Analysis of social support for households with children in Kazakhstan

The article analyzes social payments to households with children in Kazakhstan. The article presents a comprehensive model of support for families with children, which includes a system of state benefits, social benefits, as well as measures to promote employment in the country and tax benefits. The main directions of social support to families of mothers with children under one year, children with disabilities are revealed. The assessment of state targeted assistance to low-income families and large families, as well as to families that have lost a breadwinner and have taken children under guardianship or guardianship is carried out. The analysis revealed that the well-being of households or individuals is determined by the per capita current cash income of the population, which is used to determine the level of poverty, inequality, dynamics of living conditions of the population. A comparative analysis of the amount of social benefits per year in the country and the system of periodic social benefits for the child in a number of countries has been carried out. The solution of problems of households with children depends on the developed tactics and strategy of the state in the field of social policy. The well-being of households with children depends to a large extent on the state's social policy and state programmes.

Over the years of Kazakhstan's independence, the issues of improving the quality of life of households with children have been and remain one of the priorities of the social policy of the state [1].

In accordance with the Strategy «Kazakhstan-2030» was formed the national model of social security and currently a number of important social programs aimed at improving the welfare of Kazakhstan. In order to provide social support to families and create the necessary qualitative conditions for the younger generation to develop, the state national model of support for motherhood and childhood has been created [2].

To date, Kazakhstan has formed a comprehensive state model of support for households with children, which includes a system of social benefits and payments, as well as measures to promote employment and tax benefits.

According to the world rating, Kazakhstan is one of the countries with the highest level of human development. Thus, in 2018, according to the rating of the human development index of the UN development Program, the Republic took 58th place among 189 countries, and in 2017, in the rating of the human capital development index of the world economic forum, among 130 countries, it took 29th place. Also, Kazakhstan is included in the group of countries with a uniform distribution of income in terms of income differentiation. As for this year, the Republic for the first time entered the highest category of the UN rating as a country with a very high level of human development. In this group there are 59 countries, together with our country in their number and on the 49th place Russia.

According to the Strategy «Kazakhstan-2050: new course of the established state», the Strategic development Plan of Kazakhstan until 2025, the Message of the President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to the people of Kazakhstan «Constructive public dialogue — the Foundation of stability and prosperity of Kazakhstan» dated 2 September 2019 social stability in Kazakhstan society and the decision of problems of strengthening of social safety are priorities of the state.

The main characteristics of the level of welfare of households in the country are cash incomes, their structure and size, indicators of differentiation of their distribution. According to the statistics Committee of the Ministry of national economy of Kazakhstan, in the 2nd quarter of 2018 cash income of households amounted to 153,725 tenge per capita, this figure is 9.3 % higher compared to the previous period. There are significant differences in the living standards of the population in urban and rural areas (Table 1).

According to this table, it can be seen that the income of the urban population exceeds the income of the rural population by 57,000 tenge. As the analysis of household income structure shows, the main source of income of urban and rural population is income from work, it is 75 % of the total income.

Table 1

Cash income of the population of Kazakhstan in the 2nd quarter of 2018

Note. Compiled by the author on the basis of the source [1].

Since January 2019, there have been changes in the social security system, all benefits and social benefits have grown. More than 365 billion tenge is planned to support households with children in 2019 [3].

Today, in Kazakhstan social support is provided to five categories of households (families):

First, mothers and families with children under one year.

Second, large households.

Third, households with children with disabilities.

Fourth, low-income families.

Fifth, families who have lost a breadwinner and took children under guardianship or guardianship.

Consider and analyze each of these items.

In the country, at the birth of a child, the mother is paid a one-time allowance, the amount of which depends on the order of birth of the child. In 2019, the amount of this benefit was:

– for the birth of the first, second, third child-95 950 tenge;

– for the fourth and more children-159 075 tenge.

The benefit has increased by 38 per cent over the past three years. In 2018, benefits in the amount of 40.7 billion tenge were allocated to support families of this category, and all benefits were received by 395 000 people.

In our country, social support for the care of a child up to one year is provided to both working and nonworking mothers. This type of benefit is paid every month and its amount ranges from 14,544 tenge to 22,473 tenge. According to the results of 2018, more than 125,000 people received such benefits on resupply, the total amount was 30 billion tenge. The benefit has increased by 19 per cent over the past three years. If the mother worked and received social contributions for her work, the social benefits are allocated from the State Social insurance Fund. The payment for the care of a child up to one year is 40 % of the average monthly income of a woman for the last two years.

The amount of maternity benefits depends on the average monthly income of a woman over the past 12 months. At the end of 2018, the average amount of this payment amounted to 391 170 tenge.

In 2018, 400,000 households received payments from the state insurance Fund for maternity and childhood in the amount of 165 billion tenge.

Also, the state provides subsidies to women mandatory pension contributions in the amount of 10 % of the average monthly income, which is taken into account in the calculation of social benefits in order not to interrupt the pension savings during the period of parental leave.

Table 2 provides an analysis of the social benefits paid to households with children.

Table 2

The amount of benefits and social benefits established from 1-January 2019

Note. Source [1].

Women's rights and guarantees are protected by the labour Code. It is not allowed to terminate an employment contract on grounds of staff reduction with pregnant women and women with children under three years, as well as single mothers raising a child under 14 years or a disabled child under 18 years.

In Kazakhstan, mothers with many children are given special attention, they are provided with a number of benefits. As indicated in table 2 above, the monthly state allowance is paid to mothers with many children in different categories. This benefit is for life and is granted regardless of the mother's income, and is not tied to the subsistence level. The amount of the benefit is currently 16,160 tenge and is revised annually depending on the level of inflation. These honorary titles are currently held by 237,000 mothers. 45 billion tenge was allocated from the country's budget for the payment of this benefit in 2018.

Mothers with many children awarded with pendants «Altyn Alka», «Kumis Alka» are exempt from paying vehicle tax and land tax, state duty when carrying out notarial and legally significant actions when registering their residence, issuing passports and identity cards, etc

Large families with 4 or more minor children are paid a special state allowance. Last year, 271 thousand families received such benefits in the amount of 32.8 billion tenge.

With regard to pensions, mothers who have given birth to 5 or more children and raised them up to the age of 8 are entitled to retire at age 53.

Separate measures of state support are provided for low-income families. On April 1, 2019, a new procedure for providing targeted social assistance for low-income families was introduced. To date, the Republican average size of targeted assistance is 13471,7 tenge. Currently, income below the poverty line is considered to be less than 70 % of the subsistence minimum. The subsistence minimum in 2019 is 29,698 tenge. Of the total amount of funds allocated for the provision of this state aid, 54.7 % were paid to families from rural areas (Table 3).

According to official data of the state bodies of coordination of employment and social programs of July 1, 2019, 46.6 thousand families were assigned housing social assistance. The average amount of this benefit is 3928,8 tenge. 63.3 % of the total benefits paid are directed to residents from urban areas.

In addition, our country provides separate social support measures for families with children with disabilities, for families who have lost a breadwinner and others.

So, social support for children with disabilities assumes payment of the child allowance up to 16 years in size 41 578 tenge per month, from 16 to 18 years depends on the group of disability: if the first group is 57 021 tenge, for the second group — 47 220 tenge for the third group — 35 638 tenge.

Table 3 Analysis of targeted social assistance of the new format

Note. Compiled by the author on the basis of the source [1].

In addition to these benefits, benefits are provided to persons up to the age of majority raising a disabled child. At the end of 2018, an average of 80.6 thousand people received this type of benefit. The amount of the benefit in 2019 is 31 183 tenge.

Since July 1 last year, on behalf of the President, a benefit for the care of a disabled person of the first group from childhood over 18 years has been proposed and introduced. Over the past 2018, this type of benefit was received by about 11.5 thousand families. And in 2019, the amount of the benefit is 31 183 tenge.

In addition, children, taking into account individual requests, are provided with free and gratuitous technical means (prosthetic and orthopedic devices, Surdo -, tiflo-controllers), the necessary means of transportation (strollers, chairs), preventive sanatorium rehabilitation, necessary hygiene products and so on.

Households that have lost a breadwinner receive state benefits from the budget in the amount of 25,541 tenge for one dependent and up to 62,663 tenge for six or more children. If the breadwinner of the family worked, additional payments are provided from the state social insurance Fund (SSSF).

In General, all these measures implemented within the framework of the state social assistance for the development of motherhood and childhood had a positive impact on the demographic growth of the population of the Republic. So, over the past ten years, the birth rate in the country has increased by 10 %, and if in 2008 356.6 thousand children were born, and in 2018 — 391 thousand children).

For comparison, we present an analysis of social benefits in foreign countries, this analysis shows the differentiation in payments (Table 4).

Table 4 Periodic child benefit system in a number of countries

Note. Data: OECD Family database, PF7.1.

All measures to provide budget transfers in the form of natural benefits are aimed at improving the standard of living of families with children, but some of them are intended only for low-income families ∣4].

Labour law measures based on an institutional mechanism are more important as Natal policies than as poverty reduction measures, but they increase household consumption at a time of social risk to pregnancy, childbirth and the care of young children. For example, parental leave itself, if not paid, acts as a birth policy,but the amount paid for parental leave acts as a measure to reduce social risk. The possibility of parental leave also does not affect the reduction of poverty in the family, only its payment plays a role [5].

Measures to provide social services, education, health care, children's recreation, aimed at creating the opportunity to get this service (security) and the absence of costs for the consumption of services (accessibility), of course, reduce family poverty and indirectly stimulate the birth rate [6].

Improving the welfare, quality and standard of living of the population are priority areas of development of Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan has set itself the strategically important task of becoming one of the thirty most developed countries in the world. This task is feasible only in the presence of competitive human capital with a high standard of living.

References

1. Ministerstvo truda i sotsialnoi zashchity naseleniia RK. Ofitsialnaia statisticheskaia informatsiia [Ministry of labor and social protection. Official statistical information]. enbek.gov.kz. Retrieved from http:// enbek.gov.kz/ [in Russian].
2. Plan natsii — 100 konkretnykh shahov po realizatsii piati institutsionalnykh reform Hlavy hosudarstva Nursultana Nazarbaeva (mai 2015 h.) [The national plan — 100 concrete steps to implement the five institutional reforms of President Nursultan Nazarbayev (may 2015)]. akorda.kz. Retrieved from http://akorda.kz/ [in Russian].
3. Ministerstvo natsionalnoi ekonomiki Respubliki Kazakhstan. Ofitsialnaia statisticheskaia informatsiia [Ministry of national economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Official statistical information]. stat.gov.kz. Retrieved from http:// stat.gov.kz/ [in Russian].
4. Pavlenok, P.D. (2007). Osnovy sotsialnoi raboty [Foundations of social work]. Kiev: Infra [in Russian].
5. Osipov, G.V. (2002). Sotsiolohiia i sotsialnoe mifotvorchestvo [Sociology and social myth-making]. Moscow: Norma [in Russian].
6. Gazalieva, A.M. (Ed.). (2016). Innovatsionnoe razvitie industrii Kazakhstana. V pomoshch kuratoram studencheskikh hrupp [Innovative development of Kazakhstan's industry. To help curators of student groups]. (3d ed.). Karaganda: Izdatelstvo Karahandinskoho hosudarstvennoho universiteta [in Russian].