A new service will be introduced in Latvia - Support person in decision-making (APLP), for people with mental disorders. The service aims to reduce the need to limit the capacity to act and appoint a guardian because with the help of a support person, a person with a mental disorder will be able to make decisions about his life. It is planned that the service will be available from November 1 this year.
"This is a step towards an inclusive society where every person has the opportunity to decide on important issues of his life. The support person will be present in case of need if you need to help make decisions daily, for example, organize documents, and resolve mutual relations with your family members. It is an additional opportunity to be the decision-maker of your own life and to be active in society," emphasizes Evika Siliņa, Minister of Welfare.
The implementation of the APLP service is provided for by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which stipulates that persons with disabilities have the right to recognition of their legal capacity and capacity to act, while at the same time obliging states to provide support to persons in decision-making. A support person does not act in someone else's place but provides people with mental disorders with the necessary support in making their own decisions so that they can live fully and independently in society. A support person is entitled to provide support in the field of legal assistance, finance, daily life skills, and development, in the field of health care, in the field of social care, as well as in creating a circle of support.
The new service is provided for in the Conceptual report on the introduction of the service of a support person in decision-making, which was reviewed and approved at the government meeting on Tuesday, January 10.
The APLP service has been developed and approved within the framework of the European Union fund project, during which 332 persons with mental disorders received support in decision-making from 2019 to 2021. The pilot project proved the importance of this service in improving the quality of life of persons with mental disorders. For example, individuals found a job, received the services of the State Employment Agency, started an education suitable for their abilities, learned how to handle money, and were able to plan a budget and pay bills. The support person also helped to sort out various legal issues. Also, support was received to make an appointment with doctors, problems with addictions were solved, loans started to be paid or repaid, debt collection processes were resolved, and obligations to various economic service providers (gas, telephone, etc.) were settled.
As a result of the introduction of the APLP service, it is expected that the need for limiting the capacity to act and appointing a guardian will decrease, as persons with mental disorders will be able to live in society and make their own decisions about their lives. Such an approach is in line with the principles of human rights enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The necessary amount of funding for providing the APLP service has yet to be decided in the process of creating the state budget, and it is also necessary to make amendments to the regulatory acts so that the APLP service could be provided, according to the action scenario proposed in the conceptual report.
