Cooperation Protocol Signed Between YTB and the Ministry of Family and Social Services

A cooperation protocol was signed between the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB) and the Ministry of Family and Social Services in order to bring family and social service efforts directed at our citizens living abroad into a more effective, coordinated, and sustainable structure.

​The protocol aims to move the long-standing cooperation and coordination between the two institutions onto an institutional ground and to strengthen the efforts geared toward the needs of our citizens, kin, and related communities living abroad in the field of family and social services.

​Strong Communication and Experience Sharing Among Experts

​Within the scope of the protocol, joint programs will be organized to increase communication and professional cooperation between family and social service experts working in Türkiye and abroad. Training sessions, workshops, seminars, and meetings will be implemented where psychologists, psychotherapists, social workers, and experts working in related fields can share their knowledge and experience.

​Programs will be organized both domestically and abroad to develop the professional capacities of experts located abroad and to transfer the experiences gained in different countries into joint working areas. Specialization training will be carried out in required fields, particularly in behavioral sciences, thereby contributing to the reinforcement of expert human resources.

​Capacity of Non-Governmental Organizations to Be Developed

​Developing the administrative and technical capacities of non-governmental organizations established by our citizens, kin, and related communities living abroad and operating in the field of family and social services is also among the main topics of the protocol.

​In this direction, joint training sessions, programs, and capacity-building efforts will be carried out to strengthen the institutional structures of non-governmental organizations, increase their expertise capacity, and enable them to respond to needs more effectively.

​Cooperation will also be maintained under the YTB Family and Social Support Project Program to support projects prepared under the leadership of or directly carried out by family counseling services and attachés.

​Professional Development Support for Specialization Scholars

​With the protocol, professional development-oriented efforts for scholars supported under the “YTB Specialization Scholarship in the Field of Family and Social Services” will also be increased.

​In order to develop the knowledge, experience, and professional competencies of the scholars, workshops, seminars, and panels will be organized by utilizing the expertise accumulation of the Ministry of Family and Social Services.

​Faster and More Effective Access to Services Is Aimed

​One of the most important goals of the cooperation protocol is to ensure that our citizens living abroad can reach the services falling within the mandate of the Ministry of Family and Social Services in a faster and more effective manner.

​In this context, the required structural and administrative works will be carried out through the coordination of the two institutions; efforts will be developed to facilitate our citizens' access to accurate information and appropriate support mechanisms in the fields of family, child, women, disabled, elderly, and social services.

​Carrying out legal and administrative works in coordination for the recognition in Türkiye of disability cards issued in foreign countries is also among the joint working areas.

​With the signed protocol, it is aimed to consolidate the existing culture of joint work maintained between YTB and the Ministry of Family and Social Services, and to produce holistic, effective, and permanent solutions for the needs of our citizens living abroad in the field of family and social services.

​We Are Strengthening Our Cooperation with YTB

​Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş stated that the cooperation carried out with the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB) will contribute to making the social services offered to citizens living abroad more effective and accessible.Göktaş noted that thanks to the strong coordination to be established between the institutions, faster, more planned, and comprehensive solutions will be produced for the needs of citizens.

​Emphasizing that YTB undertakes an important task that strengthens the service bond between the state and citizens abroad, Göktaş expressed that joint works will be carried out in many areas, from supporting disabled and elderly individuals to combating addiction, and from raising awareness on access to rights and services to developing the sharing of knowledge and experience among experts.Göktaş noted that the cooperation to be implemented will further strengthen the citizen-oriented social service approach.