Latvian Social Integration Fund (SIF) has decided to terminate its agreement with Latvian Red Cross (LSK) on provision of support with social-economic inclusiveness for asylum seekers and persons with refugee or alternate status in Latvia, as reported by SIF representative Zane Jēkabsone.
She reports that currently the organization is unable to provide the necessary number of support staff and appropriately qualified social workers to provide full support. In order to ensure uninterrupted accessibility of support, a price inquiry has commenced. It is planned to attract a new partner around the start of February. This partner is expected to provide support to more than 220 asylum seekers and refugees in Latvia.
From 2016 onward SIF project for promotion of diversity in Latvia has provided asylum seekers and persons with refugee or alternate status with social-economic support, as well as different practical assistance to help resolve many different everyday problems. This helps form the person’s understanding of living in Latvia, helping them acquire everyday important skills, promote learning new skills and providing support to help settle formalities, living and employment.
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SIF representative notes that the agreement signed with LSK in 2019 provided that quality support, as well as focused integration work is to be provided by two teams of social mentors whose work is supervised and coordinated by professional social workers. Considering the recent surge in the number of asylum seekers, SIF organized operational changes to the agreement, providing for additional financing to increase the number of teams to three.
This way it would be possible to provide support to at least 360 asylum seekers and refugees every month.
According to Jēkabsone, since October 2021, when the first wave of illegal migrants had first arrived from Belarus, LSK has not been able to attract qualified social workers and provide the necessary number of specialists. This means only one of three teams of social specialists is able to provide necessary assistance to only 120 people a month.
Additionally, according to SIF representative, provision of support is limited by the shortage of workers, who are critically important to provide services. Social workers provide the opportunity to receive support in critical situations and integrate into a new environment and coordinate people’s successful integration into Latvia’s society – teaching Latvian language and successfully completing requirements of the integration programme, first aid training, registration with the State Employment Agency and providing assistance in other formalities to make sure asylum seekers and refugees are able to get jobs and housing.
There are currently approximately 220 asylum seekers and persons with refugee or alternative status in Latvia. These people have the right to receive social service worker and social mentor services. However, less than 100 people a month have received services of appropriate quality even though it is necessary to provide services to more people than that. This means provision of support to asylum seekers and other eligible people has been severely limited these past several months, which makes it difficult for these people to start a new life n Latvia and integrate into the country’s society, education system and labour market.
SIF has turned to LSK multiple times in attempts to find a solution to this situation and provide time to find skilled specialists. It is clear LSK is unable to provide the necessary support services within the current agreement and its attempts to work with a limited team of specialists has led to many workers resigning. This is why the decision to terminate established cooperation was made and a new price survey was launched – in order to find a new partner. SIF is engaged in talks with multiple potential partners.
Financing for support provided to asylum seekers and refugees comes from the European Social Fund and is intended to last until 2022.
Problems found with Latvia’s inclusiveness approach for asylum seekers
