Social services and service provision

The purpose of social services is to create conditions for a person (family) to develop or strengthen the ability and possibilities to solve social problems, maintain social relations with the society and to help overcome social exclusion.

Law on social services. The purpose of this Law shall be to establish the types of social services provided in the Republic of Lithuania, organising of these services, conditions for providing and obtaining them, relations between the providers and recipients of social services and the funding principles of the social services.

Social services are available to various groups of people: elderly individuals and their families, disabled persons and their families, children who lost parental care, children at social risk and their families, families at social risk, foster families for children, other individuals and families.

Social services may be provided both at social service institutions (social care centres, foster families, temporary shelters, day centres for social care, independent living centres, social care centres, community institutions, etc.) and at home.

Municipalities are the main organisers of social service provision. They evaluate and analyse people's needs for social services, forecast and establish the scope and types of social services according to the people's needs, evaluate and establish the budget of social services.