DEINSTITUTIONALISATION IN LATVIA EXPERIENCES AND NATIONAL STRATEGY

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DEINSTITUTIONALISATION IN LATVIAEXPERIENCES AND
NATIONAL STRATEGY

• Tallin
• 01.12.2015.

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General information on Latvia

• Capital Riga
• States governing body members Parliament,100
• Area 64,589 sq.km
• Population 1 986 096 (urban 68, rural 32)
• Administrative units 5 regions, 9 republican
  cities, 110 local authorities

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Responsibilities of the National and Local
Governments in Social Service Provision

• Local governments should ensure
• operation of Municipal Social Service, providing
  at least 1 social work specialist per 1000
  inhabitants
• assessment of the living conditions and needs of
  the person seeking support
• possibility to receive social services and social
  assistance corresponding to ones needs
• funding for social services and social assistance
  not granted by the state
• National government finances and ensures
  particular services defined in the Law on Social
  Services and Social Assistance

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Social Services by Source of Funding

• NATIONAL BUDGET
• Technical aids
• Vocational rehabilitation
• Particular social rehabilitation services for
  addicts, victims of violence or human
  trafficking, etc.
• Assistants for persons with functional
  impairments
• Long-term care institutions for
• orphans and children left without parental care
  until 2 years of age
• children with functional impairments up to 4
  years of age
• children with mental disabilities up to 18 years
  of age
• Adults with mental disabilities and visual
  impairments
• co-finances establishment of group homes,
  half-way homes and day care centres for persons
  with mental disabilities
• MUNICIPAL BUDGET
• Community-based services according to the needs
  of the inhabitants
• Long-term care institutions for
• orphans and children left without parental care
  after age of 2
• persons with disabilities except mental
  disabilities
• old-age persons

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Guidelines on Development of Social Services
2014-2020
Approved by the government on 04.12.2013
MAIN DIRECTIONS
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The main priorities of DI in Latvia - shifts in
disability policy
From passive medical to human rights and inclusion

• Measures
• Services
• Human ability
• Person-cetred

From institutional to community-based services
From disability to functionality
Person s needs as priority - not infrastructure
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No of clients No of institutions No of municipalities
Group houses 242 11 9 (8)
Day care centers 811 29 23 (19)
Home care 168 123 96 (81)
Assistants 1900 - 102 (86)
Community-based care for persons with mental
disabilities in 2014
The Number of Clients in State Long-term Care
Institutions (as on the 1st of January of every
year)
Source Summary of State statistical reports on
social services, social assistance and long-term
social care and social rehabilitation services
Data on 5.05.2015.
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Major Gaps in Service Provision at Community Level
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Target Groups of DI in Latvia in the Planning
Period 2014-2020
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Expected Results (2020)

• ADULTS WITH MENTAL DISABILITIES
• Social services provided for 1400 persons
  preventing institutionalising
• 700 clients have left long-term care institutions
• At least 3 branches of long-term care
  institutions closed
• Places in long-term care institutions reduced by
  1000
• Proportion of community- based services increased
  from 20 to 45

• CHILDREN
• Reduction by 60 of children placed in long-term
  care institutions longer than 3-6 months
• Number of children in institutions reduced to 720
  (1799 in 2012)
• Social services provided for 3400 children with
  disabilities

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EU Funding for DI Activities in the Planning
Period 2014-2020

• European Regional Development Fund
• EUR 44 441 977
• including local governments co-financing (15)

• European Social Fund
• EUR 47 209 260
• including state co-financing (15)
• Complementary
• EUR 9 606 575
• Efficiency of Municipal Social Service and
  professional social work practice

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Distribution of Competences in the implementation
of DI (1)

• Ministry of Welfare
• Horizontal regulatory framework of policy reforms
• Methodological management and supervision of DI
  activities
• Planning Regions
• Final beneficiaries, implementing projects in
  cooperation with the local authorities and
  long-term care institutions
• Mapping of community-based services and
  elaboration of regional DI plans, including
  reorganization plans for long-term care
  institutions
• Carrying out individual assessments of the target
  group
• Compensating the project-based costs for service
  delivery to the local authorities
• Organizing training on delivery of
  community-based services in a person-centered way
• Implementing of communication strategy for
  changing public attitude

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Distribution of Competences in the implementation
of DI (2)

• Local Authorities
• The main partners of the Planning Regions
• Planning development of community-based services
  for target groups of DI
• Taking part in elaboration of regional DI plans
• Providing mentoring for former clients of
  long-term care institutions
• Reorganising the long-term care institutions for
  children
• Providing and pre-financing community-based
  services and receiving monthly compensation of
  the costs    

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Individual Needs Assessment of the Target Groups
and Planning of DI in ESF Projects, 2015-2016
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Provision of Social Services in ESF Projects,
2017-2022
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Progress so far

• Intenational conference on DI under the
  Presidency - considerable response from the
  public (15.06.2015.) http//www.lm.gov.lv/news/id/
  6559
• Adoption of the Regulations of the Cabinet of
  Ministers on implentation of ESF projects on DI
  (16.06.2015.)
• Adoption of Action Plan of Ministry of Welfare on
  implementation of DI (15.07.2015.)
  http//www.lm.gov.lv/text/3071
• Call for project proposal announced
  (01.09.2015.), project appraisal close to
  completion
• Majority of local authorities have signed letters
  of intent for partcipation in the DI projects

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Municipalities Planning to Participate in the ESF
Projects on DI
92 of the total 2 big cities not involved
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The Main Challenges in Implementation of DI

• Ambiguous public attitude to DI - although
  positive changes have taken place, resistance
  still exits
• Pressure from some stakeholders to open ERDF
  investments before individual assessments of the
  clients and regional DI plans are ready
• Choice of methodology for individual needs
  assessment of clients of each target group
• General belief that long-term care institution is
  a good place to live for persons with mental
  disabilities and they prefer living there is
  widespread
• Political decision on closing reasonable amount
  of concrete long-term care institutions is being
  postoned
• Legal regulations to strengthen the gate-keeping
  for entry to long-term care institutions

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To be done until the end of 2015

• Start implementation of ESF projects on DI
• Promote closer cooperation of the stakeholders
• Finalize the guidelines for individual needs
  assessment of the target groups
• Agree the unit-cost methodology for
  community-based services for persons with mental
  disabilities
• Develop the communication strategy for changing
  public attitude

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• Thank you!
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