Croatia - Services for people in need
This chapter will present the services you are entitled to as part of the social welfare system in Croatia.
This chapter covers:
- home assistance (pomoć u kući);
- residential care (institucijska skrb);
- semi-residential care (institucijska skrb u centru za pružanje usluga);
- supported living (organizirano stanovanje);
- early childhood intervention (rana razvojna intervencija).
In what situation can I claim?
You are entitled to the various social services if you are a Croatian national with a permanent residence in Croatia or a foreign national or stateless person with a permanent residence permit in Croatia.
You are entitled to social services - a foreigner under subsidiary protection, an asylum seeker and a foreigner under temporary protection and their family members who legally reside in the Republic of Croatia, as well as a foreigner with the established status of a victim of human trafficking, can receive benefits and services in the social welfare system.
What conditions do I need to meet?
If you are a single person, a family member or a family and do not have sufficient means to cover your basic living needs, you may be entitled to social welfare benefits. Here it is considered that you cannot find the means to cover your basic living needs from working, income from property, a person paying maintenance, or otherwise.
You are entitled to some of the services if your income or income per member of your family does not exceed EUR 199,08.
Social welfare benefits can be provided to orphans or children without appropriate parental care, young adults, child victims of domestic, peer or other violence, human trafficking victims, children with disabilities, children and young adults with behavioural problems.
Pregnant women and parents with a baby up to one year of age without family support and adequate living conditions, parents who require professional assistance and other support due to disturbed relations and people who were married or cohabitating and have children together.
Social welfare benefits can also be provided to disabled adults, people with other temporary or permanent changes in their health, victims of domestic or other violence and human trafficking victims. Among others, these benefits can also be provided to people who are unable to care for themselves independently due to age or infirmity, people with alcohol, drug and other addictions, and homeless people.
What am I entitled to and how can I claim?
Home assistance
Home assistance involves the buying and home delivery of ready-made meals, the carrying out of household tasks, help with getting dressed and undressed, bathing and other hygiene needs.
Residential care
Residential care is institutional care in a social care home and other legal entity providing social care, or non-institutional care in a family home and foster home. It can be permanent or temporary.
The allowance for personal needs for a child attending primary school, an adult and an elderly person is EUR 33,18, and for a child and a younger adult attending secondary school and another younger adult is EUR 46,45.Semi-residential care
Semi-residential care can be a full-day stay, lasting from 6 to 10 hours a day, and half-day, lasting from four to six hours a day, and includes the following services: food, personal hygiene, health care, supervision, education, nursing, work activities and psychosocial rehabilitation.
You are entitled to full-day and half-day stays one day a week, several days a week or all working days in the week.
Supported living service
Supported living is a service under which one or more people are provided basic living needs such as social, working, cultural, educational, recreational and other needs. Recipients are offered permanent or occasional assistance by qualified staff or other people at home and outside it.
Early childhood intervention
Early childhood intervention is a service which includes professional stimulating assistance to children and professional and advisory assistance to parents and foster parents. It is offered to a child who has been diagnosed with developmental disabilities at an early age with a view to including the child in the wider social network.
Entitlement to social services - home assistance, residential care, semi-residential care, supported living, early childhood intervention - is decided by the Croatian Institute for Social Work in the beneficiary's place of residence.
Early childhood intervention is provided by Croatian Institute for Social Work if the service is not covered by the health system. As a rule, it is offered to children up to the age of 3 and/or up to a maximum age of 7 years.
You can also claim entitlement to other social services, such as counselling and assistance, psychological assistance and early intervention, through social welfare centres.
Jargon busters
- Permanent residence is the place and address in Croatia at which a person has permanently settled for the purpose of exercising their rights and obligations associated with their life interests, such as family, professional, economic, social, cultural and other interests.
- Temporary residence is the place and address in Croatia where a person is temporarily residing, but has not permanently settled at that address. Temporary residence is registered if it will last longer than 3 months.
Know your rights
You can find out about your legal rights at the links below. They are not European Commission websites and do not represent the views of the Commission:
Commission publications and websites:
Who do you need to contact?
Croatian Institute for Social Work
The list of regional offices is not yet available Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy
Ulica grada Vukovara 78
HR-10000 Zagreb
Croatia
Tel. +385 15557111
https://mrosp.gov.hr/