Carta Social

23/11/2023

Know the measures that are already underway and the set of innovative actions to be implemented to reduce the at-risk-of-poverty rate

There are more than 270 measures to bring the at-risk-of-poverty rate down to 10% by 2030. It is an ambitious target, but the work carried out in recent years in the fight against poverty has had noticeable results: Between 2015 and 2022, 659 000 people were lifted out of poverty or social exclusion. Last year, Portugal recorded the largest decrease in the risk of poverty or social exclusion across the European Union, to 20.1%.

The National Strategy to Combat Poverty (ENCP) will have two action plans with two different time horizons to achieve them (2022-2025 and 2026-2030).

In this first Action Plan, approved by the Council of Ministers on 12 October, there are more than 270 measures, organised by six strategic axes: reducing poverty in children and young people and their families; promote the full integration of young adults into society and the systemic reduction of their risk of poverty; boosting employment and skills as factors for eliminating poverty; strengthen public social inclusion policies and promote and improve societal integration and social protection of disadvantaged people and groups; ensuring territorial cohesion and local development and, finally, making the fight against poverty a national goal. They result from a participatory process of the various governmental areas and public entities.

Learn about the set of innovative actions to be implemented by 2025 and the measures that are already underway.

Set of actions to be implemented by 2025:

• Create a new model of care and integrated social intervention, at local level, with case managers, to build personalised pathways tailored to people’s real needs, eliminating interaction with multiple entities, ensuring a structural and life-transforming intervention, acting on the critical factors that generate poverty;
• Expanding free crèches for 120,000 children in 2024;
• Increasing the number of places in pre-school education;
• Launch the National Social Market Programme for Employment;
• Launch one Programme to Support the Hiring and Employability of Persons with Disabilities, which also includes entrepreneurship and self-employment;
• Create the network of "One-Stop Shop for Employees and Enterprises" to ensure integrated responses and a stronger link between workers and labour market needs;
• Create a Single Social Benefit;
• Gradually expand and qualify the Home Support Services (SAD) New Generation Home Support SAD 4.0;
• Strengthening the coverage of Mobile Citizen Spaces, in particular in less densely populated territories and territories with a prevalence of less digitally literate audiences;
• Perform Local Poverty Forums;
• Design and implement the the Citizen Space Energy whereas it will concentrate in a single space the services of advice and support to citizens on energy market access, efficiency and combating energy poverty;
• Create a warning system and identification of signs of at-risk-of-poverty;
• Map and characterize social intervention projects of territorial scope implemented in all municipalities in order to ensure their integration and coherence;
• Create a dashboard of key social indicators at municipal level;
• Create one research agenda on poverty in Portugal, in liaison with partners from academia and the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT).

Consult the document to learn more about the Action Plan’s measures, organised by audiences.

Source: Portugal.gov.pt