SOCIAL SERVICES IN LATVIA AND OGRE

1. SOCIAL SERVICESIN LATVIA AND OGRE Conference in Novy Bydzov, 8-10th May 2008

2. STATE MECHANISM OF CREATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF SOCIAL POLICY

3. Ministry of Welfare • Is government institution that is responsible for the development and coordination of the policy of the social security of the state: social assistance, social insurance, labour and gender eguality, • The goal – to create a democratic, stable, responsive and viable system of social security that would allow to defend the social-economic rights of each individual, • The affairs are regulated by State Administration Law and Constitution of the Ministry of Welfare. The politicas priorities of Ministry are guided by the Declaration of the Intended Agenda of the Cabinet of Ministers.

4. Social service board • is a state institution under supervision of the Ministry of Welfare, taking part in realization of the social policy of the state in the field of social services and social assistance

5. Social Service Board main tasks • to plan and prepare project of requisite budget resources for financing the state social services; • to control quality of rendering the social services, review and provide responses to complaints and proposals about quality of social services and social assistance; • to collect, summarize and analyze statistical data about realization of the social policy; • to develop and update register of social services providing institutions; • to provide information and consultations to physical and legal persons about issues related to social services and social assistance; • to manage resources of the EU Structural Funds grant schemes (ERDF and ESF).

6. Administrative and Political Level of OgreCounty Social System OGRE COUNTY COUNCIL SOCIAL SERVICES AGENCIES

7. SOCIAL SERVICESAT THE OGRE MUNICIPALITY

8. Social Service of the Ogre County municipal institution of Ogre County Council, which organises social work at the territory of Ogre municipality and provides certain kind of social assistance services to Ogre County inhabitants

9. Functions • organises and provides social assistance and social services, • implements professional social action with intention to assist persons, families, groups of persons and society in facilitating or renewing their ability of social functioning as well as to create favourable conditions for this functioning, • administrates resources of municipal budget, assigned to providing of social services and assistance,

10. provides social assistance to families, having unfavourable conditions for development of child, as well as to foster families, • provides or organises provision of social services to persons with special needs, • provides social assistance to persons with low income, • informs inhabitants on social services and social assistance possibilities, • etc.

11. Head Social Assistance Department Day Centre Saime for persons with mental problems Service of social care at home Crisis Centre for children, suffered from violence Family Support Centre Bookkeeper, maintenance section Head or deputy head in social work Head Head Head Head (also as social pedagogue) Specialists of social allowances Social workers, educators Social worker Social worker Educators Social workers for families with children Psychologist Carers Psychologist Psychologist Educators Workers for rehabilitation of handicap-ped children Youth Health Centre Organisator of employment actions Social street workers (drug dependence)

12. Family Support Centre • day centre for children and youngsters from risk families (up to age of 18), • aiming at organising of their leisure time, simulta-neously working on solving social problems of risk families and, in cooperation with state and municipal institutions, facilitating recovery of these families, • working till 21.00 (except weekends), • average number of visitors – 50 per day, • established with financial support from the Ministry of Children and Family Affairs

13. Crisis centre Laipas • created for providing support to children, who have suffered from violence, • provides stay for up to 10 children in the age from 5 till 15, • the specialists of the centre provide psychological assistance, social rehabilitation and protection of rights

14. Day Centre Saime • provides social care and rehabilitation for people with special needs and facilitates physical, intelectual and psychological development possibilities of their clients, • number of clients – 28, • established with financial assistance of the Ministry of Welfare

15. Service of social care at home • is service at home to satisfy primary needs for persons who objectively can not take care themselves. • Care at home can be permanent or temporary. • Care at home can be received by: persons which due to old age or mental or physical disorders can not perform daily home works and their personal care and which do not have legitimate breadwinner or they objectively can not give necessary support; • persons which during the illness or period of recuperation have difficulties to perform daily home works and their personal care and which do not have legitimate breadwinner or they objectively can not give necessary support;

16. Care at home are provided both kind of minimally necessary care service (from budget of municipality), and of extended care service (at one’s own expense). • Now we have 25 people, which need care at home and this work provide 21 workers. In the future, we will buy care at home service from NGO.

17. Social assistance department • The social assistance benefit system of the municipality ensures the assistance for needy people and persons being in social risk situation who don’t have stabile income from work, from social security payments or State’s social benefits. The goal of social benefit system of municipality is poverty decreasing through ensuring basic needs for person (family) – food, dwelling, health care, education and employment. • Person’s rights to receive Social benefits of state are guaranteed by his/her belonging to the definite social group.

18. Ogre County Council has prescribed several types of social benefits: Tested benefits of Ogre municipality: • allowance to guarantee the minimal income • housing allowance • allowance for the health care • extraordinary allowance in crisis situations Family (person) duties of collaboration are: • to allow social worker to visit its place of residence; • to show demanded documents to estimate the estate, money reserves and income; • to look for and take every opportunity to increase ability to earn, find job and to make payments for the flat within limits; • if any member of family has a problem of addiction (alcohol, narcotics, etc), his responsibility is to use rehabilitation opportunities; • if there is an unemployed person in family, his responsibility is to take part in measures that promote employment; • if a person works reduced-time work day in basic work, it can not be as reason to decline the measures that promote employment

19. Support for families and children  in Ogre’s  Social Services • provide individual consultations; • perform negotiation with family; • help to find strength to solve problems themselves; • supply necessary information; • give moral support; • help to develop necessary abilities (for solving conflict situations, child upbringing, etc) to improve situation of family life • involve specialists from other institutions to give support for family. • Support units co-operate with families the most which: • have difficulties in upbringing children; • have land in conflict situations; • children do not attend school; • children do not receive sufficient care; • have land in crisis situations (parents separation, serious disease or even death of near relation, etc); • some member of family has suffered from violence; • have addiction problems of alcohol, narcotic, games of chance, etc.