Julia Kuokkanen, Senior Advisor Kaisu Muuronen, Senior Advisor 2.10.2018
Central Union for Child Welfare Armfeltintie 1, 00150 Helsinki tel. (0)9 329 6011 [email protected] | www.lskl.fi Content
• Central Union for Child Welfare (CUCW)
• Children in Finland
• Child and family policy in Finland
• Child welfare system
• Current issues and tendencies
4.6.18 www.lskl.fi CUCW (founded in 1937) is a central organisation that works as an active and uniting force in matters relating to children’s rights. We aim for a situation where children’s needs are a priority in decision- making and children’s rights are implemented in full.
94 NGO members & 39 municipalities 30 staff members
4.6.18 Programme work
Advocacy work Projects Services for members, events • Advocating policies • Opportunities in life and trainings and decision-making for everyone – a at different levels grant programme to • Services and • Statements and reduce inequality benefits for position papers (2017–2020) members • Knowledge • Focus on families! • National and local production (2018–2020) conferences, • Connections to • Other projects seminars, trainings decision-makers and carried out by and other events stakeholders external funding • Personnel training Example of advocacy work
Preparation of a national strategy for children was launched in Finland in spring 2018. The goal is to generate and conduct broad-based discussion on child and family policy and to make the Finnish society more child and family-friendly. The preparation of the strategy is based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The preparation of the strategy for children aims to support political actors and parties getting ready for the parliamentary elections of 2019 in forming a vision of future child policy.
https://stm.fi/en/child-strategy
4.6.18 www.lskl.fi Communications
• Reputation and image • Media cooperation • Visual communication • Internet communication and social media • Campaigns and projects • Communication of children’s rights • Library and information service • Child’s World magazine
4.6.18 www.lskl.fi Library and information service
• Library open for public • National and international literature, research and statistics concerning children and families • Topics e.g. status of children and families, children’s rights, child welfare and social work • 11 000 volumes • More than 100 journals • News letters: News from the field, News from the library and information service, News from the world
4.6.18 www.lskl.fi Funding
• Children’s Day Foundation (Linnanmäki Amusement Park) • STEA (Funding Centre for Social, Welfare and Health Organisations) • Child’s World magazine • Other grants (admitted by foundations) • Conferences and seminars • Publications • Member fees
4.6.18 www.lskl.fi Lastensuojelu.info http://www.lastensuojelu.info/en/
4.6.18 www.lskl.fi Communication of children’s rights
CUCW coordinates the national network focusing on the communication of children’s rights
The aim of this network is to improve awareness of children’s rights and the UNCRC in Finland
Website: Lapsenoikeudet.fi
Romania October 2016 www.lskl.fi Children in Finland Children in Finland
Families with children:
1 051 285 6,6 % of the population children in Finland at the has an immigrant backround end of 2016 Out of them 19 % are out of under 14 years of age 5 513 130 (14 % among the rest) (the population of Finland) One child Two children Three children 3+ children
4.6.18 www.lskl.fi Children’s welfare indicators - Material standard of living and safe environment to grow up (year 2015)
Of pupils in the 8th and 9th year of comprehensive school… 20,3 % 6,2 % Experienced physical violence experienced bullying at during the year 11,8 % school at least once a week Under 18 year-olds living in 9,3 % low-income families, per age- Experienced sexual violence matched population occasionally or repeatedly
65,4 % 11,2 % experienced that adults Experienced problems due to failed to stop bullying alcohol consumption by someone close to the pupil
www.lskl.fi Children’s welfare indicators - Health and well-being (year 2017)
29,8 % Does not eat school meals daily 10,2 % 23,7 % Heavy drinking at least once a month Of pupils in the Less physical exercise than one hour a 8th and 9th week year of 6,9 % comprehensive 12,2 % Daily smokers school… Experiences moderate or severe anxiety ... 7,9 % 18,9 % Has experimented with illegal drugs at least Are overweight once
www.lskl.fi Children’s welfare indicators - School and learning (year 2015)
43,9 % Experiences that teachers are not interested in how the pupil is doing (year 2017) 37,4 % Experiences that pupils' opinions are not taken into consideration in school work development Of pupils in the 8,3% 8th and 9th year 27,7 % 17–24-year-olds not in of comprehensive Experiences that teachers do not encourage education or training, per school… pupils to express their opinions in class (year age-matched population 2017) 26,1 % Experiences problems with school work environment
www.lskl.fi National child wellbeing indictors - Family, leisure time and social engagement (year 2015)
Of year 8 and Year 9 pupils… 38,8 % 7,9 % 54,2 % “I do not know how I can Communication difficulties with No shared family mealtimes in effect change at school” parents (year 2017) afternoon or evening
www.lskl.fi Child and family policy in Finland In Finland investments in childhood account for 3.2% of the GDP (European average 2.4%). It is 10% of all social expenditure and over €1200 per Finnish citizen. (Year 2015) Child and family support
• Children have the basic right for support and protection
• Parents or guardians are primarily responsible for a child’s upbringing and care
• Officials are obliged to offer help for the parents in this responsibility
• If parents are unable to take care of their children’s wellbeing, child welfare services are obliged to intervene
www.lskl.fi Model on welfare regimes and child welfare systems Hetherington (2002); Welfare Regime `Social democratic´ `Conservative´ `Liberal`
Child welfare system `Family service State service Nordic countries orientation´ • Parental support • Therapeutic/need assessment • Prevention • Partnetship
Subsidiarity Continental Europien countries `Child • Sanctioning English-speaking protection • Legalistic/inestigative countries orientation´ • Protection/harm reduction • Adversarial Child Focus The individual childs needs Etunimi Sukunimi 5.10.2018 www.lskl.fi Step by step strengthening support and services for the families Child and family- specific child welfare (child protection) Social welfare services • Community care, taking • Family work, family child into care etc. counseling, social work, Basic services and substance abuse services, preventive measures etc. • Early education, school, maternity and child health clinics • NGO`s acitivites (peer support, voluntary work, etc.)
4.6.18 www.lskl.fi Public sector supports families with children
Basic services Financial assistance Family leave system - Reconciliation of work and family life Maternal and health clinics Maternity grants/a cash lump sum Maternity leave and maternity or a maternity pack allowance Early Childhood education & care Child benefit Parental leave and parental allowance Schools, school health care and Housing support Paternity leave and paternity pupil welfare allowance Dental care Social assistance Child care leave Child guidance and family *** Partial child care leave counselling clinics Youth work Child home care allowance/ partial care allowance Family centers Private day-care care allowance
4.6.18 www.lskl.fi Child and family policy in Finland
4.6.18 Maternity & child health clinics
The clinics: • Offer medical examination for pregnant women and children under school age 99,8 % • Give family support, with of pregnant women attended the attention to relationships maternity clinic and parenting • Provide home visits by a public health nurse before and after the birth of a child • Try to identify problems 99,6 % affecting families with small of all children in Finland attend a children at an early stage child health clinic and to arrange for appropriate help
4.6.18 www.lskl.fi Maternity package
The maternity package contains baby clothes as well as care products and materials. It is updated yearly in response to feedback from clients. There are altogether 50 different items in the box. Multiple-birth families get additional maternity grants. Since 1949, the maternity grant was made available to all mothers.
4.6.18 www.lskl.fi Education In Finland it is a fundamental shared value to guarantee a high-quality education to all. It is the most effective way to prevent transmission of exclusion and poverty to the next generation.
Our teachers are highly educated at university and the whole education is free, including school meals. Compulsory education until the age of 17.
Studying at university is also free. Meals for students are subsidized. Study grant to cover living costs and other expenses.
4.6.18 www.lskl.fi Child and family specific welfare (child protection) Child welfare in Finland (Kemppainen & Mikkola, modified by CUCW) Aim is to protect children’s rights to a safe growth environment, to balanced and well-rounded development and to special protection The best interests of a child
Enhancing children’s well- Universal services/ being Preventive child welfare Preventive services
Social Welfare Act that entered into force on 1 April 2015. Community based services Child-specific and family-specific child welfare/Child Alternative care protection
After care
4.6.18 www.lskl.fi Child and family specific services according to the Child Welfare Act 2007 • Consist of • An investigation of the need for child welfare measures • Provision of support in community-based care • Placement as a support intervention • Emergency placement • Taking the child into care • Alternative care • After-care (especially for 18–21 years of age) • Client relationship begins either • By application, or • By notification (mandatory reporting), or • A child welfare worker becomes aware of a child who may be in need of CW
4.6.18 www.lskl.fi Children and young people placed outside the home, of which children taken into care and children in emergency placement, 1991–2017*
4.6.18 www.lskl.fi Clients in community-based child welfare interventions and children and young people placed outside the home in 1996–2017*
4.6.18 www.lskl.fi Families that have recieved inhome support
Central Union for Child Welfare www.lskl.fi Why are child welfare services needed?
Family living conditions Child´s condition oSubstance abuse o oHealth related problems Health related problems o o Problems at school Issues in parenting, o everyday life and social Problems at home o interaction Social interaction o oChild’s care is neglected Substance abuse o Criminal oViolence actions/offending o Custodial conflicts o Runaway oCriminal activities
Central Union for Child Welfare www.lskl.fi Current issues and tendencies Current issues and tendencies
• Polarisation of well-being and • Increased need for reactive child increase of poverty of families and family specific services with children • Increased amount of older children (12+) • Huge reforms ongoing or under • Foster care – residential care discussion • Greater sensitivity to the child’s • The regional government, health and participation and personal needs social services reform • National programme 2016–2018 for child and family services • The reform of social security • The reform of parental leave and allowance
www.lskl.fi The regional government, health and social services reform
• Legislation and budget State • Nationwide guidance and counselling
• At the moment: Specialized medical care Health and Social Services County • In the future?: all social- Reform and health care, incl. child health clinics and child - Pros and Cons: protection + Wider shoulders - Fragmentation of child and At the moment: social and healthcare(basic), family services education, day care, Municipality hobbies Effects of marketization In the future: Education, ????? day care, hobbies www.lskl.fi Integration of services
Counties will organise all health and social services for children Intensive specialised child and families and coordinate the protection services Intensive preventive substance services of different providers into Intensive abuse services efficient and customer-oriented psychiatric services for children and care and service chains. adolescents Child protection Services for people Specialised Services for Intensive medical care under services for persons with criminal immigrants and disabilities sanctions Family centre Support for wellbeing of children asylum model and adolescents at school seekers Welfare clinics, family work Early childhood education School and student health care Digital services Psychologists and school social Services provided by organisations, workers parishes and peers Prefects and tutoring Customer-centered collaboration, Services for couples considering divorce The KiVa Koulu antibullying project efficient flow of information, interoperable systems
4.6.18 www.lskl.fi Family center service network
Support from special services, consultations and outreach services
Social services for Health services for families with families with children children - incl. maternity and child - Family work, home help, health clinics, doctor´s and social work for families psychologist´s services, with children, child physio and speech therapy guidance and family counselling Child and family Early childhood Activities and education, other services of NGO activities fostering organisations and health and welfare in parishes the municipality
4.6.18 www.lskl.fi Family centre’s in Helsinki https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIGPD8Iih gk Thank You – Kiitos!
4.6.18 www.lskl.fi