Latvia: Discussion on pilot project for integrated care for minors with drug dependence

27.01.2026 - A working meeting took place at the Ministry of Health on Thursday, 22 January, with representatives of the Children’s Clinical University Hospital, the Ministry of Welfare, the Ministry of Justice and the Riga City Council to discuss the progress of the pilot project “Integrated approach – improving service accessibility for minors who excessively use addictive substances”.

Within the pilot project, institutions and sector specialists jointly test a patient centred care model. Its aim is to ensure continuous treatment and support after acute care, reducing service interruptions for minors with mental or behavioural disorders linked to psychoactive substance use.

Since 1 September 2025, a multidisciplinary team has been established at the Children’s Hospital. It is currently the only team of this kind in Latvia. At the same time, the motivation programme at Ģintermuiža has been extended, and from 1 January 2026 an additional motivation programme has started at the psychoneurological hospital Ainaži. The pilot project includes cooperation with social services and law enforcement institutions. Specialists involved also apply internationally recognised methods in work with minors who use addictive substances, including the adolescent community reinforcement approach ACRA.

Representatives of the Children’s Hospital emphasised that unified principles and a clearly defined patient pathway are essential for ensuring an individual approach. The patient pathway includes a comprehensive assessment of health and social situation, including a brief clinical interview in line with the methodological material for clinical assessment of minors using psychoactive substances. Since the start of the pilot project, such assessments have been carried out for 107 minors.

The discussion identified further development directions, stressing the need to continue targeted expert level work on the identified challenges in order to achieve clear, coordinated and practically implementable solutions, including in particularly complex situations.

The pilot project will run until 31 December 2027.

Each year around 200 minors receive narcological care due to mental and behavioural disorders caused by psychoactive substance use excluding alcohol. Most of these young people receive help for the first time. In 2024 there were 174 such children, including 107 first time cases. In these cases, the main diagnoses were intoxication with psychoactive substances and harmful excessive use, which is more common among boys than girls.

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Source: Ministry of Health, Latvia