Department of Public Benefit

The Department of Public Benefit was created on April 1, 2003, at the then Ministry of Labour and Social Policy as a body responsible for implementation and promotion of solutions adopted in the Act of Law on Public Benefit and Volunteer Work of April 24th 2003 (Journal of Laws No. 96 item 873). The Department of Public Benefit is responsible for creating suitable conditions for the development of NGOs and other entities conducting their public benefit activity as well as for the development of volunteering and for the cooperation of the public administration with the third sector.
The tasks of the Department of Public Benefit include:

• coordination of activities aiming at implementation and proper functioning of the Act of Law on Public Benefit and Volunteer Work
• initiating and monitoring of research concerning the condition of the third sector
• monitoring and analysis of the activity of public benefit organisations
• taking action and participating in actions for the development of the cooperation between the public sector and NGOs
• popularising volunteer work

Within the framework of the Department, the following organisational bodies operate:

Legal Affairs and Control Division
The Legal Affairs and Control Division is responsible, inter alia, for drawing up projects of assumptions and normative acts related to public benefit activity, performing analyses and evaluations of currently binding legal solutions related to public benefit and volunteer work, coordinating supervising activities in the scope of public benefit and volunteer work, inclusive of cooperation with the institutions of internal and external national control, control and coordination of actions resulting from the supervision of the Minister over public benefit organizations, including the cooperation with controlling bodies, analysis of regularities governing the usage by public benefit organizations of rights specified in the act of law, especially on the basis of own controls and controls entrusted to voivodships and special bodies.

Cooperation and Dialogue Task Force
Cooperation and Dialogue Task Force is responsible for cooperation with representatives of other departments, self-governmental units and organs of public administration in the scope of supporting social activity in public benefit actions and voluntary work, cooperation with NGOs, running affairs related to international cooperation in public benefit activity and volunteer work, taking actions to popularize the idea of civil activity, taking actions promoting the most effective rules and forms of cooperation of public benefit organisations with the state and self-government administration, organising training sessions, councils, seminars and conferences connected with public benefit activities and voluntary work, making information publicly available through preparing materials to be published on the website of the Department.

Programmes and Analyses Task Force
Task Force for Programmes and Analyses shall be responsible, inter alia, for the following: carrying out studio works on the standardisation of allowances and benefits within social services, connected with public benefit activity; initiating and conducting of researches on public benefit, volunteering and social dialogue; drawing up elaborations containing the evaluation of the effectiveness of the projects implemented within the sphere of public benefit activity; conducting analyses and drawing up reports on the programmes of cooperation of public administration with NGOs; cooperation with scientific-research institutions, centres for public opinion and experts on public benefit.