Goal

The goal is to ensure proper implementation of the palliative care concept in Latvia, by helping children with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions and their family members, by informing the public about the needs and latest developments in palliative care, and to engage the public in providing help.

The tasks of the Society are:

1. To provide palliative care service to children and their family members;
2. To educate and inform the public and those working in the field of welfare about the nature and goals of children’s palliative care and possible service options;
3. To engage the public in children’s palliative care work;
4. To raise and maintain a high level of professional palliative care, particularly for those working in the field of welfare;
5. To promote the education of multidisciplinary teams in palliative care.

Children’s palliative care implies a complex approach: control of symptoms of a chronic life-limiting and life-threatening disease; psychological, social and spiritual care. For 15 years, the Children’s Palliative Care Society (henceforth – the Society), as a non-governmental organisation, has dealt with matters related to the availability of children’s palliative care across the country. The Society has created a multidisciplinary team model for children’s palliative care. A model team consists of a doctor, nurse, chaplain, social worker, psychologist and psychotherapist. This model has been implemented in the Children’s Clinical University Hospital, ensuring home palliative care for Riga and Riga region, and out-patient consultations.