In January and February, the Society Integration Foundation (SIF) organized a training cycle in Liepāja titled “How to Create Social Innovations in the Field of Social Services”, consisting of five seminars aimed at providing in-depth knowledge, practical skills, and inspiration for developing and improving innovative social services. A total of 144 participants attended all seminars in Kurzeme, including specialists from municipal social services, NGO representatives, entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders in the field of social services.
At the end of the cycle, participants rated the content and organization of the seminars 9.4 out of 10 points, highly valuing the lecturers’ expertise, acquired knowledge, practical tasks, and the opportunity to meet colleagues, exchange experiences and ideas, and build new collaborations.
“I attended all five seminars — it was very valuable to gain deeper insight into the field of social services. Now I feel much more prepared and knowledgeable to develop and submit new social service projects. I also gained many new and valuable contacts and cooperation partners — networking is in full swing; we have already arranged mutual visits for experience exchange,”
says Kristīne Lieģeniece, Project Manager at the Children and Family Support Association “Miera Osta”.
The training sessions were led by professional and experienced experts from various fields:
Liesma Ose, communication and social work expert, lecturer at the University of Latvia;
Vita Brakovska, associate professor at Riga Technical University, head of the association Knowledge and Innovation Society, business coach;
Liene Kupča, innovation mentor and service design strategist;
Juris Osis, social service planning expert with extensive experience in the Riga City Municipality;
Una Lapskalna-Alksne, head of the Ventspils Social Service.
To enhance understanding of social innovation and the specifics of the social services sector, the training cycle was enriched with three experience stories:
Ruta Šenkevica, head of the Crisis Center for Families with Children “Paspārne” (Ventspils), shared about unique bread therapy sessions as an alternative method for working with victims of violence, adults, and people with special needs.
Ina Behmane, head of the Saldus Municipality Social Service Agency, presented successful practices, challenges, and common problem situations in the social field.
Ilze Durņeva, head of the NGO “Dižvanagi”, gave a personal and emotional story about founding and managing a rehabilitation center in Liepāja for children with special needs, focusing on sustainability and overcoming challenges.
“The most valuable insight today is understanding that in creating new services, defining the problem and identifying the needs of the target group are crucial. It’s important to define the problem correctly — only then will the solution work long-term and address the causes, not just the symptoms,”
says Zane Gusta, Project Manager at the Kurzeme Planning Region, after the second seminar “How to Find the Right Problem?”.
“I really liked the various methods introduced by the lecturers that change the way we think — I’ll be able to apply them immediately in my work. We must do things differently, not just old things with new methods!”
says Madara Lapsa, Head of the MARTA Centre Liepāja Branch, after the second seminar.
“The practical exercises helped me see situations from a completely different perspective. I also realized that to create sustainable social innovations, it’s essential to interview and involve the target group to truly understand their needs. Often, as specialists, we think we know what people need — but in reality, their needs may be very different,”
reflects Inga Zērande, Specialist at the South Kurzeme Municipality Social Service, after the third seminar “How to Develop a Solution Using a Social Innovation Approach”.
“I wanted to make sure we’re on the right track — and yes, we are! We confirmed that our social innovation idea meets all the criteria and requirements,”
says Ina Behmane, Head of the Saldus Municipality Social Service Agency, after the fourth seminar “Practical Steps in Developing Social Innovations”.
The training cycle “How to Create Social Innovations in the Field of Social Services” consisted of five interlinked seminars:
An introduction to social innovations and community-based social services;
2–3. Exercises on identifying the root causes of problems and designing innovative solutions;
Practical aspects of developing social innovations within Latvia’s social service system and legal framework;
Topics on sustainability, social impact, scalability, and cross-sectoral cooperation.
The Society Integration Foundation extends heartfelt thanks to all participants for their involvement, time, energy, and commitment to developing social innovations in Latvia. We hope that the knowledge and skills gained will be useful in your work, and that soon we will celebrate new innovations in the field of social services!
Such training cycles are being held across all regions of Latvia.
In Riga and Vidzeme, sessions are ongoing, while in Zemgale they will begin on March 12, and in Latgale on March 26.
More information is available HERE.
Currently, there are no available spots, but occasionally participants cancel, allowing us to offer available seats.
For interest, please write to: atbalsts.inovacijam@sif.gov.lv.
The training cycle “How to Create Social Innovations in the Field of Social Services” is part of the SIF-implemented ESF+ project “Support for New Approaches to Community-Based Social Services”, aimed at promoting social innovation in the field of social services by developing modern, human-centered, and relevant community-based social services.
Information prepared by the Society Integration Foundation under the ESF+ co-financed project No. 4.4.1.1./1/24/I/001 “Support for New Approaches to Community-Based Social Services”.
The Society Integration Foundation is responsible for the content.
📸 Photo gallery: https://www.sif.gov.lv/lv/galerija/kurzeme-aizvadits-macibu-cikls-par-socialam-inovacijam-socialo-pakalpojumu-joma
