Estonian social policy: from Soviet heritage to understanding the principles of deinstitutionalization

ABSTRACT

Deinstitutionalization is a key issue in the field of social policy. The community-based services movement has challenged the role of institutions as far back as the 1950s, but it is a relatively new development in Central and Eastern Europe. EU membership and the use of structural funds have been key elements of change in many countries; however, the Soviet heritage still overshadows progress and decision-making in social policy. Though deinstitutionalization’s overall meaning and aims are generally well known, less information is available about the processes and policies underlying deinstitutionalization. In post-communist countries, deinstitutionalization is often narrowly associated with large institutions, but its embedment in the social welfare policy framework is less discussed. Nevertheless, first attempts to change the design of social services to more participatory and integrated solutions are evident. For more than 20 years, developments in the field of social-welfare policy have aimed to reduce the gap between Estonia and other developed countries. This article reviews relevant documents in Estonia’s social welfare policy reforms from re-independence to the present. The article discusses the prospects and challenges for achieving deinstitutionalization’s intended goals in Estonia.

KOKKUVÕTE

Deinstitutsionaliseerimisest on saanud üks sotsiaalpoliitika võtmeküsimusi. Kogukonnapõhiseid teenuseid eelistav lähenemine ja väljakutse suurte hoolekandeasutuste rollile pärineb juba 1950-ndatest aastatest, kuid on suhteliselt uus kontseptsioon Kesk- Ja Ida-Euroopa riikides. Euroopa Liidu liikmelisust ja kaasnenud struktuurivahendite avanemist võib pidada võtmetähtsusega faktoriks muutuste ellu kutsumisel mitmetes EL uutes liikmesriikides, samas, nõukogude aja pärand varjutab siiani sotsiaalpoliitika arengut ja otsuseid. Vaatamata sellele, et üldine teadlikkus deinstitutsionaliseerimise kontseptsioonist ja selle eesmärkidest on olemas, siis informatsiooni deinstitutsionaliseerimise protsessist pigem napib. Postkommunistlikes riikides, nagu seda on Eesti, seostatakse deinstitutsionaliseerimist suurte hoolekandeasutustega ning pigem vähest käsitlemist on leidnud selle suuna sulandumine üldisesse sotsiaalpoliitilisse raamistikku. Siiski, katseid kujundada sotsiaalteenuseid rohkem kaasavaks ja integreerituteks on näha. Need arengud on Eestis toimunud enam kui 20-aastasel perioodil, kus sotsiaalpoliitiliste valikute peamine eesmärk on olnud arenenud riikidega vahe vähendamine. Antud artiklis analüüsitakse sotsiaalpoliitika kujunemist ja reforme ning aset leidnud muutuseid Eestis taasiseseisvumisest kuni tänaseni. Artikli eesmärk on avada deinstitutsionaliseerimise võimalusi ja väljakutseid Eestis.

KEYWORDS:

• Deinstitutionalization
• community care
• social policy
• Estonia

VÕTMESÕNAD:

• deinstitutsionaliseerimine
• kogukondlik hoolekanne
• sotsiaalpoliitika
• Eesti

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Rait Kuuse got his university degree in social work in 2002 and is currently active at doctoral studies in the University of Tallinn on the subject of deinstitutionalization policies. He has been working since 1999 in the public sector, more precisely in the Ministry of Justice till he was appointed to the post of governor of Tallinn Prison in 2012. Since 2014 he is appointed to a post of Deputy Secretary General on social policy in the Ministry of Social Affairs. Throughout his career, studies and international activities, he has had a special interest towards community-based solutions and challenged practices of closed facilities.

Karmen Toros is Professor of Social Work in School of Governance, Law and Society, Tallinn University. She is actively involved in social work education and training of child protection workers. Her research focuses on child welfare and protection, strengths-perspective in child protection practice and is particularly interested in assessment of child well-being. She has been conducting research on the assessment practices of child protection workers in Estonia with an aim to lay the foundation for creating comprehensive assessment system and effective assessment practice.