FAMILIES AND CHILDREN - ARABIA/TOUKOLA - (Vivian C, Joey, Hanna, Alex, Maarit, Binod, Shobhana, Santosh)

1. ISW: Arabia/Toukola
Focus group:
Children & Families
Group: Alex, Binod,
Hanna, Joey, Maarit,
Santosh & Shobhana

2. Municipal (public) Services for Families With Children in Helsinki
Families and children
Maternity
and child
health
guidance
*link*
School and
student
health care
*link*
Home help
and work
with families
*link*
Assessment
and
therapeutic
services
*link*
Child welfare
*link*
Family law
services
*link*
Family
counselling
*link*

3. Daycare and Preschool Options in Helsinki
Families with children 0-
6 years
Daycare in
municipal
centres
*link*
Daycare in
private
centers
*link*
Language
oriented
private
daycare
*link*
Family
daycare-
small groups
in a home-
like
environment
*link*
Homecare or
hiring a
nanny in the
family’s
home
*link*
Preschool
*link*
Playgrounds
Playgroups
*link*

4. Daycare and Preschool Centres - Arabia/Toukola
Municipal daycare
center and preschool
Floora
*link*
Municipal daycare
center and preschool
Aalto
*link*
Municipal daycare
center and preschool
Arabia
*link*
Municipal daycare
center and preschool
Loiske
*link*
Municipal daycare
center and preschool
Koivikko
*link*
Municipal daycare
center Marjala
*link*
Municipal daycare
center and preschool
Nurmikko
*link*
Municipal
(svenskspråkig)
daycare center Sesam
*link*
Private daycare center
Mörrintupa
*link*
Private daycare center
Arabianhelmi
*link*

5. Services for Families and Children – Private
sector
Music for children
in Arabia/Toukola
http://www.paavalinmu
siikkikoulu.fi/
Private clubs/groups subsidized with service
voucher in Helsinki
http://www.hel.fi/www/Helsinki/en/day-care-
education/play/supported/application-and-service-voucher/private-
clubs
http://toninkerhot.yhteystietopalvelu.com/index.php?page=1
http://www.muusikameri.fi/

6. Services for Families and Children - Third
sector
The Family Federation
http://www.vaestoliitto.fi/in_english/
http://www.vaestoliitto.fi/in_english/family_service
s/
http://www.vaestoliitto.fi/in_english/family_service
s/for-couples/
Mannerheim League for Child Welfare
http://www.mll.fi/en/
Arabia/Toukola local association (Finnish)
https://mllarabianranta.wordpress.com/
MLL Arabianranta on facebook (Finnish)
https://www.facebook.com/MLLArabianranta/
Church
https://evl.fi/EVLen.nsf/Documents/E93E9D2F3B1D
6841C2257C2B0034C238?OpenDocument&lang=EN
https://www.helsinginseurakunnat.fi/seurakunnat/p
aavali/toiminta/juniorityo7-14-vuotiaat_0.html
Helsinki Pop Jazz Conservatory
http://www.popjazz.fi/in-english/
http://www.popjazz.fi/hae-
opiskelemaan/musiikkileikkikoulu/

7. Main principles of child welfare in Finland
(Child Welfare Act: Chapter 1, Section 4)
• to promote the child’s development and well-being
• to support parents and other custodians in the child’s upbringing
and care
• to prevent problems and intervene when necessary
http://childprotectionresource.online/child-protection-in-finland/
Accessed on: 17/10/2016

8. Social work continues to answer the call of helping the most vulnerable
people in society by acting as a safety net to those who otherwise
would suffer significant harm. Although social workers today would not
regard themselves as agents of morality, in many respect their tasks
and priorities are guided by the legal mandate, which is in effect the
moral framework that society has defined for them.
Akhtar, 2013, p. 40

9. The Interviews
• Social Advisor, Family Unit, Helsinki Municipality, Arabia/Toukola
• Kindergarten Teacher
• School Psychologist (children)
• Managing Director of Kotisisar

10. Descriptions of Work & Professional Roles
• Focusing on collective & individual care (Psychologist)
• Co-operation skills are the core of social work. I need to come to terms with
our customers and partners. I can, for example, give advice for babies’ sleeping
problems and difficulties with “terrible twos”, but if parent for some reason
does not want to come along to make a change in one’s behavior, there is
nothing I can do. When necessary, I can guide the parent to other services (for
example services for mental health, parents’ relationship, family counselling)
but if the parent does not want to go, I can’t force him/her. (Social Advisor)
• Helping the service user in the personal level: providing child care, helping with
household chores (Kotisisar Manager)
• I take care of 3-4 years old children. My primarily role is to create caring,
fulfilled and safe environment for the children where they learn through play.
The enjoyable aspect of my work is being able to be creative, active and play
along with the kids (Kindergarten Teacher)

11. Independence & Co-operation at Work
• I have meetings with teachers about pedagogy, working at 4 different
schools (a different one every day), cooperation with teachers, the
curator, for students that need special support, and groups
(Psychologist)
• Very independent, working with clients by oneself. A possibility to
work in pairs with the most challenging families. Co-operation with
colleagues or co-operatives varies from 0 meetings to 6 or 7. Service
users have contacts to other social service providers like family
councelling, home service, financial support, therapeutical work with
families with a babies and the psychiatric hospital. With the service
user’s permission we are allowed to contact those other service
providers as well (Social Advisor)

12. Independence, continued
• Working independently as a service provider with the clients, but I may
work in co-operation with public sectors and 3rd sector if necessary
(with 3rd sector they work in indirect co-operation.) (Kotisisar
Manager)
• We are a team of 3 kindergarten teachers: we are inclined to make
joint decisions. However we have our own weeks where we have full
independence to plan curriculum for the whole week. I would say
50/50 on teamwork and on independence. We adhere to general rules
for us and for the children. We simply can’t have independent rules
from three different teachers for the children or even for us.
(Kindergarten Teacher)

13. Working community
• There are three other social advisers in my closest working
community. Two of us works always in the same area but depending
on the work situation we are allowed to help each other over the
borders. In total there are 28 social advisors for the families with
children in Helsinki area (Social Adviser)
• Cooperation with the service user in a daily basis to maintain the
communication and make the work easier. (Kotisisar Manager)
• My main colleagues are 2, however we have total staffs of about 20
people (Kindergarten Teacher)

14. video

15. Service User Profiles
• Children between the ages of 6-12 (School Psychologist)
• From families expecting a baby to families with school children. Usually
families have a problem of some kind and therefore they are in a need for
help. For example parents may have problem with mental health, like
depression, a thing that makes everyday routines difficult. Tiredness
among families with little babies and a need for support is one of the
reasons to seek for help as well as problems with the parent’s relationship
and difficulties with children at the age of the terrible twos (Social Advisor)
• Children from age 3-6 years, from different countries and ethnicities. In broad
aspect their families are also our service users (Kindergarten Teacher)

16. Time Spent with Service Users
• Often meet with students 4 or 5 times, sometimes much
more or even the whole year (School Psychologist)
• Varies: I may see some families only 1-2 times and with
some other families I may work for many years. The
average working period is couple of months. The length is
often dependent on the reason why families were in a need
for help (Social Advisor)
• Depends on the child on a daily basis, and how long s/he
will be with us, max. 3 years. (Kindergarten Teacher)

17. The Objective of Work
• Often focus on the clients’ wellbeing (Psychologist)
• To empower the service users in a way that they don’t need help
(making service user independent) in future. (Kotisisar)
• The most important thing in my work is a genuine encounter and
concern for people and their affairs. I can influence only to things
that service user wants to come along and participate. (Social
Advisor)
• The kids are left in our care with trust therefore ensuring their
safety is very important. Each child is different therefore their needs
separate from one another. It is essential to understand individual
needs of the children and support them. (Kindergarten Teacher)

18. Means of Intervention
• I’ve worked for many years in child welfare. Due to that I am very
well networked: I know people from financial support, family
counselling, therapeutic work with babies and children’s daycare. It
is easy for me to get advice from these sources and that helps me
with my customer’s affairs. (Social Advisor)
• Student meetings, possibility to use psychological measures or
tests, parent meetings, documenting meetings (Psychologist)
• Planning age appropriate curriculum where the children grow and
learn psychological, physical, linguistic and social skills are major
aspects of my work. (Kindergarten Teacher)

19. What Do the Social Workers Hope to Achieve
Through Their Work?
• Ensuring children’s happiness, sound health and safety in
daycare and at home (Kindergarten Teacher)
• My Motto is: Start from where the person is, not from
where You hope or assume they are (Social Advisor)
• Peace in the family which promotes the well being and
proper growth of the child. (Kotisisar Manager)

20. Experts (in social work) had specific characteristcs. They had a sound
understanding of legislation, policy and procedures, as one would
expect but, somehow, they practiced in a way that was more than
simply the sum of these skills. They worked flexibly and intuitively;
constantly expanding their pool of knowledge and experience and
using this to go and develop their own theories about their work.
Akhtar, 2013, p. 64

21. Describing a Good Day at Work
• Meetings with teachers and other co-workers, meeting students (usually 3
or 4 everyday), documenting the meetings, parental contact (close working
partner), writing reports based on tests/meetings. (School Psychologist)
• A good day is when learning that a child who had major issues few months’
back shows signs of improvement. A good day is a day when families
appreciate your work. A good day can also be when a child gives you a card
that she took sometime to draw (Kindergarten Teacher)
• For example, today I have managed to solve customer's affairs with many
cooperation partners on the phone (child welfare, financial support,
congregation, home service). In a good working day, in a meeting with my
customer, my customer realizes something that helps him/her to proceed in
solving his/her problem (Social Advisor)

22. What Kind of Service Users Are the Nicest to
Work with?
• In context of kind of families that I personally like are the
ones who are cooperative with the daycare staff
(Kindergarten Teacher)
• Those who have come to us from their own will and they
have motivation also to help themselves (Social Advisor)

23. What Kind of Positive Feedback Have They
Received?
• I have been given feedbacks from my boss that I have been
able to have warm relationships with children, families and
my colleagues (Kindergarten Teacher)
• Customers have given me feedback that I have helped them
with things that they have not been able to solve
themselves. The have also told me that I am an easy person
to discuss and contact (Social Advisor)

24. The Biggest Learning Moments
• If you open yourself up to learn, you learn everyday from
small incidents, from your colleagues, from yourself. But if
you have an attitude that you know everything then you
really are your own hurdle to go further in life.
• You don’t have to know everything
• I learned to be patient, to be kind.
• It is okay to ask questions
• Don’t judge and assume about the service user before
meeting them

25. Ethical issues
Barnskyddslagen / Child Protection Act clarity issue:
where is the line when it comes to issues. For example
parents drinking (amounts, frequency) , and when one
should to make contact with authorities Psychologist)

26. Bureacracy and Legislation
• Helsinki city is reorganizing psychological care for
students
• There is likely to be changes on the organizational or
administrative level which could affect the work
• Elevvårdslagen—Student care law Issue: it’s not
always easy to read or apply because it’s very broad
and not specific (Psychologist)

27. What Advice Do the
Professionals Give to Students?
• If you want to face a person, always start in the encounter, not in the task.
• Be interested in the customer. Do not be a Know-it-all, do not push advice
if it is not asked.
• Finnish language is very much important, don’t Judge or assume, listen,
help
• Be patient and listen, read between the lines - this is a piece of an advice
that I nowadays give also to myself.
• Leave to the customer one’s own responsibility. Work, but also have trust
into person’s own strength.

28. Advice, continued
• I often ask the service user this question: Do you have any idea of the way
this problem could be solved? The service user often has some kind of an
idea. For a long time I thought that I have to be the one to be able solve
the problems on behalf of the service user. That is something that I have
tried to get rid of because it is very exhausting and frustrating.
• Be merciful to yourself: Everyone can not helped or the service may not
be needed just now.
• Every encounter with service users will produce more and more know-
how to you and develop your workmanship.

29. Advice, continued
• Make it a point to learn Finnish language if you want to work in Finland.
• You have to be prepared to face families who can be rude and
demanding in one hand and in another hand there are helpless families
that you want to do so much but you cannot.
• You have to be able to be a strong person to be able to stand for
yourself if you want to be taken seriously, and because you will come
face to face with hard life situations of some families and it can wear
you out.
• As a person working in a social field you need to have a sense of
empathy but also learning to find a boundary where you are able to
leave work at work.

30. A Brighter Future in Social Work
• Maybe increase kindergarten teachers’ salaries
• More people should have support families and those support
families were conjured from somewhere :)
• More consideration in the customer charges => services could
be very affordable/free of charge to families in difficult
situations.
• There would couples therapy more easily and it would last
longer. No queues to family counselling.
• When needed, people could have an appointment with the
family law services earlier.
• People could have the help they need much faster and that it
wouldn’t be very expensive

31. Synthesis from Our Group
• Social workers still need more resources.
• There are very skilled and motivated people working with families.
• There are both opportunities and challenges in the field.
• Broad range of approaches exists in the field.
• The services are spread out and somewhat difficult to find.
• Children and families are extensively taken care of by the three sectors
combined. No one should fall under the safety net.
• Social workers are committed to connecting with and helping people
while taking into consideration the person’s own will, situation,
personality and pace.

32. Learning Points
We learned:
• to use our personal strengths, interests and connections
• to trust one another
• to use different methods to communicate
• to take responsibility for ourselves in the end
• the initial information and brief was perceived differently
• it is a plain fact that organising times to meet is challenging
• contacting organisations and getting interviews is a challenge
• groupworking is a skill – but also enjoyable

33. Bibliography
Akhtar, F. (2013). Mastering Social Work Values and Ethics.
Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Davies, M. (Ed.) (2008). The Blackwell Companion to Social Work. 3rd. Edition.
Blackwell Publishing.
Gray, M. & Webb, S. (Ed.) (2010). Ethics and Value Perspectives in Social Work.
Palgrave Macmillan.
http://childprotectionresource.online/child-protection-in-finland/
Accessed on: 17/10/2016
http://stm.fi/en/article/-/asset_publisher/lastensuojelun-periaatteet- suomessa
Accessed on: 17/10/2016

34. Ethical dilemmas discussion
We have only one emergency appointment at the family social centre
before the summer holiday. Who would you give it to?
A. A teenager suddenly starts using heavy drugs.
B. Poor single parent who has absolutely no means to support her family, kids
6 and 8
C. Divorce & depression of parent of 3 kids,1,2 and 5 years. One parent has
full custody, and has a lot of problems but doesn’t let the other see the
children.
D. One parent is mentally abusing the other parent, they have a child aged 12
who is showing signs of great stress and mental disturbance
E. Emotionally abandoned one-year-old baby, one parent has no approach to