A plan to close down the Social Services Agency as an independent entity by merging the tasks under the Department for Children, the Juvenile Justice Area and Equality is cancelled.
Earlier this year sent Naalakkersuisut a bill in consultation, which intended to abolish the Social Welfare Agency as an independent unit and place the agency’s tasks under the Department for Children, the Juvenile Justice Area and Equality.
Naalakkersuisoq for the area Mariane Paviasen Jensen (IA) now states that the plans are abandoned.
In a press release, naalakkersuisoq says that the project has encountered a number of organizational and professional barriers.
It includes unresolved areas of responsibility as well as challenges regarding concrete social matters, courses and the operation of residential institutions.
Naalakkersuisut must not interfere
In addition, Naalakkersuisut now assesses that an amalgamation is disadvantageous in terms of support for the municipalities’ case handlers, the staff at day care institutions and the supervisory obligation in day care institutions.
Mariane Paviasen also emphasizes that it is essential that the case processing takes place without direct interference from Naalakkersuisut:
– Since Naalakkersuisut is not allowed to interfere in the individual cases, and since it is absolutely crucial that this rule is followed, this is a major reason why the merger of the department and the National Board of Social Affairs is cancelled, says Mariane Paviasen Jensen.
Extraordinary efforts have challenged the board
Mariane Paviasen Jensen acknowledges that the municipalities have been challenged in their cooperation with the National Board of Social Services in recent years.
According to naalakkersuisoq, extraordinary efforts have meant that the Social Agency’s general support for the other municipalities has been limited.
The extraordinary efforts are the initiatives that were agreed in the Greenlandic-Danish cross-cutting work for a strengthened effort for children and young people, as well as the suspension of the social area in the Municipality of Kujalleq.
– Against this background, Naalakkersuisut has decided that the National Agency for Social Affairs and Health must focus fully on carrying out its core tasks in accordance with its original purpose, where the needs of the municipalities must be prioritized at all times, says Mariane Paviasen.
