Mother sues Riga City Council after her child's care assistant is replaced
A woman is challenging in court the Riga Social Service's decision to replace her child's longtime care assistant, while the municipality claims the family may have tried to use the state-funded service as free babysitting.
Riga's Social Service has replaced a care assistant who had long supported a family's child, citing concerns that the assistant and the family had grown too close, which the service says compromised the assistant's ability to perform her professional duties.
The mother has refused to accept the decision and taken the matter to court, arguing that this particular assistant provided the best support her child had received and that replacing her threatens the safety and stability the child needs on a daily basis.
The municipality's account
Riga City Council has presented a different picture of events in the court proceedings. In materials submitted to the court, municipal representatives suggested the mother may have been using the state-funded assistant service not for its intended purpose, but effectively as free childcare — a use that would contradict the program's actual goal of supporting a child with special needs rather than substituting for parental duties.
As the legal dispute has unfolded, it has gradually revealed a more complicated situation within the family, leading to significant developments in their daily life. The source material does not specify the exact circumstances behind these developments.
The case remains before the court, with both the mother and the municipality maintaining their respective versions of events.
