Provision of Social Services in Social Boarding Houses

As of July 1, 2024, the updated law on social services came into force, according to which the names of boarding houses are changed to "social boarding houses".

Social boarding houses are intended for permanent, temporary, or short-term residence and comprehensive social and medical care for citizens who, due to their health condition, require constant care.

Citizens of the Republic of Belarus, foreign citizens, and stateless persons permanently residing in the Republic of Belarus may be admitted to social boarding houses in accordance with the list of medical indications and medical contraindications for receiving social services in social service institutions, established by the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Republic of Belarus and the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus, for permanent or temporary (up to one year or until reaching adulthood), including short-term (up to 1 month, but no more than three times in a calendar year) residence.

General Profile Social Boarding House

Citizens who have reached the generally established retirement age, and disabled persons of groups I and II who require constant care or constant assistance, household services, and medical care, may be admitted to a general profile social boarding house.

Social services may be provided on a paid basis or under state support.

Citizens are admitted on a paid basis if they:

● have persons legally obliged to support them (adult children, spouses, and parents who are not disabled persons of groups I and II, have not reached the generally established retirement age, or other natural or legal persons with whom a life annuity agreement with the provision of maintenance funds, or a lifelong maintenance agreement with dependency, has been concluded);

● receive a pension from other states in accordance with international treaties (agreements) concluded by the Republic of Belarus, with the exception of citizens who previously concluded a lifelong maintenance agreement with dependency at the expense of local budgets with a local executive and administrative body;

● have not reached the age of 65, with the exception of disabled persons of groups I and II;

● whose residential premises, owned by them, were alienated by gift or sale agreements within 5 years preceding the date of application for the provision of special residential premises or after its submission until the date of settlement, as well as upon alienation of these premises or their rental under residential lease agreements during the residence of citizens in a stationary institution;

● for short-term residence.

Other citizens, among those eligible for admission to a boarding house, reside in such institutions under state support.

To be admitted to a social boarding house for permanent or temporary residence, a citizen applies to the labor, employment, and social protection authorities at their place of residence and submits:

►an application;

►a conclusion from the medical advisory commission on the profile of the social boarding house, the presence of medical indications, and the absence of medical contraindications for the provision of social services in stationary institutions;

►an identity document;

►an extract from medical records;

►documents confirming the right to benefits;

►two photos 30 x 40 mm;

►individual rehabilitation program for the disabled (if available);

The bodies for labor, employment and social protection request:

►a certificate of the living premises occupied in the given locality, place of residence and family composition

►a certificate of residential premises owned by the citizen in the respective locality (upon submission of a document confirming payment for the issuance of such a certificate)

►they draw up (request) a certificate of the pension amount, a copy of the conclusion of the medical rehabilitation expert commission, an act of inspection of material and living conditions

For settlement in a boarding house for short-term residence, a citizen applies to the bodies for labor, employment and social protection at the place of residence and submits:

►application

►conclusion of the medical advisory commission

►identity document

►documents confirming the right to benefits

►extract from medical documents.

Social services are provided on the basis of a social services agreement by state social service institutions in the form of inpatient social services, concluded by a citizen with a state social service institution or a state social service institution and a third party that has assumed obligations to pay for social services.

Specialized Social Boarding House

Citizens who have reached the generally established retirement age, disabled persons of groups I and II, as well as citizens who have previously concluded a lifelong maintenance agreement with dependency at the expense of local budgets with the local executive and administrative body, recognized as legally incompetent or partially legally competent in the established manner, and who need constant care or constant assistance, domestic services and medical care, are settled in a specialized social boarding house, including those with increased comfort.

Citizens who have reached the generally established retirement age, disabled persons of groups I and II, who are not recognized as legally incompetent in the established manner, may be settled in a specialized social boarding house for temporary, including short-term, residence.

Social services can be provided on a paid basis or on the terms of state support.

Citizens are settled on a paid basis:

● who have persons legally obliged to support them (adult children, spouses and parents who are not disabled persons of groups I and II, have not reached the generally established retirement age, or other natural or legal persons with whom a rent agreement with the provision of maintenance funds, a lifelong maintenance agreement with dependency have been concluded)

● receiving a pension from other states in accordance with international treaties (agreements) concluded by the Republic of Belarus, with the exception of citizens who have previously concluded a lifelong maintenance agreement with dependency at the expense of local budgets with the local executive and administrative body

● for short-term residence

Other citizens, among those eligible for settlement in a specialized social boarding house, reside in such institutions on the terms of state support.

For settlement in a specialized social boarding house, the legal representative of the citizen or an authorized official of the guardianship and trusteeship body applies to the bodies for labor, employment and social protection at the place of residence of the citizen being settled in the boarding house, and submits:

►application

►conclusion of the medical advisory commission

►document confirming the authority of the legal representative or an authorized official of the guardianship and trusteeship body

►identity document

►extract from medical records

►two 30 x 40 mm photographs

►court decision on recognizing a citizen as incapacitated (partially incapacitated), to be placed in a specialized social boarding house, including those with enhanced comfort

►documents confirming the right to social benefits

►individual rehabilitation program for the disabled (if available)

The bodies for labor, employment and social protection request:

►information about the living premises occupied in the given locality, place of residence and family composition

►they process (request) a certificate of the pension amount, a copy of the MSEC conclusion, an act of examination of living conditions, a copy of the inventory of property belonging to the person in need of protection of property rights, and a decision on the appointment of a guardian over the property (if available).

To be admitted to a boarding house for short-term stay, a citizen applies to the bodies for labor, employment and social protection at their place of residence and submits:

►application

►conclusion of the medical advisory commission

►identity document

►documents confirming the right to benefits

►extract from medical records.

Social services are provided on the basis of a social services agreement by state social service institutions in the form of inpatient social services, concluded by a citizen with a state social service institution or a state social service institution and a third party who has undertaken obligations to pay for social services.

Children's Social Boarding House

Disabled children aged 4 to 18 with psychophysical developmental peculiarities who need constant external care or assistance, household services, and medical care can be admitted to a children's social boarding house.

Social services are provided free of charge, with the exception of short-term stays, which are provided on a paid basis.

To be admitted to a children's social boarding house for permanent or temporary residence, parents (or one of them, if the family is incomplete) or a legal representative submit the following documents to the bodies for labor, employment and social protection:

►application

►identity document or child's birth certificate

►document confirming the authority of the legal representative

►disability certificate

►extract from medical records

►conclusion of the state center for correctional and developmental education and rehabilitation regarding the profile of the children's social boarding house and the educational program

►two 30 x 40 mm photographs

►documents confirming the status of an orphan and a child left without parental care

►conclusion of the medical advisory commission on the presence of a disease in the parents (parent) that prevents them from fulfilling parental duties (in case of removal of children from them by decision of the commission for juvenile affairs on the basis of a court decision without deprivation of parental rights, deprivation of their parental rights)

►individual rehabilitation program for the disabled (if available).

The bodies for labor, employment and social protection request:

►upon application of parents (or one of them, if the family is incomplete) prepare a draft decision of the local executive and administrative body on the provision of special housing in children's social boarding houses.

►certificate of the living premises occupied in the given locality, place of residence and family composition

►draw up (request) a certificate of the pension amount, copies of the conclusion of the medical rehabilitation expert commission, decisions of the local executive and administrative body on retaining the living premises for the child from which he moved to a children's social boarding house, an act of inspection of material and living conditions

In case of application of parents (or one of them, if the family is incomplete), the decision on the provision of special housing in children's social boarding houses is made by the local executive and administrative body taking into account the proposals of the commission created by it to consider this issue.

The decision on the provision of special housing in children's social boarding houses by the local executive and administrative body is made in the absence of conditions for the realization of the rights and legitimate interests of a child with disabilities at the place of residence.

For settlement in a children's social boarding house for short-term residence, parents (or one of them, if the family is incomplete) or the legal representative of a child with disabilities apply to the labor, employment and social protection authorities at the place of residence and submit:

►application

►identity document or child's birth certificate

►document confirming the authority of the legal representative

►documents confirming the right to benefits

►extract from medical records

►medical certificate of health status indicating past illnesses, absence of contact of the child with infectious patients

►conclusion of the state center for correctional and developmental education and rehabilitation on the profile of the social boarding house and curriculum

►individual rehabilitation program for a disabled person (if available)

Social services are provided on the basis of a social services agreement by state social service institutions in the form of inpatient social services, concluded by the parent or legal representative of a child with disabilities with a state social service institution or a state social service institution and a third party that has assumed obligations to pay for social services.

Within the framework of short-term residence, families raising children with disabilities aged 4 to 18 years are provided with respite care services by children's social boarding houses (for a period not exceeding 56 days in a calendar year and not more than 28 consecutive days).

When providing respite care services, social services are provided free of charge, with the exception of meals, which are provided on a paid basis.