telephone number: +48 538 117 280
e-mail: sekretariat.dps@mrpips.gov.pl

The Department of Social Assistance is responsible for determining the directions of activities and implementation of tasks in the field of social welfare, preparation of standards in the above spheres and monitoring the implemented solutions, as well as creating and developing directions for activities addressed to seniors, conditions for improving the support system for them, implementation of tasks in the area of active ageing and other forms of intra- and intergenerational cooperation included in the broadly understood senior policy, while monitoring the scope and manner of implementation of the solutions in question in cooperation with the Minister in charge of Senior Citizenship Policy.

• developing, implementing and monitoring government and departmental programmes to support individuals and families at risk of social exclusion;
• monitoring the way in which social welfare assignments are carried out by local governments and social welfare organisational units, including social services centres;
• creating and improving standards of services in organisational units of social assistance, including centres of social services and community services, as well as monitoring the process of their implementation;
• implementing tasks in the area of social assistance aimed at counteracting poverty and social exclusion;
• cooperating with social policy departments of voivodship offices, as well as NGOs operating in the field of social assistance;
• conducting matters related to the tasks of the Minister under the Act of 27 June 2003 on Social Pensions (Journal of Laws of 2023, item 2194), subject to matters related to the payment of benefits from the Social Fund;
• developing assumptions and implementing projects co-financed from EU structural funds, in the area of the Department's jurisdiction;
• performing tasks related to the implementation of the Operational Programme Knowledge Education Development 2014-2020 in the area of social assistance;
• performing tasks arising from the Minister's function as Managing Authority for the Operational Programme Food Aid 2014-2020, co-financed by the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD), and for the European Funds for Food Aid 2021-2027 (FEAD) Programme, co-financed by ESF+;
• implementing and coordinating technical assistance tasks resulting from the function of the Technical Assistance Beneficiary Unit for the Ministry within the framework of FEAD and FEPŻ;
• initiating activities in the field of shaping the policy of professional education and training of social welfare personnel, including in particular social workers, personnel of social service centres and introduction of new professions and specialisations in the field of social welfare;
• conducting administrative proceedings in matters within the jurisdiction of the Department;
• conducting matters related to granting approvals and maintaining a list of institutions authorized to provide specialization training in the profession of social worker, specialization training in the field of social welfare organization, training for social work supervisors;
• issuing opinions on rights to exercise the profession of social worker;
• conducting matters related to technical supervision over trainings in the field of organisation of social assistance and first and second degree specialisation in the profession of social worker and trainings for social work supervisors;
• conducting matters related to the Minister's tasks in the field of counteracting human trafficking;
• initiating changes in the remuneration rules for local government employees working in social welfare organisational units;
• implementing tasks related to the granting and presentation of the Minister's special awards for outstanding innovative solutions in the field of social welfare;
• implementing reforms under the National Recovery Plan (NRP) within the jurisdiction of the Department;
• servicing the Social Welfare Council, servicing and cooperating with the Central Examination Commission for the degrees of professional specialisation of social workers and cooperating with the Regional Examination Commissions;
• developing and coordinating social policy towards the elderly;
• implementing tasks under the Act of 11 September 2015 on older persons (Journal of Laws, item 1705);
• substantive and legal handling of programmes implemented as part of senior policy, including preparation of administrative decisions;
• promoting and publicising senior citizens' issues, intra- and inter-generational cooperation and active ageing.