Direct social assistance: The system in the Official Gazette
The legal framework for direct social assistance is now complete. The laws governing the Direct Social Assistance System and the National Social Assistance Agency have been published in the latest issue of the Official Gazette, along with 3 decrees implementing these two pieces of legislation.
The first decree concerns the implementation of certain provisions of the law on direct assistance. In particular, the decree defines the notion of «head of household». The head of household may be the father, the person with custody of the children, or the guardian, in the case of aid for the protection of child-related risks. In the case of lump-sum benefits, the head of household is the person who makes the declaration in the Unified Social Register on behalf of the family concerned.
Article 8 of the law on Direct Social Assistance states that a decree must define the amounts of aid for child risk protection and of the flat-rate aid. The table defining these amounts is appended to the decree. The decree specifies that in all cases, the amount granted to households may not be less than 500 Dirhams (USD 50) per month. With regard to the procedure for submitting applications for social assistance, Article 12 of the law refers to an implementing decree to define the terms and conditions. The article published in the Official Gazette specifies that the head of household must submit the application to the National Welfare Agency (« Agence nationale de l’aide sociale»), via a dedicated electronic platform. The head of household must fill in a specific form on this portal. The decree also establishes the obligation to make available to the public, via this electronic platform, a practical guide to filling in the application form. At the end of the application procedure, a receipt is issued to the head of household who is then informed electronically of the assistance to which he or she is entitled. People whose applications are rejected can appeal within 15 days, via the digital platform set up by the National Agency. The Agency must then decide on the appeal within 30 days.
Article 13 of the law establishes a system for monitoring compliance with the conditions set for access to social assistance. The law refers to a decree to define the terms of implementation. According to this text, published in the Official Gazette, this will be implemented via electronic data exchange with other stakeholders, on the basis of specific agreements. If the application is accepted, the direct aid is paid into an account opened with a bank or payment company, in the name of the head of the household concerned.
With regard to governance, Article 18 of the law provides that, pending the installation of management bodies for the direct social assistance system, the administration may entrust this mission, during a transitional phase, to a public or private entity. According to the implementing decree, the term «administration» refers to the Ministry in charge of the Budget.
M.A.M
