Dear editorial team, I would like to draw attention to the problem of sending documents to the Social Service's email.
I periodically help people who cannot do it themselves in communication with the Social Service. I have repeatedly encountered situations where an email with documents is sent, but there is neither a confirmation of receipt nor a message that the letter was not delivered. Later, the person comes for an appointment, and the employee cannot find the documents that were supposed to be sent in advance by email, as required by the Social Service's instructions. If I happened to encounter a truly caring, compassionate worker, they would call me during the visit and ask me to resend the documents.
It is clear that the situation with supposedly untimely submitted documents can lead to unpleasant consequences for the client of the Social Service.
For example, if the Social Service does not have a contract with the management company of a specific building (there is definitely one with RNP, but I do not know about others), then a person receiving housing benefits is required to report on paid bills every month by the 20th. If they do not submit the report on time—either in person or by email—they will not receive money the following month. And this is not the only area where confirmation of receipt of documents is critically important.
Lack of Information
The vast majority of social workers still have the mindset that people must come in person: "Come on such and such a date," "Sign up by phone," or "Sign up with the registrar."
Even a year after the introduction of electronic registration, most people did not even know that they could register and send documents by email because the workers on the ground did not inform them about this possibility!
Most of these are elderly people. Perhaps the workers believe that such people cannot use email, and therefore do not even inform them about this option? However, many elderly people actively use email, many have relatives who can help, and some even have an electronic signature.
At the same time, just because they were not informed about the possibility of submitting documents electronically, they continue to come in person. Meanwhile, social workers have a very heavy workload. Yet, it could significantly simplify life for both the workers and their clients.
Optimal Solution
If the problem occurs regularly, it indicates a systemic issue. This suggests that management has not provided clear, detailed, and understandable instructions for the workers themselves, nor information to pass on to clients. The simplest solution is to prepare a clear instruction in "human language" and provide it to clients in printed form (preferably in large font).
The more people submit documents electronically, the faster the processing of applications will occur. This will significantly free up social workers' time, as they will not have to fill out documents on-site with clients.
Filling out a declaration on the website Latvija.lv is actually not that difficult, especially if a person lives alone. The system uploads most of the information itself. The main thing is that the client is given clear instructions. And if a person also has an electronic signature, they do not need to come to the Social Service at all—applications can be sent by email (for example, an application for the calculation or recalculation of housing benefits).
As a result, social workers will free up a significant amount of time for their main work, rather than for paperwork. For example, at the branch of the Social Service on Hanzas Street, on the first working day of the year, the appointment time was pushed back by an hour (!). People had to sit and wait because the workers were busy processing documents.
It is also important to relieve the reception because transitioning to electronic document submission would free up at least 15 additional minutes for each specialist per client.
Currently, the process looks like this:
• a person enters, • takes out their ID, • pulls out bills and payment slips, • fills out papers, • the worker checks the data, • the worker scans the documents.
Even such a "simple" visit takes about 15 minutes. If these actions were transferred to an electronic format, some clients would not need to come in person at all, and the worker could use their working time more effectively on the remaining clients.
Intended for the Best
Ruta Chaika, Deputy Head of the Riga Social Service:
– It is likely that the letter describes a situation where a client sends documents to the department's email address that do not require registration (receipts, bank account statements). These documents are not processed by employees in advance, and automatic responses to these emails are not sent. Unfortunately, received emails are often not identifiable, as the message contains only attachments and the purpose of the message is not indicated.
As for communication with the Social Service in general, it is already stated at the very beginning on the homepage of the Riga Social Service that for more convenient and faster information exchange, as well as for obtaining services, we recommend using electronic means of communication. In particular, email: soc@riga.lv.
If a client sends documents to this email address, the system automatically sends them a notification that their email has been received by the Riga Social Service.
From the Editorial Office
The website of the Riga Social Service indeed contains a recommendation to use electronic means of communication as the most convenient, saving time for both the client and the employee. However, judging by the reader's letter, problems in this type of communication—despite all its advantages—do exist. Therefore, we urge the Service to at least pay attention to this issue, and ideally—resolve it.
