Countries of the World/COUNTRYS.BIN/dp/0109/01098.txt

Text File | 1991-06-25 | 16KB | 291 lines

$Unique_ID{COW01098}
$Pretitle{411}
$Title{Denmark
Ideas and Trends in Danish Social Welfare Policy}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Henning Dehn Nielsen}
$Affiliation{Ministry of Foreign Affairs}
$Subject{social
pension
denmark
danish
children
home
years
assistance
age
number}
$Date{1990}
$Log{Table 1.*0109801.tab
}
Country:     Denmark
Book:        Facts about Denmark
Author:      Henning Dehn Nielsen
Affiliation: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Date:        1990

Ideas and Trends in Danish Social Welfare Policy

     The first democratic Constitution of 1849 established the right to anyone
unable to maintain himself and his family to receive assistance and towards
the end of the century a long succession of social legislation led up to the
first overall social reform in 1933. This reform has subsequently been
improved and amended during the last few decades. In the social reform of the
seventies a number of acts became consolidated, simplified and improved under
the motto: "Prevention and Rehabilitation, Safety and Growth". Improvements
were made by raising the level of daily cash benefits and uniforming the
regulations on loss of income in case of illness, childbirth and injury,
including injury in connection with industrial accidents. The scheme was made
to cover the whole population against loss of earnings and it helped to create
greater equality between different groups of the population.

Social Assistance

     The Social Assistance Act of 1974 made it a basic principle that the
needs of the individual, seen in their entirety, should be given preference
and replace the more strict determination of entitlements as set out in
regulations and based upon zealous investigations by authorities, as was the
case in earlier days. Furthermore, only needs are taken into consideration.
Thus, assistance, including rehabilitation services, is available to everyone
who needs it. The splitting up of people into categories e.g. disabled,
non-disabled, was abandoned.

     The Social Assistance Act was amended recently. This ensures that
financial assistance from now on is granted according to fixed rates rather
than on a discretionary basis. The aim of this change in the legislation is to
create a higher degree of public confidence by minimizing the differences in
service standards between the municipalities and to simplify the
administration in order to release resources for preventive activities.

     As far back as the thirties, Danish kindergartens began to work on a
professional educational basis. Kindergartens no longer merely look after
children - they must also offer them new experiences and assist in their
development. In doing that, unconventional methods are often used.
For instance, some kindergartens encourage children to look after pets, as in
the kindergarten in Solrod near Copenhagen. Other kindergartens are linked
with so-called building playgrounds where children construct virtual towns,
using secondhand building material.

     Much is being done in Denmark to integrate the handicapped into normal
everyday life of the community. Firms engaging the handicapped, for instance,
can obtain grants to help make the place of work more practical for them.
However, access to employment is not the only important requirement for a
meaningful existence - so is the opportunity to develop creativity. This
illustration is from the music class of the Refnoes School for handicapped
Children.

     Health visitors are able to offer a wide range of treatment in the home so
that hospitalisation is avoided. In may parts of Denmark, a "24-hour alert
service" has been established. This means that an elderly person at any time of
day or night can get the assistance provided by home helps or home nurses.

     The welfare department offer a whole range of services aimed at helping the
elderly remain in their own homes as long as possible. Home helps assist with
purely practical work in the home such as cleaning, washing, shopping and
personal hygiene.

     As a still greater proportion of the population reaches an advanced age, it
becomes increasingly important to help them keep in sufficiently good physical
and mental condition for them to enjoy their retirement. This is an important
consideration in the Danish care of the elderly.

     In the large majority of Danish families, both parents go out to work. As a
result, there is a great need for day nurseries and related services. A number
of boroughs also have "day foster mothers" who look after other people's
children in their own homes.

Social Pensions

     Denmark amended its pension laws substantially on January 1st 1984 and
again on October 1st, 1984. On the latter date all provisions relating to old
age, disability and early pensions were consolidated in a single Act. Before
1984 the award of pensions before the normal age of 67 was subject to ten
different Acts, some of which were not in accordance with the principles of
equality of treatment for men and women. The new legislation provides for
early and invalidity pensions on various grounds. There are different rates of
early pension due to invalidity graduated according to the earnings capacity
of the pensioner. Early pensions may also be granted for reasons of ill health
as well as social conditions and under extraordinary circumstances for social
reasons only. No pension is awarded before the age of 18. Under the new
legislation a number of benefits for women aged 55 or over, including a
widow's pension and an increased pension for a dependent wife have been
abolished, women in this age group now being entitled to early pensions.

     Conditions for entitlement to old-age pensions also became more stringent
in 1984. Before the new laws came into force, Danish nationals acquired
entitlement to a pension after at least one year's residence in Denmark
between the ages of 15 and 67. This minimum period of residence has now been
increased to three years. Similarly, entitlement to a full pension was
formerly acquired after 10 years of residence in Denmark, five of which had to
be between the ages of 62 and 67. Under the new provisions entitlement to full
old-age pension requires 40 years of residence in Denmark between the ages 15
and 67; where the period of residence is shorter, the pension is calculated in
fortieths of the full pension, in proportion to the number of years of actual
residence. Applicants for early pensions must have lived in Denmark for at
least four-fifths of the period between age 15 and the age at which the
pension is awarded. Where the period of residence is shorter, the amount of
the pension is calculated in proportion to the actual number of years of
residence.

     Furthermore, a new pension scheme has been implemented according to which
a person from the age of 60 may reduce his working hours and receive
compensation from the state.

     Regulations for foreigners and expatriates have been relaxed. Formerly
only persons of Danish nationality were entitled to a pension. Foreigners
could be awarded a pension only under international regulations established by
social security conventions or other similar agreements. Under the new
legislation they can also claim a pension provided they have lived in Denmark
for at least 10 years between the ages of 15 and 67 with five of the years
immediately prior to the application for a pension. Conditions for refugees
have also been improved; their years of residence in their country of origin
are now considered as years of residence in Denmark for the purposes of
calculating the amount of their pension.

     Pension rights for Danes residing abroad have been improved; Danes can
now draw their old-age pension whenever they are residents, provided they have
lived in Denmark for at least 30 years between the ages 15 and 67. Danish
nationals who received an old-age or early pension when they were residents in
Denmark may draw their pension abroad if they settle abroad, provided they
were residents in Denmark for at least 10 years after the age of 1