Filenews 2 March 2025
The Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare has succeeded in implementing the goals set in the last two years, implementing a series of policies to support the most vulnerable, the elderly, our fellow citizens with disabilities, as well as families and children.
In addition to implementing our plans, the Deputy Ministry is often called upon to make immediate, individualized interventions. This is what his nature dictates, as at the core of every action is man and the challenges he faces. Challenges that arise through changing conditions that require quick reflexes, leading to new policies on the basis of the resulting data.
Among other things, within two years, we increased the Child Benefit by 5%, benefiting 60,000 families and included students with many children, also submitting a bill to eliminate income criteria for families with five children or more, while we are expanding the beneficiaries to cover the entire Middle Class.
Moreover:
- We expanded twice the beneficiaries of the Tuition and Child Food Subsidy Scheme (subsidizes up to 80% of kindergarten fees),
- We increased the allowance for a mother with many children,
- We included 11,000 single parents in the EAC Tariff,
- We have prepared a bill - it is in the Legal Service - which excludes the income of cohabitants for the purposes of single-parent family allowance,
- We have submitted to Parliament bills modernizing Adoption and Foster Care,
- We created a Multidisciplinary Day Center for children under the care of the state. This year it expands to Limassol and gradually all over Cyprus.
At the same time, we are creating 30 kindergartens by 2026. Eleven projects are already under construction.
New era for people with disabilities
One of the most important social reforms, which faces long-standing gaps, is the new legislation for people with disabilities, the consultation of which with KYSOA has been completed. The new legislation decouples the disability allowance from the EEE, introducing new services that upgrade the quality of life of people with disabilities. In addition, the first National Strategy for Autism was adopted.
Third Age in focus
In addition, we developed the first National Strategy for Active Ageing, created a Special Plan, increasing the subsidy to Homes for the Elderly from €745 to €1300 and started procedures for pilot implementation this year of the "Red Button" program. In addition to the 5% increase in the Low Pensioner Allowance, we included 22,000 low-income households in the EAC Tariff.
Faster service
We reduced the average EIO application processing time to 60 days (an 85% reduction). We strengthened "Social Intervention", activating 2,500 beneficiaries in the labour market or in training programs. We also expanded the "Neighbourhood Social Worker" all over Cyprus.
Regarding the support of the enclaved and resettled, we have increased, after 18 years, the relevant benefits by 30%.
EVALUATION OF THE DEPUTY MINISTRY OF SOCIAL WELFARE
The disappearances of the children of the state
By Despina Psyllou
Minors under the guardianship of the state may be the biggest headache even for the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare itself. The announcements of the Police about teenagers who lost their traces from rooftops and in fact their fate is ignored, are everyday life.
The Services, it turned out, know where these children are. Proof of this is the case of last August, where a 64-year-old man reported to the police that he was the victim of a robbery but then a case of sexual abuse of a 16-year-old and a 15-year-old, who had been reported as missing persons from the place where they live, emerged.
But it is not only these problems with minors that are under the protection of the state. Unaccompanied refugees and migrants end up in nursing homes, as there are no other structures to accommodate them, creating chaos since it is obvious that their psychosocial needs are not handled.
This week, the Commissioner for Administration issued a report, according to which 27 minors remain in Pournara for more than 90 days. Meanwhile, the Ministry is trying in vain to persuade communities to accept a structure in their area.
However, problems are also encountered in the structures of the Association for the Prevention and Handling of Violence in the Family (SPAVO), which handles a total of 3,300 cases annually. Victims who end up in shelters do not receive sufficient support to reintegrate into society. At the same time, contact orders continue to be issued to minor children, even if they are in a shelter with their abused mother.
The Deputy Ministry, however, made it clear that it will strengthen the institution of the family. Recently, new allowance policies and/or increases in allowances were announced, inter alia, for the birth of a child, for three-child families, for single parents, for families with students.
In addition, the increase of kindergartens and kindergartens and the extension of their operation, even in the afternoon, were announced, as well as the increase of parental leave after birth, which is still considered short in Cyprus compared to other countries...
We are waiting to see what policies will follow for people with disabilities, supported living, the elderly and ultimately how the differences will disappear complaints about people in desperate conditions.
