New webpage mediating information and help to socially excluded people was introduced in the Czech Republic by the end of this November.

The webpage focuses on following groups of people:

- those threatened by social exclusion because of previous stay in institutional or protective care, ex-prisoners

- those whose rights and interests are endangered by someone else´s criminal activity

- those whose way of living may lead to a conflict with society

Purpose of establishing the webpage was to create a space for discussions, space which offers and enables thematic information and strives for creating a complex database that would contain data on all facilities/organisations providing services to the target groups anywhere in the Czech Republic.

Database of services became a substantial part of the webpage. It enables clients find social services according to certain criteria  (i.e. type of service, target group, locality etc.). The database also includes statistic outputs, and it is possible for example to compare numbers of particular types of facilities in each region, to observe development  in terms of service providers or to show capacities of accessible facilities. NGOs can use such information for documenting their own activities and impact while regional and municipal authorities  can easily learn about the provided services and the Ministry of Labor and Social Affaires can use it before it starts work on conceptions and applying particular measures.

Another less usual possible function of the webpage is working out occasional researches. Each registered user can make short research on a certain topic. For example, regional methodic workers can find out what are educational needs of social service providers in particular region. They make a short questionnaire, send it to the database, fills in necessary data  and than evaluate results.

The webpage also offers space for advertisement of jobs in the area of social services, and links to similar databases etc.

The database is now being filled in by service providers, methodic workers and coordinators of social care of so called socially inadaptable people. Organisations providing the social services also had a chance to take part in courses about all possibilities of the database. The courses took part in all regional towns/cities.

The webpage was introduced by the Czech Ministry of Labor and Social Affaires and Ostrava University – Institute of Social Work, within the project „Provision of Education of Methodists and Social Care Coordinators for  so called Socially Inadaptable Persons“, funded by the EU.  The webpage is run by the Ostrava University and after the end of the project in July 2007 its operation will be taken over by the ministry.

Internet address: www.sluzbyprevence.mpsv.cz