Social services are a set of measures aimed at restoring or improving social functioning abilities of individuals to ensure their integration in society. The types of social services are:
- social work;
- caritative social work;
- social care;
- social rehabilitation;
- professional rehabilitation.
Social services include:
- social care services at the person's place of residence;
- care in a long-term social care and social rehabilitation institution;
- social rehabilitation services at the person's place of residence and institution;
- professional rehabilitation services;
- provision of technical aids.
According to the first part of Article 17 of the Law on Social Services and Social Assistance, social services may only be provided by social service providers who meet the requirements set by the Cabinet of Ministers and are registered in the Register of Social Service Providers.
According to the register data, 125 different social service providers were registered in the Zemgale planning region at the beginning of 2023.
After the administrative-territorial reform, the range of services within one municipality has become wider, however, the availability of social services for residents of rural and border areas is limited.
The most common service in the region is the social work service provided by the municipal social service, which is located in each of the municipalities, the other most common services are those that do not require a specific infrastructure - social rehabilitation, specialist consultations, home care and support groups.
Based on the analysis of the current situation and conclusions drawn from it, the priority "Social inclusion and health promotion" has been set in the development program of the Zemgale planning region for the period from 2021-2027.
Achieving the goals of social inclusion and health promotion is influenced by both global and local challenges and socio-economic development trends. Aging of population, decrease in the number of working-age population, migration trends, as well as the significant projected decline in the number of the population pose long-term challenges for the provision of social and health services.
The following goals have been set to achieve the priority:
- Ensure the sustainable development of social services in the region by improving their availability, variety, quality and compliance with the needs of the region's residents.
- Increase the participation people living in the region in maintaining their health by promoting access to health services and implementing health promotion measures.
- Increase opportunities of people at risk of social exclusion to participate in the economy, education, culture and various social activities by developing and improving the accessibility of the environment and reducing stereotypes existing in society and promoting social inclusion.