Good Practices in Social Security. INPS Mobile Counter for disabled and elderly people A case of the National Social Insurance Institute

Transcription

1 Good Practices in Social Security INPS Mobile Counter for disabled and elderly people A case of the National Social Insurance Institute National Social Insurance Institute Italy Published

2 Summary Fundamental elements: Creation of the operational team composed of: disabled and not disabled staff; retired National Social Insurance Institute (Istituto Nazionale della Previdenza Sociale (INPS)) personnel motivated and with an aptitude for listening (evaluation realized with psychometric tool of self-diagnosis). Provision of dedicated telephone lines. Use of database. Collaboration with representatives of land agencies. Operational phases: data extrapolation of those users who are entitled to Mobile Counter benefits (disabled and elderly people with care allowance) and assignment of a personal safety code; home deliveries (with flexible planning) of personal safety codes with service information and carrying out instruction; information and implementation of complex files by telephone in real time during fixed days and timetables; complex files solving also with the collaboration of land agencies representatives. Possible visit at home (if necessary); continuous activities monitoring, connection with public and private Institutes to face disability problems and comply with law changes (e.g. connection with emigration prefect s office for domestics regularization; data storage of solved papers/files. CRITERIA 1: What was the issue/problem/challenge addressed by your good practice? The challenge was to provide at home the same services delivered by the various INPS front offices of Rome and its district agencies, to make life easier for disabled and elderly people who have difficulty to visit INPS agencies. The main benefit for the interested user is to solve his INPS problem with a simple call or without moving from home.

3 2 Another challenge was to offer INPS disabled personnel an opportunity for professional and skills growth and to further develop their experience and sensitivity to disability problems by involving them in the project activities. CRITERIA 2: What were the main objectives and the expected outcomes? Objective: To provide INPS services at the homes of disabled and elderly people. Expected outcomes: To make life easier for disabled and elderly people by allowing them to solve their INPS problems at home. Objective: To create new interactive working space for disabled staff who work at the Mobile Counter. Expected outcomes: professional and skills growth for disabled staff who work at the Mobile Counter. An "added value" for the Mobile Counter Service. Objective: To optimize, smoothen and streamline INPS services. Expected outcomes: problems solved quickly by disabled staff allowing the involvement of other resources in the productive processes. Objective: To reduce the work of INPS agencies. Expected outcomes: Reduction of: clients visiting the agencies; queues at front offices; overtime hours for personnel. Objective: To involve other Italian public institutions in the initiative by increasing their awareness of disabled and elderly people problems. Expected outcomes: More interactive services in public administration for disabled and elderly people Objective: CO2 reduction for the avoided transfers Expected outcomes: no need for disabled and elderly people to move from home Objective: To reduce disability problems Expected outcomes: become a reference point for disability associations (e.g. the Italian Blind and Partially Sighted Union, Family-Houses, Long Stay Old People s Homes). CRITERIA 3: What is the innovative approach/strategy followed to achieve the objectives? No costs. The involvement of disabled staff who work for disabled people. The involvement of motivated volunteers, INPS retired staff with professional experience and culturally able to realize further continuous development initiatives. The use of the potentialities of the IT system to solve problems.

4 3 The safety, privacy and protection of data with the use of a personal safety code (PIN) sent to every home user. CRITERIA 4: Have the resources and inputs been used in an optimal way to implement the practice? Yes, the INPS IT system with the personal safety code (PIN) of the Mobile Counter allows the resolution of 98 per cent of problems. The Mobile Counter workers visit disabled and elderly people at home only when it is necessary (e.g. to get the signature to have the pension) The volunteer staff (former INPS personnel) provide important support for free on a daily basis. The disabled staff of the Mobile Counter increase their self-esteem and with their experience and sensitivity solve INPS problems by giving emotional and rational support to disabled users. CRITERIA 5: What impact/results have been achieved so far? In the past year INPS sent 8,000 home personal safety codes usable for the INPS Mobile Counter. INPS worked out about 500 complex papers/files and provided to about 800 users information in real time. 1,300 transfers from home were avoided for disabled users and their family, queues in INPS agencies were reduced and it provided disadvantaged users a preferential treatment and a stable reference point for the solution of INPS problems. CRITERIA 6: What lessons have been learned from the introduction of this good practice? Disabled or elderly people have to face huge difficulties dealing with things that are simple for healthy people. There is a great need to be listened to and to have a safe and homely reference point in the Public Administration to ensure responses and fast solutions for many bureaucratic matters related to disability.

5 4 CRITERIA 7: To what extent would your good practice be appropriate for replication by other social security institutions? The INPS Mobile Counter has been tested for 9 months and it involved a sample of 3,800 people who were blind or partially sighted, and elderly people. The trial was useful to achieve an operating system that was effective, repeatable and nearly cost-free. The INPS Mobile Counter could be repeated in all those countries that offer home services for disabled and elderly people. Its operation would require one or more dedicated telephone lines at its disposal, a good IT system, and a good organizational and human resources system (disabled and not disabled, staff or former personnel) that is motivated and dedicated. The collaboration with associations (e.g. the Italian Blind and Partially Sighted Union) and public and private institutes facilitates the work.