Letter from The Lithuanian Association of Social Workers

November 11, 2020 socialWEN Actualities

The Lithuanian Association of Social Workers expresses its support for the opinion of the Latvian Association of Social Workers against the involvement of social workers in the administration of social insurance contributions.

On November 11, 2020, the Latvian Association of Social Workers received a letter from the Lithuanian Association of Social Workers in which the Lithuanian Association of Social Workers calls on politicians not to include in legal norms such requirements that would cause social workers to violate the principles of professional ethics. The Association points out that this idea of draft law (that municipal social services will have to participate in the process of administration of compulsory social insurance contributions, assessing whether the self-employed qualify for non-payment of the minimum compulsory contributions for the previous quarter) contradicts the essence and values of social work, as set out in the Declaration of Ethical Principles of Social Work.
The norm included in the draft law, which stipulates the requirement for persons who do not need social assistance and social services to force to turn to social work specialists in order to qualify for benefits for the payment of minimum social insurance contributions, is assessed as institutional violence and violation of people’s right to self-determination.
The Lithuanian Association of Social Workers calls on politicians not to include in the legal norms requirements that would cause social workers to violate the principles of professional ethics.