The University of Elbasan organized the event to promote the book "Social Services in Albania: Background and State of the Art"

The University of Elbasan, "Alexander Xhuvani", organized an event to promote the book "Social Services in Albania: Background and State of the Art" in the project of@Skowards Increas Awareness, Responsibility and Shared Quality in Social Work.

The T @KK project aims to strengthen and modernize the provision of social services in Albania by strengthening the Albanian higher education system.

The main addresses of the current volume are foreign observers - both academics and experts in the state of well -being - who want to take an accurate picture of social services in Albania, on the main actors and resources of Albanian social policies and in The challenge for the future development of a model of well -being inspired by European but respectful of the Albanian context.

In this case the Rector of the University of Elbasan, prof. dr. Skender Topi said that this book is an asset in the field of social services and will serve the best, not only to the lecturers and students but also the new scientific researchers. It will undoubtedly be a great help for social workers. "The Rectorate of the University of Elbasan, the entire working group of the Department of Social Work and I personally, have supported and encouraged colleagues and departments involved in the project from the beginning," said Rector Skender Topi.

He also underlined that "Thanks to the project T@Skott today the students of the Social Sciences Department use a laboratory and two very important platforms such as Moodle and LMS".

On behalf of the University of Tirana, prof. dr. Edmond Rapti who underlined in his speech the importance of this publication in the Albanian reality.

On behalf of the Ministry of Education and Sports, he greeted the Deputy. Minister Olti Round.

On behalf of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, the Director General of Social Protection was welcomed at this ministry, Merita Xhafaj, who was specifically stopped in the "Order of the Social Worker".

A video greeting also came from Giorgia Bulli coordinator of@sk Project.

Part of the panel were representatives of the universities and municipalities involved in this project, namely Elbasan, Tirana and Shkodra.

Municipal representatives made an exhibition of social services in the territories they cover and the current policies being pursued to cover these services.

The meeting was also spoken by the Commissioner for Protection from Discrimination in Albania, Robert Gajda. The Commissioner stopped specifically in the legal aspect of protecting and supporting the needy.

The head of the Erasmus office in Albania, Elona Saraçi, said in her speech that the project in question is of particular importance for three reasons:

First, it is related to the increase of academic capacities, through training, the sharing of experiences, the updating of university curricula, the update of physical and electronic libraries.

Second, it relates to the inclusion of basic actors for the provision of social services in Albania, creating a good network of cooperation for today and tomorrow.

Third, it takes the steps to pursue European practices and policies to create the Order of Social Worker in Albania.

The last phase of the meeting continued with the academic presentation of the book by the working groups of the Universities of Florence and OAS-Tuscany, University of Tirana, Shkodra "Luigj Gurakuqi" and the University of Elbasan "Alexander Xhuvani".

The first two chapters present the reader with understanding the current Albanian socio-demographic situation.

The second part of the volume offers an unprecedented view of the organization of social services in the areas of the capital Tirana and in the districts of Shkodra and Elbasan.

The rapporteur who took the floor underlined that the heterogeneous distribution of human and economic resources in social work, along with insufficient implementation of social service provision, is an essential problem for the socio-economic development of Albanian society. Moreover, the unequal distribution of social services - mainly concentrated in urban areas - enforces the latest law on significant decentralization even in connection with the creation of a network of social services in the suburban areas of the country.