Conclusions

General conclusions

• Comparing the study of 2000 with the current one, there is an evident progress in developments of the social assistance system. First, it is characterized by more developed social infrastructure – there is an increased focus on the provision of social services. Compared to the study of 2000, a wider range of social serv-ice options has become available. Especially, this applies to urban municipali-ties. The need for social services is however recognized in all municipalities of this study.

• Secondly, the above-mentioned developments are due to more professional and experienced employees. The role as seen by the social workers themselves is changing from that of “mother” and “all-purpose-supporter” to a net-worker between the clients and social service providers. Such an approach is clarify-ing the – before often confusclarify-ing – role and responsibilities of a social worker, leading to more professional service delivery.

• Developments of the social assistance system furthermore stem from more in-formed politicians and society in general. The situation of 2000, when the so-cial assistance concept was largely misinterpreted in the political arena and was full of social stigma, has changed in a positive way.

• The introduction of GMI has brought more structure in social assistance pro-vision. In contrast to expectations prevailing in 2000, when the benefit was described as “financially impossible” and “leading to a chaos”, it is affordable

and is paid in all of the municipalities in our study. In general the social work-ers feel that the benefit is reaching the right targets. In addition, the munici-palities keep paying other benefits, including categorical benefits. This is espe-cially true in rural municipalities. The situation in this respect varies depend-ing on political opinion and local social pressure.

• There is nevertheless an urgent need for additional specialized social service pro-viders. The need is especially strongly felt in Riga municipality where the cli-ents develop increasingly complex cases (people with mental disturbances in combination with HIV/AIDS, drug-addiction in combination with serious health problems, etc.). Among these clients many are children.

• The social workers feel that the state is lacking a clearly defined social system vi-sion, leading to inefficient use of resources available from EU. There is no re-search to indicate major development directions. As a result, the new service providers that generate outside the system are often failing to respond to the most urgent needs of the system.

• To reach better client results, there is a need for better communication and align-ment of roles and responsibilities among various institutions working in the social sphere, among them the Orphan Court, municipalities, local schools, state re-qualification programmes. The current experience of the social workers sug-gests that the institutions are led by different motives that do not always have a client focus. Especially, good communication should be established with lo-cal schools, as these prove to be the most powerful social welfare providers next to social assistance offices, analyzed from the Welfare Pentagon perspective. The cooperation with schools is much better in rural municipalities.

• The vicious circle – a phenomenon when social problems are inter-generation-al – is observed to exist in both case locations. Given the market economy and the Latvian education system, an exit of the circle is very unlikely. There are no state policies to support those individuals who wish to be part of a less risky social group.

Policy suggestions

The policy suggestions following from the above discussion are divided into three (3) major directions: more efficient use of the currently available resources; respons-es to the need for additional social servicrespons-es; policirespons-es to discontinue the vicious cycle.

A. More efficient use of the currently available resources. The study has indicated that public institutions and, especially, local schools, are important social welfare providers. They may have a serious influence on the results of the children attending the school – either positive or negative. To achieve positive results, it is necessary that policies of the school towards “non-performing” or other-wise differentiated risk children are streamlined with actions of the local Social Assistance Office. Streamlining of policies and approaches, focusing them on the client results, is furthermore needed with respect to other players in the system such as the Orphan Court and labour market initiatives. With respect to the latter, there is an evident gap between market demand and the pro-grammes offered to the pre-pension age group. Especially in the rural areas, the demand for people of the mentioned age group is almost non-existing, irre-spective of the person’s qualifications. The re-qualification programmes for this age group, therefore, are not reaching their goal.

B. Responses to the need for additional social services. In the context of continuous appearance of more and more complex cases, the state needs to design the overall strategic development framework. The first step would be a thorough analysis of all the existing social service providers on the one hand and the needs and tendencies of the clients on the other. Given the research results, the second step would be decisions on principles of state provision, state finance or state regulation of the social service system, allowing space for private incentives. These principles should then be applied and kept in all decisions concerning the use of local funds or EU funding.

C. Policies to discontinue the vicious circle. One of the most serious problems with long-lasting effects is the fact that many of the social assistance clients are chil-dren from social risk families, representing the inter-generational aspect of the problem. A set of children-focused policies to discontinue the vicious cycle is therefore a must. For example, there should be a policy to enable the risk chil-dren to receive education. An example mentioned during the study is a possi-bility to obtain study credit – as the current rules foresee the presence of a guarantor, thus excluding the risk children with no person to lean on.