SOCIAL SERVICES IN LATVIA AND OGRE

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SOCIAL SERVICESIN LATVIA AND OGRE

• Conference in Novy Bydzov,
• 8-10th May 2008

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STATE MECHANISM OF CREATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF
SOCIAL POLICY
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• 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.

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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

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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).

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Administrative and Political Level of Ogre
County Social System
OGRE COUNTY COUNCIL
SOCIAL SERVICES AGENCIES
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SOCIAL SERVICESAT THE OGRE MUNICIPALITY
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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

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• 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,

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• 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.

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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)
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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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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

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• Care at home are provided both kind of minimally
  necessary care service (from budget of
  municipality), and of extended care service (at
  ones 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.

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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 dont have stabile income from work, from
  social security payments or States 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.
• Persons rights to receive Social benefits of
  state are guaranteed by his/her belonging to the
  definite social group.

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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

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Support for families and children  in Ogres 
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.