Memorandum signed: Support for 20 young people without adequate family care on the path to independent living

Minister of Labor, Employment and Social Dialogue Naida Nišić, Minister of Social Welfare, Family Care and Demography Damir Gutić, Director of the Employment Service of Montenegro David Perčobić, and Director of the Children's Home "Mladost" in Bijela Marela Savić signed a Memorandum on the establishment of a coordinated institutional mechanism for the inclusion of young people without parental care and young people without adequate family support in the program "START 20 - Support Program for Independent Living and Work".

As explained, the signing of the Memorandum established a unique framework of cooperation between the social and child protection system and the employment system, with the aim of ensuring that young people leaving institutional or foster care receive timely support on their path to education, employment and independent living.

According to a statement from the Employment Service (ZZZ), the signatories said that for most young people, their first job is the beginning of their career, and for young people without parental care and adequate family support, their first job often represents the beginning of an independent life.

The "START 20" program was developed in response to the needs of young people facing an increased risk of social exclusion and difficulty entering the labor market. The program will include 20 young people from the target group, and 216.4 thousand euros have been allocated for its implementation, the Institute said.

Throughout the ten months of the program, participants will be able to gain work experience, receive training or be employed by employers, with accommodation, meals and continuous mentoring support provided.

As stated in the statement, the signatories of the Memorandum emphasized that the greatest value of the program is the fact that employment is not viewed as an isolated activity, but as part of a broader process of independence. By connecting institutions, employers and support systems, conditions are created for young people to get not only a job, but also the opportunity to build a stable, dignified and independent life.

The memorandum defines clear roles of line ministries, the Employment Agency of Montenegro, social work centers and the Public Institution "Mladost" Bijela Children's Home in the process of identification, preparation, activation and monitoring of beneficiaries, thus creating the prerequisites for "START 20" to grow into a sustainable systemic model of support for young people without adequate family support, the statement concludes.