school and at home’ have been established.

Social service centres – pilot projects will start soon

The presidential initiative regarding the creation of social service centres is a response to demand from inhabitants of larger and smaller cities and villages as well as commune self-governments that will be able to provide comprehensive support to their local communities.

The act came into force on 1st January 2020. In the middle of December, during a ceremony in the Office of the President of Poland, Minister Marlena Maląg announced a competition for the implementation of pilot social service centre projects. The aim is to elaborate and test the functioning of 30 model solutions concerning the integration and development of social services addressed both to all inhabitants and to groups with special needs, e.g., disabled persons, elderly persons or large families. This will allow communes to adapt their services to the needs of commune inhabitants and to their own financial capacities.

The Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy has been engaged in the preparation of the act since the beginning.