The Ombudsperson and the Acting Minister for Welfare Agree: Changes Are Needed in the Child Protection System

The Ombudsperson Karina Palkova met with the Acting Minister of Welfare, Uldis Augulis, to discuss the information report prepared by the Ministry of Welfare on the current state of the child protection system and proposals for a new model of child rights protection.

The discussion focused on the future role of the Orphans’ and Custody Courts and the need to establish a child protection system that ensures every child, regardless of their place of residence, receives equally high-quality, professional, and timely protection of their rights and best interests.

The Ministry of Welfare’s proposed Model C envisages transforming the Orphans’ and Custody Courts into a specialized child rights protection institution, while maintaining them as separate and operationally independent municipal bodies. At the same time, their functions would be focused specifically on the protection of children’s rights and best interests.

During the discussion, the Ombudsperson emphasized that reviewing the functions of the Orphans’ and Custody Courts and relieving them of some of their current responsibilities is a step in the right direction. However, merely changing the scope of functions and the institution’s name will not, in itself, be sufficient to address the structural problems that currently exist within the system.

“The goal is to create a system in which children receive assistance earlier, of higher quality, and according to uniform principles throughout Latvia. The current proposal may serve as a transitional stage, but we must already be looking ahead to the next step. By 2030, Latvia should have a system in place where there is no need for an Orphans’ and Custody Court as a separate intermediary between the child, the family, the municipality, and the state,” emphasizes Ombudsperson Karina Palkova.

During the meeting, Uldis Augulis expressed support for the principle that child rights protection should follow a unified approach throughout Latvia, while at the same time strengthening the role of municipal social services and increasing state involvement to ensure consistent quality and professional standards across the country.

“Ensuring an equally high standard of assistance for children is an objective that must be achieved within the shortest possible timeframe. Phasing out the Orphans’ and Custody Courts could be one of the long-term solutions for providing more effective support to children. This must be a carefully considered and adequately funded reform, as the quality of child rights protection must not diminish at any stage of its implementation. Therefore, discontinuing the Orphans’ and Custody Courts would also require a mandatory strengthening of the capacity of the Child Protection Centre,” stated Uldis Augulis during the meeting.