Ministry of Justice and Public Administration
Slovenia

The Problem

Slovenian system of social rights was very sophisticated system of various social rights. Procedures were based on different legal foundations and were conducted by different authorities (schools, social work centres, Pension and Invalidity Insurance Institute, local communities). Databases on recipients of social rights were not linked. System was not transparent and has allowed sometimes unjustified accumulation of rights and creating a situation where unemployed and recipients of social transfers because of their possible loss or reduction of social transfers. Means-tested benefits and subsidies were granted on a basis of different criteria; for example: in some cases only income was taken into account, in others the property was also considered.
In summary, the system of social transfers was not sufficiently transparent and did not help those who truly need it and finaly, the system did not prevent the exploitation and abuse the system of social assistance.
Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs already have had information systems that supported processes for entitlement to different rights, allowed the calculation of the value of social transfers and prepared correct decision. These information systems were connected as much as was required by the current legislation. New legal regulation requires a new central database and effective integration of existing information systems with data sources from institutions that are necessary to be included when deciding on social rights defined in new legislation.

Solution and Key Benefits

 What is the initiative about? (the solution)
The solution is reform of social policy and the establishment of a new system of decision-making on social rights. It was therefore necessary to develop modern IT solutions to connect all data bases and information systems of various social rights.
Reusable IT building blocks for electronic data exchange - implementation for e-Social Security
Slovenian Ministry for Public Administration has developed a special set of multipurpose interoperable electronic components, for electronic data gathering from numerous official databases. In their first practical use, these components enable quick and fair decisions on social rights, based on applicant's income and property. These components are: "Tray" system for standardized execution of data enquiries), " IO-Module" (standardized platform for data distribution), Asynchronous Module (system for performing electronic enquiries to the data sources where synchronous access is not possible) and "Security Platform" (system for standardized management of users and their rights).
The concept of developing information systems by common building blocks can also significantly lower the development costs in the long run and improve interoperability between information systems on national, regional and even in cross-border context

Main advantages are standardized system for execution of electronic enquiries, enabling the user to focus on the contents of the data and in the business process. It hides technological complexity of communication with the numerous heterogeneous data sources. Ensures full respect for the modern standards and concepts of personal data protection. Reusable IT building blocks for electronic data exchange is implemented on the national level for the »e-Social Security« project. Using these components for implementation in further projects, where data from numerous data sources are needed; improving the interoperability and multi-purposeness; investing in constant optimisation and improvements.

Institutions/data sources from which data is gathered for decisions on social rights:
– Tax Administration of the Republic of Slovenia (TA);
– Ministry of Interior (MI);
– Ministry of Defense (MD);
– Ministry of Education and Sport (MES);
– Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology (MHEST);
– Social Work Centers (SWC);
– The Pension and Invalidity Insurance Institute of Slovenia (PIII);
– The Health Insurance Institute of Slovenia (HII);
– The Employment Service of Slovenia (ESS);
– Pension Founds (PF);
– The Surveying and Mapping Authority of the Republic of Slovenia (SMA);
– The Public Guarantee and Maintenance Found of the Republic of Slovenia (PGMF);
– Prison Administration of the Republic of Slovenia (PA);
– Slovenian Maritime Administration (MA);
– Local Courts (LC);
– Central Securities Clearing Corporation (CSCC);
– The Agency of The Republic of Slovenia for Public Legal Records and Related Services (APLRRS);
– Administrative units (AU);
– Municipalities (M);
– Credit institutions/Banks (CI);
– Asset Management Companies (AMC);
– Stock Brokerage Companies (SBC);

Main changes in Slovenian system of social rights are: more transparent and efficient distribution of social transfers and subsidies with changing conditions for entitlement to different rights (in order to motivate individuals to work and reduce the risk of poverty and unemployment), simplification of the system - set up one entry point for exercising the rights to social transfers, higher minimum income (basic level of financial social assistance) which was new basis for ensuring social security to the most vulnerable groups, centralisation of the information system for rapid and correct decision-making in relation to the rights of public funds.

Actors and Stakeholders

 Who proposed the solution, who implemented it and who were the stakeholders?
Ministry of Justice and Public Administration (MJPA, http://www.pmju.gov.si/en) is the main governmental body responsible for the project. It has proposed the solution and implemented a special set of multipurpose interoperable electronic components, for electronic data gathering from numerous official databases. Reusable IT building blocks for electronic data exchange is implemented on the national level for the »e-Social Security« project.

Stakeholders:
- Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs (creating information system as a tool for social work centers, for supporting their business processes based on the Rights to Public Funds Act);
- social work centers (62x, with 720 users altogether): having an electronic tool for electronic data gathering, as a support for making decisions about social rights;
- Ministry of Justice and Public Administration: developing a multi-purpose tool that can be used all across the public administration.

(a) Strategies

 Describe how and when the initiative was implemented by answering these questions
 a.      What were the strategies used to implement the initiative? In no more than 500 words, provide a summary of the main objectives and strategies of the initiative, how they were established and by whom.
Legal framework: The basis for the "e-Social Security" project is the Rights to Public Funds Act (adopted in 2010, last change in 2011, start of use end of 2011).
The principles of General Administrative Procedure Act are covered, obliging all the official persons to gather all the data already existing in the official databases by themselves.
The Personal Data Protection Act is also being highly respected; the solution was created in tight collaboration with our Information Officer.

Policy context: Quick and fair decisions on social rights. Extremely important in times of the economic crisis. We want to ensure that social support would be given quickly, and only to those really entitled.

Strategically: Development of electronic services by common building blocks can in the long run dramatically lower the development and operating costs of our information systems. By this project, we will create a standard system for executing the electronic enquiries that will be useful also for other similar cases.

eGovernment Action Plan priorities were implemented within the case:
- Improvement of Transparency,
- Improving Organizational Processes,
- Reduction of Administrative Burdens,
- Open Specifications and
- Interoperability Innovative eGovernment.

Citizens no longer need to gather all the proofs and attachments by themselves, because the decision maker is obliged by law, to gather all the data already existing in the official databases by himself. It is even possible to gather data from the private sector (e.g. amount of money on the bank accounts).
The burden is also lowered for the decision makers, who no longer need to post questions to other institutions by paper post, but can instead receive electronic answer within a couple of seconds.

(b) Implementation

 b.      What were the key development and implementation steps and the chronology? No more than 500 words
The project Reusable IT building blocks for electronic data exchange - implementation for e-Social Security is an example of a complex organizational and information system, therefore, it was necessary to place a clear delimitation of the tasks of managing the entire IT system.

The key development steps:
- The Government confirmed Concept and Action Plan of eSocial Security project: 07/01/2010
- The Government confirmed work group for e-Social Security Project: 11/02/2010 (changes:24/3/2011)
- The first meeting of the Project Council: 28/06/2010
- The legal basis for the e-Sociala Security was adopted: 15/07/2010
- Complete the development of interoperable electronic components, for electronic data gathering from numerous official databases (Tray: 22/06/2011, IO-module:5/7/2011, Asynchronous Module and Security Platform: 8/7/2011)
- Formal agreement act with Institutions from which data is gathered for decisions on social rights (signing in 2011)
- Connect interopable electronic components with the numerous heterogeneous data sources. Using these components for implementation in further
- Deploying the information system for support of the social work centers, electronically gathering data trough these components for electronic enquiries. Production date: 26/01/2012

Further development plans: using these components for implementation in further projects, where data from numerous data sources are needed; improving the interoperability and multi-purposeness; investing in constant optimisation and improvements.

(c) Overcoming Obstacles

 c.      What were the main obstacles encountered? How were they overcome? No more than 500 words
The main obstacles that could jeopardize the implementation of the projects can be divided into general risks and implementing the technological risks.
Key general implementation risks were inadequate staffing, limited financial resources, delays in the implementation of projects, inadequate legislation, which jeopardize the implementation of specific projects, inprecisely defined bussines business processes and business rules, delays with setting up, aligning and integrating key data sources as a result of insufficient resources or other priorities from the competent institutions, poor quality of some data sources and problems with coordination.
Key technological risks were: tehnology solutions to some sources did not provide adequate connectivity of the system, the problem of inadequate existing IT equipment performance at he Ministry of Justice and Public Administration.

Therefore, we adopted the following actions: we provided a high support of the management at the ministry level, ensure good coordination of the project, ensured regular reporting to the Programme Council and immediate response in a case of some problems. We used the right approach (flexibility, agile development methods, strong political support), to create connectibility between existing official databases (that are very heterogeneous technically, semantically and organizationally) and to boost creating potentially missing official databases, needed for decisions.

(d) Use of Resources

 d.      What resources were used for the initiative and what were its key benefits? In no more than 500 words, specify what were the financial, technical and human resources’ costs associated with this initiative. Describe how resources were mobilized
The project has been financed through the ESS operations "Interoperability and e-data exchange" and the 85% co-financed by the European Social Fund (Operational Programme for Human Resources Development 2007-2013, the fifth development priority institutional and administrative capacity, the priority of 5.1. effective and efficient public administration, operation and interoperability of e-data exchange).

Sustainability and Transferability

  Is the initiative sustainable and transferable?
Current implementation for the social transfer is implemented on the national level. High potential exists for implementations on the local and even cross-border scale.

Innovativeness is primarily on the conceptual level, namely creating real multi-purpose components for electronic data exchange that can be used in all similar projects on different levels. It is a empirical proof that the concept of IT systems development with common building blocks concept is feasible.

Technologically: GUI masked BPM, macro/micro BPM processes, simple modeling and managing

Organizational: Innovative is the fact, that the components are really multi-purpose and useful in a broader context, not just for "e-social security" and they can be used with minimal cost/effort also in other similar systems. Such approach enables us to lower the development costs, to increase the manageability of our systems and to improve the standardization. All modern standards and concepts of personal data protection are being fully respected.

European: The Slovenian example can be a good practice case, showing a promising possibility for deploying similar components also in other countries, which would enable the connectivity and standardization of electronic data exchange also on the Pan-EU level.

Lessons Learned

 What are the impact of your initiative and the lessons learned?
Impacts are:
- improving the framework conditions for interoperability between institutions and services;
- boosting efficiency and effectiveness, saving time, energy, costs, improving transparency,
improving quality of life for decision makers and for applicants for social benefits;
- ensuring fair distribution of money for social benefits;
- lowering costs of IT development, raising effectiveness and efficiency;
- high potential for use in other IT systems, improving interoperability between institutions;
- positive impacts will be constantly increasing (with more and more IT systems using;building blocks, reducing development costs and operating costs, improving managebility);
- high potential for cross-border data exchange.

Contact Information

Institution Name:   Ministry of Justice and Public Administration
Institution Type:   Government Department  
Contact Person:   Tadej Gabrijel
Title:   Head of Project Management  
Telephone/ Fax:  
Institution's / Project's Website:  
E-mail:   tadej.gabrijel@gov.si  
Address:  
Postal Code:  
City:  
State/Province:  
Country:   Slovenia

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