Prevention, collaboration key in family services

Preventive measures and early support for children, young people and families is paramount in the dispatch of family services, said Annika Saarikko, the Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services.

The Minister on Friday received the final report on reduction of the burden of child protection and future undertakings on the development of child protection from Aulikki Kananoja, said an official government press release.

In the future the focus should move to the direction where family work is focused on good services at the basic level rather than remedial services.

In practice this means close cooperation between the social and health services and the education system.

“This is likely to reduce the need for child protection when families and children receive help in time. The family center model based on a network of services has widely spread during this government's tenure. Already in the municipalities we can see positive signs of increased investments in early support," said Saarikko.

The minister added that even though child protection still needs to be developed further as the report shows, already the change for the better can be seen. As part of the Sipilä's government framework of the program for the development of child and family services, a new team-based approach within child protection was piloted last year, Saarikko revealed.

The idea of the model is to enable the social worker and their supporting team to work more closely with the child and the family. The team also encompasses family therapeutic skills.