CHILDREN'S VOICE AND DECISION MAKING IN INSTITUTIONAL CARE IN LATVIA

D. Nimante, I Gehtmane-Hofmane, L. Vasecko

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

Institutional care in Latvia are a way of caring for children who, for various reasons, do not live with their families. In 2013, de-institutionalisation was introduced in Latvia. This is the process of developing community-based services with family-type and child-friendly environments, including measures to prevent the need for institutional care. Since, there have been many changes introduced into the system. The child's voice has become important in making any decision about that child. Our research attempts to answer the question: can children in institutional care - orphanages - in Latvia take part in making decisions about their own lives? Research shows that children in institutional care face many challenges. Many of them have a complex history of trauma, such as physical and sexual abuse or witnessing domestic and community violence. After placing them in institutional care, they may not feel as though they have much control over their external world. Therefore, it is important that these children engage in decision-making about their lives, even in small things. This paper will present ongoing research curried out by the University of Latvia in close cooperation with the State Inspectorate for Protection of Children's Rights of Latvia. There has been good cooperation with the Inspectorate during the course of this study, which is grounded in theoretical research and based on semi-structured interviews: 85 children from five regions of Latvia and 10 orphanages participated. Data was collected and processed using AQUAD 7 and qualitative methods. As a result of our research, new services for supporting children placed in long-term institutional care and social rehabilitation institutions will be developed and implemented.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication11th International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation (ICERI 2018)
Pages6289-6294
Publication statusPublished - 2018
Externally publishedYes
Event11th Annual International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation (ICERI) - Seville, Spain
Duration: 12 Nov 201814 Nov 2018
Conference number: 11
https://library.iated.org/publications/ICERI2018

Publication series

NameICERI Proceedings
ISSN (Electronic)2340-1095

Conference

Conference11th Annual International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation (ICERI)
Abbreviated titleICERI 2018
Country/TerritorySpain
CitySeville
Period12/11/1814/11/18
Internet address

Keywords*

  • Institutional care in Latvia
  • children's voices
  • decision-making

Field of Science*

  • 5.9 Other social sciences
  • 5.3 Educational sciences

Publication Type*

  • 3.1. Articles or chapters in proceedings/scientific books indexed in Web of Science and/or Scopus database

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