The quality of social care in Albania is growing to meet the standards of the European Union. In a joint conference, organised in Tirana on 12 November 2024, the Head of Cooperation of the EU Delegation to Albania, Mr. Hubert Perr, and the Minister of Health and Social Protection, Ms. Albana Koçiu, announced a joint white paper entitled “Building the Workforce of Tomorrow” and participated in a dialogue between civil society representatives, trade unions, employer organisations and professional orders.  

The current social care workforce, which consist of more than 3200 workers, will not only benefit from capacity building of their existing skills, but also the creation and regulation of new professions within the sector, particularly that of social care workers.

“Well-developed education programmes and trained educators are required, to develop a professional social care workforce. This is essential for promoting social inclusion, as only through this can we respond with compassion and expertise to the diverse needs of our citizens, especially the vulnerable ones”, said Hubert Perr, Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Albania. 

Mr. Perr highlighted that in order to improve the social protection system in a sustainable way, it is important that the government develop a sound coordination mechanism, involving all stakeholders including central and local governments, non-governmental organisations, and public and private service providers. In addition, efforts will have to be made to create a system of continuous development and adjustment to respond to the evolving needs of the targeted population.

“We are really delighted to collaborate with the EU, and their technical assistance, in order to establish a detailed action plan for tall of the interventions that have been planned by the Ministry, such as the revision of the legal framework, the conception and improvement of training programmes and modules as well as all the promotion, functioning and applicability of the new professions of tomorrow”, said Ms. Albana Koçiu, Minister of Health and Social Protection.

In addition to the initiatives above, the joint paper outlined a vision for deinstitutionalisation in Albania, with a focus on developing and professionalising foster care for vulnerable children throughout the country, as well as the development of a personal assistance scheme to assist the elderly and people with disabilities. At the core of the vision is the improvement of vocational and professional qualifications related to the social care sector, which will provide an opportunity for a skilled workforce that is ready and adapted to the evolving needs of society.

The event was organised under the EU for Social Inclusion programme, representing a 70 million EUR commitment of the EU to social inclusion and human capital development in Albania. The programme consists of technical assistance, the EU4SocialCare and EU4LabourMarketInclusion grant schemes, as well as a budget support programme of 50 million EUR.