PAROS system for assessment of household's vulnerability and distribution of state poverty benefits

The system is developed by RoA Ministry of Social Security commission and USAID, World Bank financing.

Maintenance of PAROS system at Kentron

Social assistance district center

The development started in 1984 because of necessity to ensure equitable distribution of humanitarian assistance delivered to the republic. The success of the system was so great that from 1999 on it was implemented for payment of family benefits nation-wide.

The system is installed in all districts of the republic, in the computer center of Ministry of Social Security and in the Ministry (all 55 centers).

Until 2001 YCRDI carried out the functions of Central data base and all centralized functions of the system. After the computer center of MoSS was established in 2001, these functions were transferred to it.

Follow-up of PAROS system at YCRDI

The PAROS system is based on voluntary declaration of poverty by a household. A special form for a given household is filled, where a number of indicators are taken into account and a vulnerability coefficient is calculated. Ranking of vulnerability based on this coefficient, ensures equitable distribution of humanitarian assistance and family benefits given by the state to the poorest households.

Hardware and software used in PAROS system

• Client/server Technology and LAN.
• Central data base in MS ACCESS DB.
• Minimal hardware needed is Pentium II computer with 16/32 RAM for the Client and 32/64 for the Server.

Main functions of the system

• Registration of data about needy households in Social assistance district centers and forming the district database. Transfer of data from district centers to the Republican database via communication lines or diskettes.
• Data base processing.
• Maintenance of the database
• Archiving changes and applications
• Entering and printing out tables
• Preparing model vocabularies.
• Changing household's data
• View of household's data based on different indicators
• Protection of data of the system
• Checking-out double registrations throughout the republic
• Calculation of household's vulnerability.

Functions for assignment and distribution of family benefits

• Control of deadlines of social groups for household members.
• Control of applications and eligibility for benefits.
• Printing of benefit payment lists.
• Viewing of tables of benefits and application register.
• Calculation of vulnerability by application dates.
• Preparing a preliminary financial requests for payments.
• Preparing sequence of payments and addresses.
• View of payment lists
• Entry of paid lists
• Calculation of residue lists in post offices.
• Preparing necessary reports.

Evaluation of vulnerability of households

The system registers personal data of household's members and the whole household (personal data for every member, living conditions, data about income, real estate and luxury items etc). Social group of every member of the household is taken into account (pensioner, elderly, orphan, single mother, unemployed, invalid etc).

For each social group coefficients are assigned, which being calculated and averaged for the household, define the social coefficient of given household. The structure of a household is also taken in to consideration: number of able-bodied members, living conditions and income of a household against minimal salary adopted in the republic. Sum of all coefficients defines the vulnerability of a given household.

Based on these data distribution of humanitarian assistance, lump-sum and family benefits are defined.

The PAROS system was widely used for analytical research, for assessment of different methods and strategies of benefit assignment, for improving targeting and effectiveness etc.

From 2001 on the system is also used for payment of public works carried out by able-bodied members of vulnerable households.

Structure of the system

Functions of the system