Egils Levits and Andris Bērziņš discussed various ways of building a better social care system, including the need to enhance cooperation between social and health sector actors as well as state and local government level stakeholders. ‘Social care is extremely important, and we need to make sure that weak horizontal cooperation is strengthened, and we have integrated and cooperation-oriented strategy for development of the system,’ underlined President Levits.
Director Bērziņš emphasized the need to change public attitude towards social care, social care centres, caretakers and different needs, to show what clients receiving social care feel: ‘Our organisation tries to change the attitudes and social care environment so that people who are in our care homes really feel like home and not as prisoners of an institution’. He also mentioned that the Samaritan Association of Latvia plans to open a social care institution of the new type in Riga very soon and this centre will offer its clients this kind of home-like atmosphere.
Andris Bērziņš also mentioned mobile care vehicles designed by the Association to deliver much-needed services in regions and thus significantly improve many people’s quality of life. This initiative has received the European Social Innovation Competition award.
President Levits and Director Bērziņš also touched upon government tax reform plan and its possible negative impact on social care providers that are not working full time and employees of social enterprises who are not capable of working full time.
Other topics included charity and culture of donating in Latvia, and how donations are being raised by reaching out to more people. Campaigns like ‘Feed Latvia’ and others are very popular, and people are keen to help their fellow men and women who are going through various life troubles.
