The law initiated by the Ministry of Labour and Social Solidarity (MMSS) and adopted by Parliament was promulgated on Tuesday, by decree, by the president of Romania, and will enter into force upon publication in the Official Journal, according to a post on the institution’s Facebook page.

„The law was designed to improve the protection of beneficiaries, both in terms of the standards that social service providers must meet and in terms of financing,” said minister of Labour and Social Solidarity Simona Bucura-Oprescu.

The main amendments are that no social service will be able to operate, even temporarily, without a field check by social inspectors, and social service providers will be advised free of charge by the National Agency for Payments and Social Inspection (ANPIS) representatives, so that they know all the obligations they have under the law.

Moreover, the national electronic register of persons benefiting from social services will be set up and the single electronic register of social services will be revised, so that inspectors carrying out field checks will have all the necessary data in real time.

According to the MMSS, the method of financing social services is changed on the principle of „financing follows the beneficiary”, and public money is spent transparently with an easier traceability, the role of the social inspector and the functional capacity of the Social Inspectorate is strengthened and criminal sanctions are introduced for violations of the new legislation, with fines increasing fivefold, namely up to 100,000 RON.

„The highest penalties are applied if the centre operates without a licence or if social inspectors on inspection missions are denied access,” the ministry says.

In addition, the new legislation strengthens the partnership with the People’s Ombudsman, the church and religious cults, NGOs and, in general, civil society.

AGERPRES