Minister of Family and Social Policy Marlena Maląg explains that after more than 15 years since the Social Employment Act came into force, it has become necessary to amend its provisions.

- It is about adapting the solutions adopted in it to changing socio-economic conditions, in particular, taking into account the situation in the labour market. These are very important and necessary changes. We want these measures to be implemented even more effectively - points out Minister Maląg. - We have prepared a draft amendment to the Act - she adds.

What will change?

The draft amendment to the Social Employment Act proposes the following changes:

1. Improving the situation of participants in social integration centres (SIC)

• Increasing the amount of integration benefit to 120 per cent of unemployment benefit for the entire period of participation in SIC classes, including the trial period (currently, during the 1-month trial period, a participant receives only 50 per cent of integration benefit),
• Flexibility of the time of participation in the SIC to 30 hours per week (currently 6 hours per day),
• the possibility of extending the period of participation in the SIC by 6 months has been extended, after the change the maximum period of participation will be able to last for a total of 24 months (currently 18 months),
• Grant of additional days off, 12 in total, with retention of the integration benefit (currently 6 days),
• Extension of the period of incapacity to work due to illness to 21 days, for which an integration benefit is paid, reduced by 1/40 for each day of incapacity (currently 14 days),
• Raising the upper limit of the incentive bonus, paid from the SIC's own funds, to 100 per cent of the integration benefit (currently to 50 per cent).

2. Facilitating the operation of social integration centres

• Abolition of the poverty premise when a social welfare centre refers a person to participate in the SIC,
• Enabling the establishment of SIC and Social Integration Clubs (KIS) by social cooperatives of both legal persons and natural persons,
• Enabling the delivery of social and vocational reintegration services, within the framework of a functioning SIC, in another municipality (currently the need to obtain a new status and create a new SIC structure),
• Making it possible to receive a grant from the Marshall of the Voivodship for equipment in the case of, for example, SIC expansion or establishment of a workshop in another commune (currently a grant only for the first equipment) and a subjective grant for SIC operating in the form of local government budgetary establishments,
• Granting the SIC manager the right to qualify the participant for further participation in SIC classes (currently qualification is made by the social welfare centre at the manager's request).

3. Having an impact on the quality of operation of social integration centres

• Introduction of new supervisory powers for the voivode with regard to the possibility of verifying compliance with the requirements by the SIC while holding the SIC status (for a period of 5 years),
• Enabling the manager to take a free decision with regard to employing persons employed in the SIC on the basis of an employment contract or civil law contracts (at present the Act lists which persons in the SIC are employed on the basis of an employment contract, e.g. a social worker, a vocational trainer).

4. Influencing employers

Within the framework of supported employment, upon referral to work, shortening of the period of employment of a participant or a graduate of the SIC or KIS to 6 months with reimbursement of part of the remuneration up to 100 per cent of the unemployment benefit plus social insurance contributions (currently 12 months; 100 per cent of the unemployment benefit plus contributions for 3 months, 80 per cent for the next 3 months and 60 per cent for the next 6 months).

There are also changes beneficial for the members of the Council for Social Employment and the possibility of creating departmental programmes for the development of SIC and KIS. The draft act on social employment also introduces an amendment to the Act on Upbringing in Sobriety and Counteracting Alcoholism to the extent of allocating funds obtained by municipalities from fees for issuing permits for sale of alcoholic beverages also for tasks performed by SIC and KIS.