8 th Quality Conference

1. 8th Quality Conference « Strengthening the capacity of public administration in tackling current and future challenges »

2. Identified problems in the community 1 Poverty 2 Dependence on social services (a welfare system) 3 Environmental protection 4 The lack of a mechanism to stimulate / facilitate donations 5 Poor social cohesion

3. Program Objectives of SocialXChange • Encouraging donations • Fighting addiction to social services • Fighting poverty • Stimulating responsibility • Rendering dignity • Environmental Protection • Boosting social cohesion • Reducing dependence on the state budget • An autonomous community

4. How does it work

5. Management and activities - 1 The project started in January 2015 and is designed to operate indefinitely – the shop itself was opened in March 2015. The shop features a generous storage space which is easily accessible to citizens, in a quiet area near a park in one of the neighborhoods of 6th District. The shop accepts nonperishable food with a reasonable shelf life, hygiene products, clothing, toys, baby items, school supplies, books, sports goods etc. The SocialXchange shop receives donations from individuals or businesses and redistributes them to the people in need. The beneficiaries are people from District 6 that have social records in our institution, the unemployed, people with low incomes or with a large family, people who are willing to perform various activities in exchange for goods offered by the shop. The activities can take place inside the store (i.e. laundry, washing and ironing), or to other premises of the institution, in parks or public buildings).

6. Management and activities - 2 The donors receive points that they can use to purchase goods or services for themselves, family members or employees. Any item donated, any services offered and any community service activity receive a value in points. The value of the goods is set in a committee, having as a benchmark the average of the prices in stores, for the new products, or the average price of similar sites, for second-hand products. The points are converted into goods and services within the shop. Everything is done in a quick and transparent way and most important, without money. There is also the possibility for donors to donate the points obtained to people in need who can not work for objective reasons Those who want to provide activities in exchange of products should be socially assisted persons, with the residence in District 6 and being in our records.

7. Management and activities - 3 Donors who accumulate points have access to existing products inside the shop or services offered through the General Direction of Social Care and Child Protection Sector 6 (salt therapy, animation, chess classes for children, computer classes, dancing, medical therapy etc). The store benefits from its own website and Facebook page, especially for offering guidance to those who want to donate. Periodically we send press releases and we organize events in order to promote this project. The project has the support of successful blogs in cyberspace, reactions were positive from consumers and the involvement of people (and businesses) has increased steadily.

8. Results - 1 • The project contributed to increasing social cohesion in the 6th District by involving all stakeholders: private companies, public institutions, schools, NGOs, individuals, volunteers.. • The number of donations coming from individuals or legal entities has increased. • The dependence of the poor to the state social benefits has reduced. • A number of public and private institutions, associations and companies have joined the project: Romanian Orthodox Church, government agencies, companies in the food sector, retail chains, restaurants, IT companies, community schools, NGOs working in the social sphere.

9. Results - 2 • As a result of the interest it aroused, the SocialXchange project was selected as a model of good practice in several domestic and international competitions, such as "European Public Sector Award 2015 Final Event" – which will be held in Maastricht, The Netherlands • There was a ton of food donated and more than 80% of the amount being distributed to beneficiaries who provide community work. • We have donations of over 200 kg hygiene products, 24 electrical products, sanitary ware, furniture, sporting goods, books and supplies. • We had donations from about 150 individuals and 15 companies, institutions and NGOs. • A total of 74 disadvantaged people from the 6th District have provided activities and took to the points they have earned, the products they needed.

10. Contribution • A new relationship between the public administration and the community is now established (in Romania, citizens' participation in public life is not a tradition and needs encouragement, because the average taxpayer is passively waiting for the administration to solve all the problems). • The administration is strengthened by the contribution of its citizens • The project emphasized the environmental side, a concern poorly represented in local public administrations • The project increased the autonomy of local government in relation to state budget

11. Innovative elements - 1 • The combination between social policy, environmental protection and stimulating citizen involvement in solving community problems • The idea of ​​respect and responsible attitude towards resources, disadvantaged people and the environment • The project stimulates work, empowering those in difficult material circumstances • The project promotes dignity and respect for the socially assisted people

12. Innovative elements - 2 • The shop offers donors a package of empowerment and leisure services, such as salt therapy, language courses, parenting, sports and entertainment • The key elements on which this concept is based exclude cash contribution in the whole process, further emphasizing the idea of a non-profit ​​charitable system, with a specific social purpose • The involvement of private companies, NGOs, the media, particularly in the online sector has shown that the program has touched a nerve and increased the awareness of major issues: how we handle and how efficiently and equitably distribute available resources

13. Sustainability • Each neighborhood of the District 6 will have one shop, especially the areas most affected by poverty • The new structures will be supported by the local budget in terms of staff costs and utilities, and by long-term partnerships with private companies (especially retailers, for the products supply security).

14. Lessons learned - 1 • A great willingness of citizens to engage in charitable activities. In the sphere of companies and NGOs we found the same opening. We believe that this model of facilitating and stimulating charitable acts has multiplied, both in the 6th District and in other communities. • We have also noted the opening of donors not to avail for herself/himself the accumulated points but to give them to individuals or families who need them and who, for objective reasons, can not provide community work (kids , elderly, disabled people).

15. Lessons learned - 2 • From the direct beneficiaries (people with financial difficulties) we have noted their need to be respected and treated as partners, their availability for labor so they can earn the products they need and their interest in a stable job. Most often, poor people accept to receive aid from the state for lack of an alternative paying a price too high, giving away the dignity that involved their previous social status (as employees). • During the project implementation we realized the growing role that social networks and the whole online environment play in promoting the smooth operation of an innovative project. • The project created the opportunity of a successful collaboration between the three main actors of the community: public institutions, private companies and NGOs.

16. Three great things that we have done • The aid is conditioned by the work that is done • Community involvement • Services offered to donors

17. Three things that we do differently • A big campaign of awareness and stimulating donations • A larger space and a refrigerated storage room • Partnerships with private companies for labor market integration

18. Transferability The practice can be transferred successfully to other communities, regardless of country, region or number of members because it does not require specific conditions (in any Western community there are resources and products that are wasted, affecting the environment, while there are people who need everyday products) Three success factors: the project combines three socio-economic issues that make it attractive to members of any community: 1. Social equity, 2. Environment issues, 3. The sense of involvement and belonging to a community Threepitfalls to avoid: 1. the exaggerated individualist mentality (each on its own), which excludes charity; 2. lack of sensitivity to environmental issues; 3. the dependence of the poor to the welfare system (which gives without asking anything concrete in return)

19. Guidance for those who want to implement the practice • To employ the right people with good communication skills and networking • Attach great importance to promoting joint projects • In beneficiaries selection, consider the role of this service in the intervention plan, for granting a full package of complex social services • To be flexible in the negotiation process, donation, and the determination of the points of donated products • Try to introduce the beneficiaries to donors in order to establish human relationships between the giver and the recipient. • Diversification of services to donors within the remit of the institution.

20. CONTACT • Adress:Cernișoara Str.nr.38-40, sector 6, Bucharest • Phone/Fax: 021/7457237; 021/7456229 • email: office@dgaspc6.com, • web: www.asistentasociala6.ro The General Direction for Social Care and Child Protection 6th District Bucharest, Romania General manager – MARIUS LĂCĂTUȘ