SOS Children’s Villages Finland: Economically sustainable family wellbeing in
partnership with municipalities .
Kati Palsanen4.1.2016
The problems we are trying to solve
• 20% of families account for 60-80% of social welfare costs.
• Current services focus on corrective measures, instead of working preventively.
• Family welfare services are dispersed, which hinders holistic, effective and sustainable service solutions.
The SOS Children’s Villages approach
Supporting families is not essentially a question of resources. One family may be surrounded by tens of professionals. According to our research, a family in need of support has an average 6 different services / family.
The problem will not be solved by improving child protection services, but needs to be seen within a larger framework of wellbeing.
The agile management of resources for timely and effective services for families will be central.
Adoptive, early and preventive services form the backbone of our thinking.
What do we do differently?
An established and simplistic model is not enough to cover the wellbeing framework.
Developing a cost-effective and efficient as well as agile model, offering unique solutions when needed.
Development of a new partnership model for increasing the impact and cost effectiveness of family welfare services.
Framework for developing wellbeing
New ideas and plans for communal challenges will strengthen the communities’ ability to learn and continuously improve its operations.
Family welfare basic services close to the family’s own habitat. Support is easily approachable and available through basic services.
A new way of organising know-how seeks impact, cost effectiveness and strengthened wellbeing of families in the municipality.We have created a new partnership model for supporting families in need of diverse know-how.
GOAL
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Communities need to incorporate physical education, youth and cultural services as well as businesses in the framework of developing family wellbeing.
SOS Children’s Villages, a partner for family wellbeing
• SOS Children’s Villages Finland wants to be at the forefront of promoting services that enhance the wellbeing of children, youth and families as well as strong municipalities.
• Co-operation with Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra’s Social Impact Investment project.
• Co-operation with the Finnish Government’s programme for the development of child and family services.
• Our first partner is the city of Varkaus (22 000 inhabitants), where we are jointly renewing child and family services. Based on extensive research we have developed a new model for the management of resources which will gradually begin to be implemented at the beginning of 2016. The partnership between the city of Varkaus and SOS Children’s Villages Finland will last at least until the end of 2020.
• Co-operation has started with several other municipalities to develop similar partnerships.
