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Development of Support System for Foster families, Adoptive parents, Guardians and Host families in Latvia

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Source of Funding: EEA Financial Mechanism 2009-2014
Program: NGO Project Measure (2009-2014)

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The project’s aim is to increase welfare facilitating creation and functioning of a stable and professional familial childcare support system for children left without their parent’s care.
The Project will specially target foster families, adoptive parents, trustees and guest families.
Within the Project a professional support system will be created ensuring good familial care to children left without parental care. To ensure accessibility of services, including social worker services, psycho therapist consultations, support groups, consultations in crisis situations, family training and mentoring training, to strengthen mutual support of the families, a common programme will be implemented in the regions of Latvia and mobile support centers for the target group in Kurzeme, Vidzeme, Zemgale and Latgale.
The Project will promote familial forms of care for orphans and children left without their parent’s care

Project results: TThe aim of the project was to support the growth of welfare by promoting creation of a sustainable, professional family child care system for children who have remained without parental care in Latvia. The target group: foster families, foster parents, guardians and host families. The place of implementation of the project: Riga, Kurzeme, Zemgale, Vidzeme and Latgale regions. Partners from 5 regional NGOs were providing coordination of the project's activities on a regional level.
The main activities:
1. A professional support system was developed for the target group, ensuring that the children without parental care are provided with good care in foster families, involving the local governments in the sustainability of the support system.
2. Specialist trainings and introduction of the united support programme in the regions of Latvia.
3. Establishment of 4 mobile support centres for the target group in different regions in order to provide accessible services, including consultations of social workers and psychotherapists, support groups, consultations in situations of crisis, trainings according to the needs of families, mentor trainings for the strengthening of the mutual peer support within the target group.
4. Experience exchange visit to Norway (Barne-, ungdoms og familiedirektoratet – Bufdir).
As a result of the implementation of the project, the extra-institutional care of children who have remained without parental care has been promoted and improved.
The aim of the project has been attained: support has been furnished for 1036 target group members. 3000 hours of social work consultations and 3246 hours of psychological support have been provided. 16 support groups have been created with the total amount of 148 participants. 6 trainings in communication and attachment have been held for a total amount of 82 participants. Mentor training has been held for 28 participants. 8 educational workshops have been organized for 310 participants. A united support programme has been developed and training for 16 specialists has been held. The publicity of the project raised awareness about alternative care issues and the needs of foster families, kinship parents, host families and adoptive parents. 7 round table discussions, 4 press conferences, 4 events to present the project's results and a big closing event with a press conference in the Ministry of Welfare with the total amount of 85 participants, stakeholders and duty bearers have been organized.
The continuity of the project is going to be provided in collaboration with the municipalities and by receiving support from other donor organizations from all the regions. During the project proposals for the improvement of foster career training program have been submitted to the State Inspectorate For Protection Of Children's Rights and the updated program has been successfully integrated as well as proposals for the deinstitutionalization model have been submitted to the Ministry of Welfare in order to provide support for foster and kinship parents as a core element of the development of the alternative care system for children who have been left without parental care.
The project is an example of good governance and of how the involvement of civil society can improve the situation in Latvia, especially for vulnerable children who have remained without parental care. The project will serve as an example of how municipalities can develop alternative care systems on a local level.

Supported by the EEA Grants. Case number: LV03. Programme name: „NGO fund”

Project number: 2012.EEZ/PP/1/MAC/087
Project approval date: 11.09.2013.
Project contract date: 16.01.2014.
Status of the project: Pabeigts
Name of Project Promoter: Foundation „ Social Service’s Agency”
Type of Project Promoter: Association/Foundation
Name of project partner: Latgales audžuģimeņu atbalsta biedrība „Muna Sāta” ,Kurzemes reģiona audžuģimeņu biedrība „Estere” ,Biedrība „CARITAS”,Zantes audžuģumeņu biedrība „Pīlādzīts”,Bauskas novada audžuģimeņu atbalsta centrs "Spēlmaņi"
Place(s) of implementation: Jelgava,Daugavpils,Liepāja,Bauska
Project implementation region(s): Whole Latvia
Project duration, months: 14
Total eligible costs (Programme co-financing and Project Promoter’s contribution): 109985.17 EUR / 77 298.02 LVL;
Programme co-financing (EEA Grants – 95%): 94037.32 EUR / 66 089.80 LVL;
Programme co-financing (State budget – 5%): 4949.33 EUR / 3 478.41 LVL;
Project Promoter’s contribution: 10998.52 EUR / 7 729.80 LVL;
Legal address: Elizabetes iela 31-5, Rīga, LV-1010
Phone No.: 26514351
Fax: -
E-mail:
Website: www.krize.lv

Link to a website of the EEA Grants Managing Authority in Latvia: www.eeagrants.lv
Link to a website of the EEA Grants Financial Mechanism Office: www.eeagrants.org