The target group of the “safe house for children and young people” would be permanent vagrants, long-term users of narcotic substances, minors involved in prostitution, those who have committed violent crimes and other young people.
Placement of the minor in the said institution would be evaluated by the State Probation Service in cooperation with other specialists, but the final decision would be made by the court. Since the “Safe House for Children and Youth” would be a new type of institution, initially a very narrow group of children would be placed in it – children who have committed criminal offenses and who are subject to a coercive measure of an educational nature – probation observation – which would be terminated if the child is placed in an institution.
Over time, placing a child in an institution should be developed as a separate coercive means of an educational nature, which would allow it to be applied to a wider group of children, the TM foresees.
Children and young people from 11 to 20 years of age would live in the institution
The term of placing a child in the “Safe House for Children and Youth” would be two years, but every three months the child’s stay in the institution would be evaluated. It would also be possible to extend the two-year term once. At the same time, it is planned that it would be possible for the child to be placed in the “Safe House for Children and Youth” again.
TM has foreseen that children and young people between the ages of 11 and 17 could be placed in the mentioned institution, but their total number would not exceed 24. The “safe house for children and young people” could accommodate young people up to the age of 20 inclusive, since reaching the age of majority would not be an obstacle for a young person to stay in the institution.
It would be possible to place a child in an institution only in cases where it is recognized that the child’s behavior, when he is in his usual environment, may result in harm to himself or others.
In addition, placement of a child in the “Safe House for Children and Youth” should only be permitted in cases where all lower-intensity interventions have failed.
As Minister of Justice Inese Lībiņa-Egnere (“New Unity”) pointed out at the government meeting,
Data from the probation service show that there are currently 17 children who meet the target group of the project.
“Each case is very loud. We see that the 24 [bērni] could be optimal,” said the minister, at the same time emphasizing that this project does not rule out the need for other social services for problematic teenagers.
While the child is in the “Safe House for Children and Youth”, the State Probation Service, in cooperation with other institutions, would continue to work with the child’s family.
Family feeling in small groups
The basic rules of operation of the “Safe House for Children and Youth” were developed by representatives of the State Probation Service, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Welfare and the Ministry of Education and Science. Expert opinions and foreign experience are also taken into account. The goals of the institution would be to protect the child and society, restore stability in the child’s life, prepare the child for an independent life, as well as prevent new offenses from being committed.
Therapy specialists would help the children in the institution. Special attention would be paid to the selection of the institution’s employees, their ability to build human relationships with children. The institution is intended to develop children’s social skills.
The child’s stay in the institution would be organized in small groups (up to 6 children of the same sex in a group), promoting a family feeling and an individual approach to each child.
The staff would essentially replace the child’s family, assuming part of the parent’s functions, for example, taking care of the child’s emotional well-being and stress management, health care of the child, getting an education, observing the daily routine, promoting self-care skills, stated TM. Children would be under the constant supervision of support staff 24 hours a day. Each group would have two mentors 24 hours a day.
In total, the facility would have 45 employees, including 8 therapists, 24 mentors, 2 social workers, and 2 athletic trainers.
Distance education and one family doctor
The “safe house for children and young people” would be a closed institution, but the child’s relatives would be provided with the opportunity to visit.
As the child’s ability to control his own behavior increases, home visits and visits to events outside the institution would also be possible.
It is planned that in the “Safe House for Children and Youth” children will have access to a gym both indoors and outdoors. Also, an individual educational plan would be developed for each child, which would be implemented in the form of distance learning.
Primary health care for young people will be provided by a family doctor, with whom the institution will conclude an agreement.
Before the end of the child’s stay in the “Safe House for Children and Youth”, an adaptation phase should be determined for the child, when the child will gradually be introduced to life in society.
When the child is released from the institution, the State Probation Service would continue to execute the suspended coercive measure of an educational nature on the child – probation observation.
The impact on the budget is apparently large
When calculating the costs of establishing and maintaining the “Safe House for Children and Youth”, TM has evaluated two directions of action.
In the event that a new house should be built for the needs of the institution, the preliminary one-time expenses would be 7,825,723 euros, while the annual maintenance expenses would be 2,592,404 euros.
On the other hand, adaptation of an existing building would cost 8,603,586 euros, while annual maintenance expenses would amount to 3,004,204 euros.
TM has recognized that
the creation of such an institution seems to be large in terms of the state budget, however, such an investment is in the interest of the safety of high-risk children, employees of the institution, and the entire society.
“Currently, only community-based services are available for high-risk children aged 11 to 14 in Latvia, therefore this type of service is in the interest of the safety of the entire society,” stated TM. “In the future, a perfected child delinquency prevention system will pay off for the state with a full-fledged member of society who will bring added value to the state and will not have to be supported from the state budget.”
The issue of funding for the “Safe House for Children and Youth” could be considered by the government in the process of preparing and considering next year’s budget.
It is planned that an action plan for the establishment of the institution will be prepared by March 1 next year, so that the “Safe House for Children and Youth” can start working as soon as possible.
On the other hand, by May 31 of this year, the Ministry of Justice will submit to the government a plan in which the service will be provided during the transition period from January 1, 2025 until the “Safe House for Children and Youth” is established.
CONTEXT:
In 2022, the government decided to liquidate the Naukšēni school, which was the only re-education institution under the control of the Ministry of Education and Science, where children were placed by court decision.
After the scandal, when the Inspectorate for the Protection of Children’s Rights discovered an unacceptable punishment system in the school, the school management was suspended and efforts were made to introduce a new disciplinary procedure, however, the ministry soon decided to liquidate the school.
Some of the young people who were once in the “Naukšēnu” correctional institution are currently under probation supervision. This means that they are subject to one of the criminal penalties or coercive measures of an educational nature.
Tags: Ministry calls introduction coercive measure educational nature children placing Safe House Children Youth Article
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