2024-02-28 22:58:29
Job titles in the field of social work are protected by law
Vienna (PK) – Social welfare recipients who take part in longer AMS training measures will also receive an education bonus in the future. The National Council has in its current form meeting green light for a corresponding one Amendment to the Basic Social Welfare Act given, although adjustments were made to the amount of the bonus beforehand. Accordingly, based on a similar regulation for recipients of unemployment benefit and emergency assistance, a training surcharge of almost €150 per month should now be paid out for at least four months of training and further education measures and almost €300 for training courses lasting longer than a year. In addition, there is the existing AMS allowance of currently €2.49 per day. It’s about sustainably qualifying people who receive minimum income so that they can return to the job market, said Ernst Gödl (ÖVP) on behalf of the coalition parties. Criticism comes from the SPÖ and NEOS: They therefore also voted against the amendment to the law.
In order to secure the financial claims of home victims, the National Council also passed an amendment to the Home Victims’ Pension Act with a large majority. In addition, a new social work designation law will protect job titles such as “social worker” or “social educator” by law.
Improvements to the amount of the education bonus
Markus Koza (Greens) justified the improvements to the amount of the education bonus made by means of an amendment with the inflation adjustment for 2024 that was accidentally not taken into account. This means that there is now a training surcharge for social assistance of €149.4 instead of €136.2 for at least four months of further training and €298.8 Instead of €272.4, it is intended for at least one year of training. The more qualified people are, the more unemployment benefits and social assistance the state saves, Koza pointed out. The training surcharge could be used to prevent those affected from breaking off training for financial reasons in order to take temporary unskilled jobs and then ending up back in the AMS or in social welfare. In this sense, he was also disappointed by the rejection of the law by the SPÖ and the NEOS, especially since the NEOS would always describe themselves as an “education party”.
On behalf of the SPÖ, Alois Stöger countered the government parties by saying that the basic social welfare law needed to be fundamentally repaired. He said that “tinkering around” wouldn’t make the law any better. He is also convinced that a better solution would have been achieved if the bill had been subjected to an assessment.
Gerald Loacker (NEOS) was generally negative about the education bonus. If welfare recipients receive even more money, “they will stop working,” he fears.
ÖVP MP Ernst Gödl stated that they would look closely at whether the bonus actually had an employment effect. But he is confident that this will help get people back into the job market. In this context, he also referred to the government’s previous successes in reducing long-term unemployment.
After the amendment to the law has been published in the Federal Law Gazette, the states will have seven months to adapt their social assistance and minimum security laws to the new provisions.
Amendment to the Home Victims’ Pension Act
Which was passed with the votes of ÖVP, SPÖ, FPÖ and the Greens Amendment to the Home Victims’ Pension Act goes back to a suggestion from the FPÖ. The MPs are reacting to a finding by the Administrative Court, which in a specific case deemed it permissible to classify back pension payments on the account as assets and thus reject an application for rental assistance. The MPs see this as restricting the financial claims of the affected recipients, especially since home victim pensions are expressly not considered income within the meaning of social assistance or minimum security laws. In addition, it is now expressly stipulated that additional payments of home victims’ pensions and saved pension amounts as well as other compensation payments for home victims in the area of social assistance are not to be assessed as assets.
It is incomprehensible that blocked payments are treated differently than regular benefits, emphasized Michael Hammer (ÖVP), Bedrana Ribo (Greens), Alois Stöger (SPÖ), Christian Ragger (FPÖ) in the plenary session. However, the amendment to the law was rejected by the NEOS: Gerald Loacker argued that it would be bad for Parliament to correct unpopular Supreme Court decisions.
The legislative resolution with a Motion for a resolution The initiative was initiated by FPÖ MP Dagmar Belakowitsch. This was also approved with the votes of ÖVP, SPÖ, FPÖ and the Greens.
Protection of professional titles in the field of social work
This also received the approval of the ÖVP, SPÖ, FPÖ and the Greens Social Work Designation Act 2024. It aims to legally protect professional titles in the field of social work. In the future, only those who have relevant academic training or a diploma should be able to call themselves “social worker” or “social educator”. Anyone who ignores this risks an administrative fine of up to €15,000. Vulnerable groups that are looked after by social workers must be able to rely on the quality of the care being provided, said Green Party social spokesman Markus Koza, justifying the initiative.
Koza also sees the law as protection against “quality dumping” in the field of social work and as a first step towards professional law. Elisabeth Scheucher-Pichler (ÖVP) claimed that this would also fulfill a long-standing wish of the professional groups. In this sense she spoke of a “historical moment”.
The law was also generally welcomed by Verena Nussbaum (SPÖ) and Peter Wurm (FPÖ). This can ensure the quality of social work, said Nussbaum. In her opinion, a comprehensive professional law with a clear legal definition of the profession of “social work” and a register of professional members is needed. Wurm also argued similarly: He particularly criticized the existing “patchwork” of pay schemes and called on Social Affairs Minister Johannes Rauch to take action. Wurm also viewed it as a “dramatic development” that social work is now needed in elementary schools.
NEOS MP Fiona Fiedler justified her group’s rejection of the bill by saying, among other things, that it would restrict the opportunities for lateral entry into the profession. This could further exacerbate the existing staff shortage. She also fears the emergence of two classes of social workers: those who are allowed to use the professional title and those who do the same work without a title.
Social Minister Johannes Rauch confirmed that a professional law remains the goal. However, he believes that designation protection is an important step towards the recognition of social work. Rauch admitted that significantly more trained social workers are needed, not only at youth welfare offices, but also at independent providers, and more training places at technical colleges are also needed. (Continuation of the National Council) gs
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