Liepāja court gets daily reports of parents intoxicated around children

Liepāja’s guardianship court receives reports every day about parents allegedly using intoxicating substances in front of their children, LSM reported, citing TV Kurzeme. The reports raise concerns about risks to children’s health and safety.

A week ago, police went to an apartment building in the city after neighbours reported a heavily intoxicated woman and a child who had been crying for a long time. The woman could not open the door, so firefighters broke a window to enter. Police said she appeared to be very drunk but refused an alcohol test.

Authorities decided to remove the one-year-old child and place him with a relative, while the mother was taken to a medical facility. The family has two children, aged one and 14. It had not previously come to the authorities’ attention, although there may have been warning signs, police said.

Proceedings have been opened to suspend the parents’ custody rights to both children because of the risk to their safety. The children are now with their parents after the father returned from work abroad. The family’s future will depend on the parents’ willingness to work with social services and address their problems, officials said.

“There are grounds to believe that the younger child’s safety is at risk, because he cannot protect himself in any way and is entirely dependent on his caregiver,” said Taiga Ziemele, chair of the Liepāja guardianship court.

The court has seen other similar cases. In August, another mother appeared heavily intoxicated during a TikTok livestream, and her children were removed from the family. The court has since received a request to restore her custody rights. The request says she is working to address her problems and that it would be safe for the children to return home.