According to the Ministry of Welfare (MoW), this service will be available to families with children, as well as children aged 12 to 18, whose parents live apart or are in the process of divorce throughout the territory of Latvia.
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The Ministry explained that during the emergency situation, the number of family conflict situations has significantly increased – both domestic conflicts and conflicts with the use of violence.
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This is probably related to the fact that family members spent a much longer period of time in isolation at the place of residence, the MoW expressed, emphasizing that the loss of a family member’s job also caused psychological stress in the family microclimate. This was especially negative in families with children.
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In the opinion of the MoW, it is important to provide comprehensive, intensive support services to families in a timely manner and focused on the individual needs of family members. This would reduce the need for out-of-home care for children and the associated costs and psychological consequences.
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Currently, the family psychotherapy service is a paid service that is often not affordable for those families who would need it vitally, so thanks to this pilot project, up to 10 free family psychotherapist consultations will be provided for each family.
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To achieve this, the total eligible funding available for the specific support objective “Increase the efficiency of social services and professionalism of employees working with persons at risk” for the measure “Support for professionals working with children with communication difficulties and behavioral disorders and domestic violence” will be increased by 1 271 962 euro.
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A total of € 963,962 is earmarked for the extension of the Consultative Cabinet until 31 December 2023, while € 308,000 is earmarked for the implementation of a pilot project
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At the same time, after the approval of additional funding, it is planned to extend the project implementation deadline from April 13, 2021 to December 31, 2023.
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