Friendly Neighbor

Friendly Neighbor is a service provided to people in need of help and care who live in localities difficult to reach for a social worker . Any capable citizen of the Russian Federation 18+ who lives at a distance of not more than 1 kilometer from the person served can become a «friendly neighbor» — «assistant».

The Leningrad Region became the first constituent entity to develop and implement this technology of social services since 2017, which is a good alternative to social workers. In addition, this technology is a  solution to the problem of unemployment of citizens living in remote rural settlements, since a person who takes on the responsibility of a «friendly neighbor» is entitled to monetary compensation from 4 to 10 thousand rubles per month depending on the number of services.

The list of services provided by the «Assistant»:

Social services:

• purchase and home delivery of food, medicines, industrial essential goods, hygiene and care products, books, newspapers, magazines at the expense of the recipient of social services;

• assistance in laundering and minor repairs of clothes or handing over things for laundering (dry cleaning) at the expense of the recipient of the service;

• help with eating (feeding);

• cooking;

• reheating food;

• purchase of fuel at the expense of the recipient of social services, heating stoves, water supply (in residential premises without central heating and (or) water supply);

• cleaning of living quarters;

• provision of hygiene services to persons who are not able to perform them for health reasons;

• payment of postal correspondence, payment for housing and communal services at the expense of the recipient of social services

Social and medical services:

• measurement of body temperature, blood pressure, monitoring of medication intake;

Social and psychological services:

• Walk.

Target audience:

Adult citizens recognized as those needing social services, not receiving social services at home, in a stationary form with permanent or temporary residence, from among:

 — lonely or living alone, as well as in the absence of the opportunity for co-living relatives to provide care

 — lonely families in which the elderly and disabled cannot provide personal care without assistance.

The Friendly Neighbor Service is provided on the basis of the submission of a written application, an identity document, a medical organization’s conclusion on the state of health by the citizen who needs the services.

Based on the results of the assessment of the documents submitted, the survey of social and living conditions and the determination of the need for the provision of services to a citizen, an agreement is concluded with the Recipient of services, where the individual (Assistant) undertakes to provide services in the days, hours, volume and composition determined by the schedule for the provision of services and in accordance with the list of services that are an integral part of the agreement.

The agreement between the Assistant (Friendly Neighbor) and the Recipient of Services is concluded for the period required by the Recipient of Services, but not more than for the current financial year.

Providing Friendly Neighbor Services is aimed at:

• Overcoming developmental, emotional, and behavioral disabilities

• ensuring the social security of citizens in all its aspects (household, medical, psychological, legal)

• overcoming and alleviating the problems of loneliness

• solving the problems of lack of demand in the labor market of older citizens in rural areas

The use of various forms, methods, taking into account the individual needs and physical capabilities of citizens in the implementation of technology, allows to preserve vital factors affecting human health and emotional state in home living conditions.

Efficiency is achieved by:

• continuity and complexity of all social and rehabilitation measures

• dynamic control over the provision of social and rehabilitation measures and feedback from social service institutions on the work done

• territorial availability of Friendly Neighbor Services

• expanding the list of social events

• the possibility of providing services to citizens who are not able to independently satisfy their vital needs and need constant outside care, in familiar conditions of life activity.

Phased project implementation plan:

1. Approving the procedure for the provision of services using the Friendly Neighbor social service technology in the region.

The list of services, the procedure and tariff for the provision of services is approved using the Friendly Neighbor social service technology in the Leningrad Region, reporting forms.

2. Working out the need for the Friendly Neighbor services of each municipal district (urban district) of the Leningrad Region.

A summary of the number of citizens in the context of municipal districts (urban district) of the region who need the help of the Friendly Neighbor has been compiled.

3. Definition of the terms «Friendly Neighbor», «Service Recipient», criteria of need.

Criteria and relevant documents were approved, including a list of services required for the provision of services using the Friendly Neighbor social service technology. A comprehensive system for monitoring the state of the target group and the demand for services has been developed and put into operation. A list of services using the Friendly Neighbor social service technology has been developed and approved.

4. Working out the mechanism of cooperation for the provision of services using the technology of the Friendly Neighbor social service technology in the region.

The procedure for cooperation and conclusion of agreements on the provision of subsidies for other purposes between the Committee for Social Protection of the Population of the Leningrad Region and state institutions of social services for the population has been worked out.

5. Under the agreement, the Parties perform the following functions:

5.1. Committee for Social Protection of the Population of the Leningrad Region:

• develops and approves the list and cost of services

• provides organizational and methodological assistance

• monitors the state of the target group, the demand for services

• monitors the targeted spending of budget funds

• provides funds from the regional budget of the region to social service institutions according to their requests

• forms and concludes agreements for the current financial year for the implementation of the Friendly Neighbor technology

 5.2. State Social Service Institution:

• informs the population about the possibility of providing services

• identifies those in need of services using the Friendly Neighbor social service technology

• participates in conducting outreach work, educational campaign for the introduction of services

• performs works on the provision of services

• selects candidates for Assistants and Recipients of Services

• at the request of the Committee for Social Protection of the Population of the Leningrad Region, provides all necessary information on the implementation of measures

• concludes a tripartite agreement with the Service Receiver, the Assistant (Friendly Neighbor), specifying the obligations of the Parties

• monitors the quality of the provision of services using the Friendly Neighbor social service technology

• plan the funds of the regional budget of the region necessary for the implementation of the technology.

• generates an application taking into account the achievement of the following indicators:

  the number of citizens who need services using the Friendly Neighbor social service technology

  the list, quantity and cost of services.

6. Approving the cost of services provided using social service technologies.

The cost of services provided using the Friendly Neighbor social service technology for elderly citizens and disabled people in the Leningrad Region has been approved.

The tariffs for the social services was approved by the Decree of the Government of the Leningrad Region (Decree of the Government of the Leningrad Region dated 09.04.2014 No. 577 «On the procedure for approving tariffs for social services, the amount of payment for the provision of social services and the procedure for charging fees for provision thereof» for the form of social services at home).

7. Generalization and dissemination of the innovative Friendly Neighbor social service technology.

Seminars, webinars, «round tables», meetings with the population of the region on the implementation of social service technologies are held

Placing information on information stands, official websites on the Internet about the implementation of the Friendly Neighbor technology by social service institutions.

Regulatory documents ensuring the application of the practice:

• Resolution of the Government of the Leningrad Region dated 09.04.2014 No. 577 «On the procedure for approval of tariffs for social services, the amount of payment for the provision of social services and the procedure for collecting payments for their provision».

• Order of the Committee for Social Protection of the Population of the Leningrad Region dated 10.09.2019 No. 2769 «On the provision of services using the Friendly Neighbor social service technology for elderly citizens and disabled people in the Leningrad Region».

• Order of the Committee for Social Protection of the Population of the Leningrad Region No. 2964 dated 20.12.2019 «On the organization of work to determine the need of a citizen in social services and invalidating the order of the Committee for Social Protection of the Population of the Leningrad Region No. 1487 of 29.12.2018 „On the organization of work to determine the need of a citizen in social services“.

• Order of the Committee for Social Protection of the Population of the Leningrad Region No. 3028 dated 27.12.2019 «On the approval of the cost of services provided using technologies of social services in the Leningrad Region»