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

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.