According to the report from the “Survey on the needs of persons with disabilities” carried out at the request of the State Fund for Rehabilitation of Disabled People, the support of a personal assistant was considered a necessary condition for the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the life of the local community. Out of all persons with disabilities who participated in the survey, only 7% responded that they already had an assistant and 10% said they have had an assistant in the past. This type of support was the most common among the group of persons with disabilities with mental disabilities (15%).

- Our new programme is a step towards improving this situation. We would like to make the service available to as many persons with disabilities as possible, so that they can lead a more active and independent life - says Minister Bożena Borys-Szopa.

Generally available personal assistants

The “Personal assistant for persons with disabilities” programme is addressed to persons with disabilities holding a certificate of severe or moderate disability. The aim of the programme is to introduce the personal assistant service as a form of public support for persons with disabilities. Due to the programme, persons with disabilities will be able to receive assistance of a personal assistant, e.g. in performing everyday activities or undertaking social activity. The programme also aims to reduce discrimination and social exclusion of persons with disabilities by enabling them to participate in social, cultural and sporting events.

The assistant’s tasks will include, among others: providing assistance in attending to, return from and commuting to, for instance: rehabilitation and therapeutic classes, cultural centres, institutions and assistance in shopping and handling administrative matters. The personal assistant service will be provided 7 days a week.

PLN 30 million for local government units in 2019;

The programme will be financed under the Solidarity Fund for Persons with Disabilities, the main purpose of which is to provide social support for persons with disabilities, among others. This year, the Ministry of Family will allocate PLN 30 million for the implementation of the programme, and next year - PLN 50 million. The funds will cover the costs of the remuneration for the assistants, the purchase of public transport tickets for assistants and the costs of third-party liability insurance or accident insurance for assistants.

local government units at municipal and county level shall have the right to apply for funding under the Solidarity Fund. Under the programme, they may receive co-financing of up to 100% of the costs of the assistant's services.

- We strongly encourage local governments to submit the applications. We should all care, especially at the local government level, about improving the quality of life of persons with disabilities and, in particular, about enabling them to live as independently as possible - stresses Krzysztof Michałkiewicz, Deputy Minister and Government Plenipotentiary for the Disabled.

The first edition of the programme will be implemented from 1 October 2019 to 31 December 2020.

Solidarity Fund for Persons with Disabilities

The Act on establishing the Solidarity Fund for Persons with Disabilities entered into force on 1 January 2019. The fund aims to provide social, professional, health and financial support to persons with disabilities.

This year, several programmes have already been implemented under the Solidarity Fund for Persons with Disabilities, including “Care services for persons with disabilities”, which aim to provide support for persons with disabilities in the form of care services, and “Respite care”, i.e. a programme addressed to family members or carers directly caring for persons with disabilities, including children. In addition, the programme “Care and Residential Centres” is also implemented. The programme consists in financial support for local government units to create and maintain housing facilities for persons with disabilities.