Session Profile: Kersti Sarapuu
15th Riigikogu, 4th session, plenary session
2024-09-17
Political Position
The political position focuses on the systemic problem of funding social services. The most critical issue is the barriers to assigning support persons for children with special needs, which stem from local government budget shortfalls, despite the availability of service providers. The position is solution-oriented and stresses the necessity of ensuring parents have the opportunity to enter the workforce.
1 Speeches Analyzed
Topic Expertise
The speaker demonstrates expertise in the organization of social services, highlighting a specific problem regarding the funding of support person services for children with special needs. They refer to direct contact with parents who are prevented from going to work, and identify funding as the main bottleneck affecting service accessibility.
1 Speeches Analyzed
Rhetorical Style
The rhetorical style is polite and respectful, beginning with an expression of gratitude to the Chancellor of Justice for the insightful overview. The tone is concerned and solution-oriented, employing both personal experience (interactions with parents) and logical arguments (parents are taxpayers). The speech concludes with a direct question regarding how to find a solution.
1 Speeches Analyzed
Activity Patterns
The speaker is active during the Riigikogu plenary session, posing questions to the Chancellor of Justice. They also reference prior intensive work and engagement with constituents, noting that they "had extensive contact this year" with such parents.
1 Speeches Analyzed
Opposition Stance
A direct confrontation is not expressed, but criticism is aimed at local governments' inability to fund the service, which prevents parents from returning to work. The problem is financial and systemic, not personal.
1 Speeches Analyzed
Collaboration Style
The style of cooperation is open and institutional, respectfully approaching the Chancellor of Justice to find a joint solution to the complex funding issue. The objective is to collaborate with the senior official to find a path toward improving service accessibility.
1 Speeches Analyzed
Regional Focus
The focus is on local-level problems, emphasizing the role of municipalities and their failure to guarantee social services due to insufficient funds. No specific region is named, but the emphasis is placed on municipal activities and local taxpayers.
1 Speeches Analyzed
Economic Views
Economic perspectives directly link the funding of social services to employment, emphasizing that the lack of support specialists prevents parents, who are taxpayers in the local government, from entering the workforce. Public funding is supported, as it increases labor force participation and the overall economic contribution.
1 Speeches Analyzed
Social Issues
The main social issue revolves around supporting children with special needs and ensuring the social and economic inclusion of their parents. The focus is on the availability of personal support worker services as a vital social measure, enabling parents to fulfill both their caregiving responsibilities and their professional duties.
1 Speeches Analyzed
Legislative Focus
The legislative focus is currently aimed at improving the funding model for social services to eliminate barriers in the provision of personal support services. The objective is to find a practical solution to the existing political problem stemming from the lack of funds in local municipalities.
1 Speeches Analyzed