In Latvia, the number of cases in which children in out-of-family care are moved between caregivers remains high, reports Children’s Protection Centre of Latvia (BAC) representative Simona Saule.
The BAC reached this conclusion in a thematic report on the impact of changing caregivers on children in out-of-family care. The report states that, despite improvements implemented in recent years in this sector, changing caregivers remains one of the key challenges in the child protection system.
In 2024, caregivers were changed for 373 children, representing 6.98% of all children in out-of-family care — the highest proportion in the past three years. In 2022, caregivers were changed for 385 children (6.64%), while in 2023 the figure was 338 children (6.39%).
The centre highlights as a concerning trend the movement of children from family-based environments to care institutions. Of the 91 children who in 2024 were transferred to institutional care, 77 had previously been in family settings — 38 were moved from foster families and 39 from guardianship families.
Most often in 2024, children were assigned a different guardian or foster family without changing the type of care itself.
A new guardian was appointed for 64 children, while 56 were placed with a different foster family. In addition, 37 children were moved from guardianship families to foster families, 39 from guardianship families to institutions, and 38 from foster families to institutions.
The report concludes that repeated separation from the biological family and multiple changes of caregivers can cause significant emotional trauma for a child. This may affect the child’s development, health, and ability to build relationships in the long term.
According to responses provided by municipalities, the most common reason for changing caregivers was the caregiver’s refusal to continue care or inability to manage the child’s behavior — cited 32 times (21% of cases). Violence against the child was cited as a reason in 24 cases (16%), while the identification of a guardian or relative able to provide family-based care accounted for 13% of cases.
The report emphasizes that
children’s behavioral problems may often be a consequence of previously experienced trauma.
Therefore, changing caregivers should not become a way of simply transferring behavioral issues from one caregiver to another.
At the same time, the centre stresses that not only a change of caregiver can be traumatic, but also prolonged placement in care conditions that do not meet the child’s needs.
Special attention in the report is given to the impact of traumatic experiences on child development. Such experiences can lead to a lack of trust, difficulties in forming relationships, social withdrawal, and behavioral problems. The centre notes that a child’s behavior is often only the visible part of deeper emotional difficulties that require understanding and targeted professional support.
The BAC believes that improving the situation requires timely and coordinated action. It highlights the importance of strengthening inter-institutional cooperation, carefully assessing each child’s individual needs before making decisions, and developing effective support systems for caregivers.
The centre will present the purpose and key findings of the report in an online meeting on the Zoom platform on Tuesday, the 12th of May, at 11:30 a.m.
The BAC reminds that any changes in a child’s life significantly affect their emotional and physical well-being.
Therefore, in all processes involving children, the child’s best interests must be the top priority, ensuring a stable, safe, and development-supportive environment.
The report is based on official statistics from orphan courts, data from the Ministry of Welfare of Latvia on social services and assistance, as well as information obtained during BAC monitoring inspections.
It also incorporates findings from previous studies and evaluations, including the State Audit Office of Latvia report “A Childhood Taken Away. Everyone Has the Right to Grow Up in a Family”, the 2020 study “Children’s Emotional Trauma”, and research conducted by University of Latvia researchers in cooperation with BAC on developing needs-based services for children in out-of-family care.
The report analyzes data from 2022, 2023, and 2024, including the number of children in out-of-family care, distribution by care type, caregiver change cases, changes in the number of foster families and guardians, termination of custody rights, repeated separation from families, use of crisis centre services, and reasons for caregiver changes.
It also includes information gathered from municipal surveys on child protection practices, including criteria for selecting care institutions and reasons for caregiver changes. Additional data from surveys of children, young people, and professionals on the emotional impact of repeated care changes are also used.
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