The purpose of this article is to analyse the challenges facing the deinstitutionalisation of social services in Albania and Poland. It presents the key legal framework that guides the process and attempts to identify the main challenges. The article emphasises the importance of continued commitment, investment, and cooperation between governments and key stakeholders committed to overcoming these challenges and ensuring the successful transformation of their social protection systems. It is also a comparison of the welfare/social assistance system between a former communist country that is now part of the EU and another one that aspires to join the EU.
The methodological premise was to present the challenges related to the deinstitutionalisation of social services in Albania and Poland based on an analysis of foundational data. The framework was evidence-based, emphasising the practical dimension of deinstitutionalisation analysis. The deinstitutionalisation of social services in Albania and Poland is a complex and difficult process that requires transforming social protection systems and developing a range of community-based services and supports for vulnerable populations. It represents a challenge for social policy in both countries.
