TEHRAN – The Welfare Organization, in cooperation with the Health Ministry, is preparing a comprehensive national document on rehabilitation to integrate and develop rehabilitation and specialized services, as well as designing a proper referral system, Javad Hosseini, the head of the Welfare Organization, has said.

Referring to the family-centeredness approach as one of the most important policies of the organization, Hosseini said the approach focuses on providing care services at homes, lowering inpatient length of stay, and improving the quality of services, IRNA reported.

Currently, 306 care centers are operating in the country, out of which 40 were launched last year (March 2025- March 2026), he added.

The official went on to say that financial assistance is planned to increase by 80 percent for families’ caregivers, 90 percent increase for individuals with autism spectrum disorder and spinal cord injury, and 100 percent for home visits.

Elaborating on services offered to people with autism spectrum disorder, the official said nine temporary boarding centers are established for those aged below 14. Ten more boarding centers (for those under the age of 14) and two day-care centers for those aged above 14 will be inaugurated in the current Iranian year (started on March 21), Hosseini said.

Early diagnosis of autism at the age of two, electronic systems screening, referral to 122 specialized centers, and the use of the International Classification of Functioning (ICF) system to determine the severity of disability are among the important plans of the organization.

To expedite rehabilitation, special training packages for educators and parents are prepared. Moreover, the organization has launched a secretariat to empower parents of people with autism.

Associations of parents, educators, and donors have been also formed to empower target group, boost their participation, and supervision.

Referring to the expansion of remote rehabilitation services, Hosseini said, more than a thousand centers provide these services on a daily basis. Over the past Iranian year, some 1,617 people benefited from these services. These services are expected to expand by 100 percent this year.

To enhance rehabilitation outcomes, the organization is focusing on creative, sport, and spiritual services by launching five art houses for people with disabilities, so far, Hosseini noted.

Highlighting the importance of preventive services, the official said that in addition to vision, hearing, and autism screenings, some 180 genetic counseling centers are operating across the country.

Services during war

Since the beginning of the war on February 28, the Welfare Organization has been providing numerous services to its beneficiaries across the country with the help of benefactors.

The benefactors have donated two trillion rials (almost 1.45 million dollars) to the Welfare Organization so far. Thanks to their contributions, 140,000 packages of basic food have been so far distributed among the beneficiaries, IRNA quoted Hosseini, as saying.

Currently, 5,200 centers affiliated with the Welfare Organization are operating across the country, providing round-the-clock services to some 200,000 beneficiaries including street children, the elderly, people with mental illnesses, disabled people, and kids, the official said.

In the beginning days of the war, 18 centers had to be relocated, and 22,000 individuals were united with their families. Some 10,000 centers are providing daily remote rehabilitation services, and community-based rehabilitation (CBR) groups are strengthened to support people in each neighbourhood.

They have so far provided 60,000 rehabilitation services in person. The groups have empowered 40,000 families through boosting their resilience.

Rebuilding damaged houses, evacuating and providing emergency shelters, supporting the treatment of 12,000 individuals, and distributing 60,000 items of clothing are among other measures carried out, Hosseini added.

Referring to psychological services, the official said 95,000 people have benefited from free psychological supports, out of which 6,000 were individuals affected by war impacts.

More than 10,000 teams have provided emergency social services, conduction 3,000 missions since the war outbreak.

The official went on to say that the Organization has updated 70 guidelines for its centers, and has produced 46,0000 educational contents nationwide for different groups such as children, the elderly, disabled people, pregnant women, and ordinary people.

With the beginning of the war, the Welfare Organization has organized a network of some 20,000 of volunteers to help provide a wide range of services, particularly medical and welfare services, to people affected by the US-Israeli aggression.

The network includes ordinary people, medical specialists, psychologists, and social workers.

The Welfare Organization has held several meetings with the volunteers in different provinces of the country to plan and coordinate their activities, and derive maximum benefits from their high capacity.

The result has been great, and the volunteers provide services to different strata of society.

‘Commitment, inclusiveness, and hope’

In July 2025, the resident representative ad interim for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Iran, Ayshanie Medagangoda-Labé, commended the Welfare Organization’s services, which have materialized commitment, inclusiveness, and hope over the past 45 years.

Being highly reliable, the Welfare Organization has offered services everywhere from metropolises to the most remote villages, ISNA quoted the official as saying.

The relentless efforts of the organization are based on Article 29 that which guarantees the right to social security for all citizens, she noted. Article 29 specifies that everyone is entitled to social security benefits related to retirement, unemployment, old age, disability, lack of a guardian, accidents, and the need for healthcare and treatment, and that the government is responsible for providing these services and financial support, using national revenues and public contributions, as outlined by law.

MT/MG