Latvia’s SOS Children’s Villages association ensures support for families with children, who are experiencing difficulties, as well as offer different preventive and support services.
For children, moms and dads – families.
The specialists working in our family support centres are certain anyone can become a great parent, and are helping to develop those skills. Social workers, social rehabilitators, psychologists and other specialists help parents recognize opportunities to change their lifestyle and take responsibility for their own children. Currently, family strengthening and support centres are actively working in Riga, Bauska county, Valmiera and around the city. More than 400 children from approximately 200 families receive support within our projects every year.
What do family support centres do?
The goal for SOS Children’s Villages family strengthening and support centres is to help parents take responsibility and care for their children, so children can grow up in the most suitable environment - their own family, rather than a child-care institution. We offer families help and support of a team of specialists, depending on the specific situation and necessity.
Help is provided to families with children in our three locations in Latvia – Rīga, Bauska, Valmiera. Support centres cooperate with a family if:
- A child has been abandoned
- A child has been exposed to physical, sexual or emotional abuse
- Place of residence imposes danger upon a child
- Insufficient care or upbringing is discovered in a family
- A child has learning difficulties, misses school for long periods
- Behavioral problems in social settings, offenses are present
- A child is involved in conflicts between the parents
All staff members of SOS family support centres provide support in different daily issues, e.g.
- coaching in parenting and childcare skills,
- improving living conditions,
- solving health and hygiene issues,
- managing budget planning, dealing with employment issues,
- attracting necessary resources for the family in crisis,
- spending leisure time usefully.