The Regional Directorate for Social Solidarity, hereinafter designated as DRSS, is the service of the Regional Secretariat for Social Solidarity whose mission is to study, propose, implement, coordinate, monitor, evaluate and supervise the policies pursued by the Regional Government in the areas of solidarity, volunteering and equal opportunities.
DRSS has the following responsibilities:
a) Assist and support the Regional Secretary in defining and structuring the policies, priorities and goals of the SRSS in matters pertaining to social solidarity, volunteering and equal opportunities;
b) Support the definition of the main budget options as well as ensure the coordination between planning and budget forecasting instruments, without prejudice to the powers of other regional entities in this area;
c) Promote, monitor and evaluate the implementation of the SRSS policies, measures and programmes;
d) Study and propose measures aimed at strengthening the effectiveness and modernisation of social intervention;
e) Develop, disseminate and support the creation of strategic and operational planning and evaluation tools for the implementation of the SRSS policies and programmes;
f) Ensure the production of appropriate information, including statistics, on social solidarity, social security, volunteering and equal opportunities;
g) Propose and prepare drafts and proposals for legal or regulatory acts or issue opinions on them;
h) Ensure the implementation and evaluation of the investment plan and other budgets under its responsibility;
i) Supervise the performance of the entities involved in the areas of social services and infrastructures, promoting the improvement of their quality, effectiveness and efficiency, namely through audits;
j) Propose rules of coordination with Private Social Solidarity Institutions and other organisations working in social areas;
k) Ensure the coordination with other entities pursuing common goals, guaranteeing their achievement, through the signing of protocols or other forms of cooperation;
l) Support the development of initiatives for the promotion, coordination and qualification of volunteering;
m) Propose, implement and support initiatives promoting the effective and full compliance with existing standards in the areas of social solidarity and equal opportunities;
n) Propose regulations contributing to the improvement of social services and infrastructures as well as to the improvement of access conditions for individuals and families;
o) Prepare, coordinate and promote the implementation of planning studies and documents in the areas of solidarity, equal opportunities and the prevention and fight against violence;
p) Contribute to the development of regional policy guidelines for the prevention, empowerment, rehabilitation and participation of people with disabilities;
q) Provide psychological and social support to patients travelling to Mainland Portugal to receive healthcare;
r) Propose, implement and support initiatives towards the effective and full compliance with the existing regulations in terms of equal opportunities, namely in the following areas:
-Education for citizenship;
-Equality and non-discrimination on the grounds of gender, ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age and sexual orientation;
-Promotion and protection of maternity and paternity;
-Conciliation of professional, personal and family life for women and men;
-Prevention of violence based on gender, ethnicity, religious belief, disability, age or sexual orientation, promoting support for victims and rehabilitation of perpetrators;
s) Cooperate with organisations at national,
international and community level as well as with other international organisations in the area of social solidarity and equal opportunities, promoting their implementation at regional level;
t) Provide technical assistance to initiatives in the areas of social solidarity and equal opportunities promoted by other public and private entities;
u) Exercise any other powers conferred by law or regulation.