The decision-making body of a public social action centre is called a social action council.
This council maps out the general policies of the centre and has sole responsibility for involving the centre in important matters.
The members of the Social Action Council are elected by the Municipal Council. No more than a third of the members of the Social Action Council can be members of the Municipal Council.
The Social Action Council holds a secret ballet to elect its president, who is among the majority block when the municipal assemblies are formed. The council establishes a self-contained permanent board with the responsibility for current administrative affairs. The Social Action Council may also set up special committees to which it can delegate defined responsibilities.
Most of the rules relating to the operation of the Social Action Council are the same as those that apply to Municipal Council sessions.
However, in the case of the operation of the Social Action Council, there are three important differences from the rules of the Municipal Council:
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Meetings are not open to the public
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Members are sworn to secrecy
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Members can be suspended or dismissed in cases of gross negligence or misconduct
The Social Action Council meets at least once a month. In Braives, the meeting takes place on the 3rd Wednesday of each month.
Main positions within the Public Social Action Centre
President
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Directs the activities of the centre
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Monitors the instructions of the files passed to the deliberating bodies of the centre and is in charge of supervising the implementation of decisions made by these bodies
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Acts as representative of the Public Social Action Committee
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Is able to decide upon urgent aid measures within the limits fixed by law and by the regulations of internal order of the Social Action Council and submits his decision to the next session of the council for approval
Secretary
Each public social action centre has a secretary.
The secretary has the following main responsibilities:
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He attends sessions of the council, permanent board, and special committees, prepares the files submitted to these bodies, supervises the motivations behind decisions and checks that they respect the law, and makes sure that records are kept.
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Under the authority of the president, he prepares cases, directs the administration, and acts as personnel manager.
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Along with the president, he signs all official documents issued by the centre (the Social Public Action Centre can only act on the joint signature of the president and secretary).
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He compiles the preliminary budget study with the responsible persons for the different services.
Receiver
Each public social action centre has a receiver.
Social workers
Each public social action centre has at least one social worker.
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A social worker is responsible for helping people and families to overcome or improve the critical situations in which they find themselves.
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With this aim, he or she attempts to gain an understanding of the situation of individuals in an initial interview, prepares a file, supplies documentation and advice, and ensures that the person in question receives social guidance.
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The decisions of the Public Social Action Centre with regard to requests for aid are only valid if they are based on the results of a social investigation carried out by a social worker.