Family counselling and flexibility of social services during Covid-19 emergency: Case study of Latvian municipalities

Abstract

In all the EU countries and Latvia, the health care impact during the Covid-19 outbreak was one of the first priorities. Meanwhile, less attention was paid to the social service burden, especially in social work with families and children, elderly and other social groups in the most vulnerable situations. New social measures were introduced from the very beginning of the emergency situation, and a crisis benefit was initiated for families and children at the local level. Social workers had to adjust their practice to more flexible, remote and transformed social service delivery. It required specific personal protective equipment (PPE) and new forms of communication channels with families in need and new risk groups. The analysis of correlation between the Covid-19 estimated cases and the social crisis benefit provided during the emergency was performed with a regression model by using the SPSS statistical and mathematical program. It is a starting point for the research on how the social measures introduced in the emergency were allocated. The evidence about the communication and inter-disciplinary experiences was obtained via the analysis of open-ended interviews with social workers and experts. The preliminary results demonstrate the importance of the work alleviating impacts from the national to local level with inter-disciplinary professional teamwork solutions and adaptability in social work practice.