Special social services at home are provided to persons (families) who found themselves in difficult life situations.

These can be people who have completely or partially lost the ability for self-care, move independently and provide basic necessities of life due to illness, injury, age or disability.

We will describe who is entitled for special social services at home and which services are provided by social workers in the context of home servicing.

Who can get assistance at home

Special social services at home can be obtained by:

1) disabled children with neuropsychiatric pathologies in the age 1.5 to 18 years old (children);

2) disabled children with muscle-skeleton disorders in the age 1.5 to 18 years old (children with MCD);

3) disabled people over 18 years old with neuropsychiatric diseases (persons over 18 years old);

4) disabled people of 1^st and 2^nd groups (disabled people);

5) persons who are not capable for self-service due to the old age (elderly).

At the same time, disabled people of 1^st and 2^nd groups and the elderly who are unable to take care of themselves and who need special social services when they are in need of health care are provided with special social services if they do not have able-bodied adult children (spouse) obliged in accordance with the Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan as of December 26, 2011 “On Marriage and Family” to support their disabled parents and spouses who need help and take care of them, or who have able-bodied adult children, spouse, whom, for objective reasons, do not provide them with constant assistance and care (they have a disability of the first or second group, cancer, mental illness, are in places of deprivation of liberty, are registered with a mental health center, or have moved for permanent residence outside the country or live in another population paragraph, additionally for the spouse - being in old age).

Children, children with MCD, people over 18 years of age, people with disabilities and the elderly who need special social services and live in the same family are counted as individuals.

Which services are provided by social workers in the context of home services?

Social workers are divided pursuant to special social services standard and types of services.              

1. Domestic social services: helping to get out of bed, go to bed, dress and undress, wash, eat, use the toilet or urinal, move around, look after teeth, wear glasses or a hearing aid, cut nails, shave beard and mustache for men. Write and read letters to the elderly and disabled people, if they need it.

Social workers should help their wards to buy basic necessities, to cook food. For those who live in private homes, the standard plan is to help with the furnace, delivery of firewood, coal and water. The standard is established: up to 30 kilograms of firewood and coal, up to 30 liters of water are delivered per visit. According to the standard, a social worker assists the ward in organizing the repair and cleaning of residential premises, paying for utility bills. In addition, if it is necessary to hand over things for washing, dry cleaning or repair, then a social worker should do this, and then take things back. The standard also provides for escort outside the home within the same locality to health facilities and social protection.

2. Socio-medical services: first aid, assistance in providing doctors with medication, sanatorium-resort treatment, prosthetic and orthopedic and hearing care, calling a doctor to the house and accompanying the ward in a healthcare organization, patronage of children with disorders of the musculoskeletal system. In addition, the social worker provides disabled people and the elderly with sanitary and hygienic services: wiping, washing, hygienic baths.
3. Socio-psychological services include the following assistance: conversations, communication, listening, reassuring, motivation for activity, providing psychological assistance to family members.
4. Social and pedagogical services: assistance to children with disabilities in obtaining education in special curricula, teaching children and people over 18 the basics of home orientation, self-care skills, personal hygiene, behavior in everyday life and public places, self-control.
5. Social and labour services: vocational guidance for children with muscle-skeleton disorders, people with disabilities, counseling recipients of services and members of their families in organizing home-based labour, assistance in finding jobs for people with disabilities.
6. Social and cultural services: arrangement of holidays, anniversaries, birthdays, tours, visits to theaters, cinemas, exhibitions, concerts. These activities are carried out according to the quarterly plan, which is approved by a head of the home-based service organization. In addition, the standard provides for the organization of clubs and club activities.
7. Socio-economic services: assistance in obtaining benefits, allowances, compensations, alimony and other payments, in improving housing conditions.
8. Social and legal services: assistance in paperwork, receipt of benefits, social benefits by power of attorney (if required). In addition, social workers should help file appeals against the actions or inactions of organizations that provide special social services and violate or infringe on the legal rights of their wards. The standard also provides for the provision of legal assistance by social workers. For a one-time consultation, you can attract a lawyer from the office. In addition, in the event of physical and mental violence committed in the family against a ward, a social worker should assist in criminalizing the perpetrators.

More details about the list of services, which are included in 8 types, can be found here.

The services of a social worker are paid by the government. Help can be provided by a social worker himself/herself as well as other persons whom he/she will attract for this, for example, courier delivery, organization of cleaning of premises, etc. The issue of payment for additional private services should be decided by the recipients of social services themselves.

Visiting hours, conditions for the provision of special social services

Visiting recipients of services by social workers is carried out in accordance with the schedule of visits approved by the head of the home-based service organization.

On the day of the visit, the social workers make an appropriate mark in the register of special social services provided. The register is kept by the recipient of the services (legal representative) and at the end of the month is handed over to a social care worker.

In addition, head of the home-based service organization shall create conditions for the provision of special social services, including:

1) premises equipped with necessary equipment and communications, diagnostic, didactic, developing and other materials necessary for carrying out rehabilitation measures;

2) providing staff with methodological literature that contributes to the formation of knowledge and skills needed to care for the service recipients;

3) providing personnel, if necessary, with a vehicle, travel tickets or monetary compensation in the amount of the cost of the ticket;

4) providing social workers for caring for the elderly and disabled with uniforms, household supplies:

• detergents;
• rags;
• latex gloves;
• household equipment.

What documents are needed to receive special social services at home

The following needs to be submitted to the Employment and Social Programs Department or to CSC at the place of residence:

• service recipient`s application (for minors and legally incompetent persons - application of a legal representative) or a request from a medical organization;
• identity card (for identification);
• medical record;
• for children - copies of the conclusion of psychological, medical and pedagogical consultation.

When receiving an application, the Employment Department generates requests through the e-Government Gateway to receive the following information:

1) on identity document;

2) on registration at a permanent place of residence;

3) on the establishment of disability;

4) on the developed measures in the individual rehabilitation program for the disabled person (IRP);

5) for senior people - on the appointment of pension payments by age;

6) on presence of the status of a participant and disabled of the Second World War and a person equated with them.

In the absence of information from information systems, the following documents are attached to the application:

• copy of identity card;
• a copy of the disability certificate (for the elderly in the presence of disability);
• copy of extract from IRP (for the elderly with IRP);
• for senior citizens - a copy of the pension certificate;
• for participants and disabled of the Second World War and persons equated with them - a copy of a certificate confirming the status.

Copies of documents are provided along with the original copies, which, after verification, are returned to an applicant, except for the medical record.

After accepting a written application and documents, a specialist of the authorized body visits a disabled or elderly person within 5 working days and draws up an act of inspection of housing and living conditions.

After that, a citizen will either receive a notification on paperwork, in which he/she will be informed about these services and the conditions of home care, or a substantiated refusal.

If more than 1 month has elapsed from the day the notice of queuing has been issued, a recipient must undergo a second medical examination and provide a medical card.

An individual program is drawn up, in which the types, volume, frequency, conditions, terms of service are determined.

When providing special social services, the age and state of health of the services recipients, the content of IRP, the degree of physical activity decrease and living conditions are taken into account.

When does home service terminates

The provision of special social services at home terminates:

• If a service recipient refuses and submits an application (for minors and the legally incompetent - legal representatives).
• If a ward had been receiving assistance for the disabled people of I^st or II^nd group and then was transferred to the III^rd group.
• If special social services are not delivered at home, but at in-patient facilities or partial in-patient facilities.
• If a ward has moved to another locality (he/she may apply for social assistance at a new place of residence).
• If a service recipient (or members of his/her family) unreasonably insults, accuses, degrades the human dignity of a social worker and witnesses can confirm this in writing. Renewal is possible no earlier than 1 calendar year after the cessation of the provision of special social services.
• Upon termination of the contract for the provision of paid special social services.
• In the event of a service recipient`s death.

If special social services are not delivered at home, but in rehabilitation centers, services, day care units of the education system.