Since 1998, Social Integration State Agency (SIVA) has been actively cooperating with partners in Latvia and abroad. Together, we are looking for new ways to create equal opportunities for people with disabilities in society and the labor market. Most of the experience exchange and cooperation projects that we have applied for ourselves or responded to invitations from other organizations to participate in are funded by the European Union.
European Platform for Rehabilitation
On July 1, 2015, SIVA became a member of the international professional association “European Platform for Rehabilitation” (EPR) to develop rehabilitation services for people with disabilities.
SIVA is the first Latvian organization to become a member of EPR alongside 30 other European organizations. EPR works in different directions, such as medical rehabilitation, education and employmant, to promote the service development for people with disabilities in Europe, thus, improving their quality of life, employment opportunities and individual indepencence in their daily lives.
“Participation in EPR is essential for experience exchange and executing the good practices of the European Union, as it helps to gain specific and in-depth knowledge to work with people with severe and very severe disabilities. By using the international experience, SIVA’s goal is to introduce the EQUASS system and improve the quality of services,” says the Director of the Social Integration State Agency, Ilona Jurševska.
SIVA is the only institution in Latvia that provides state-funded vocational rehabilitation services to persons with disabilities and foreseeable disabilities. The process includes vocational assessment and the possibility of studying one of the educational programs at SIVA College.
Partners
In order to participate in experience exchange, seek development for services, and facilitate opportunities for persons with functional disabilities to integrate into education, society, and the labor market, the SIVA cooperates with partners at the international level.
List of SIVA international partners [Paragraph opcija “Saraksta rinda”, saite uz latvisko lapu: https://www.siva.gov.lv/lv/partnerorganizacijas-0]
Publications
In order to share SIVA’s experience and good practices, SIVA specialists are actively involved in the creation of publications of international significance. This confirms SIVA's professionalism and commitment to promoting solutions in the fields of rehabilitation and social integration.