The Family Federation of Finland

1. The Family Federation of Finland Mona Jonsson, Master of Social Services, Department Manager, Child Care Unit

2. Väestöliitto • is a family organization working in the social and health sector • provides services, carries out research, influences society • has 29 member organizations • has 150 employees and 100 child-minders • has offices and clinics in Helsinki, Oulu, Turku and Tampere • founded in 1941

3. Väestöliitto’s mission A healthy, safe and balanced life begins within the family and impacts the whole society.

4. Väestöliitto’s values • Humanity • Reliability • Freedom from prejudice • Capability to cooperate • Justice

5. What we do • Our studies and services give information about people’s everyday life which facilitates predicting the risks factors • Influence decision-makers, society and public opinion • Provide valued and reliable services and expertise • International dimension

6. Strategy • Väestöliitto supports family formation and having children, parenthood, and coping with everyday life as well as good couple relationships • Väestöliitto strives to prevent the health risks and strengthen young people’s prerequisities for growth so that they would experience themselves and their bodies valuable

7. Promotes tolerance and understanding of multiculturalism by providing family centered counselling Promotes sexual health and rights nationally and globally Treats infertility, provides sexual and couple therapy, child care service and genetic counselling

8. Activities • Family policy • support for families in everyday life • parenthood • couple relationship • Sexual health and rights • especially young people and men • global dimension • Research • Medical services

9. Challenges • to influence society towards a more family friendly atmosphere • the prevention of impoverishment and marginalization • to help families cope with their every day lives • strong parenthood and presence • cooperation

10. Challenges • couple relationships – stability, skills and easy-access services • to improve young people’s sexual health and support their psycho-social well-being • to enhance cooperation in the near-neighbouring areas • secure the operational preconditions of Finnish NGOs

11. Child Care • Service since 1989 • The Child Care supports families in the capital area • Reasons for ordering support in the family: illness, social support, disability, lack of resources • Lately it’s more common for a mother to be at home during the carers’ working time – support is though given for parenthood as well

12. Clients • Families who order and pay themselves (subsidized fee) • Social welfare offices from municipalities • Employers who pay for the care of their employees sick child

13. Numbers in 2006 • The total number of service hours was 37 000 • There were 985 client families • Families were visited 6 600 times 5,54 hours/time • There were 99 workers who took care of the children

14. Significant Developments • Better Coping with Everyday Life –project 2007-2009 • ”drifting” families and Coping of Daily Life with Sequence Map - method

15. Sequence • PhD Pirjo Korvela made her research to find out what is actually relevant in everyday life of families. She found out the sequence structure of a day.

16. The four to six sequences of a day in dual-worker or single-parent families Seq. 5: Working, adults’ own time Seq. 6: Retiring for sleep Sequence 1: The morning chores for leaving home Sequence 2: Coming back home and settling down Sequence 3: Doing something together Seq. 4: Putting children to bed Night Time at work and in day care Early morning Time: (Source: Korvela, 2003)

17. Home as an activity (Korvela 2003) • Home is made and constructed with the family members actions • Other activity systems are also taking part of constructing the home

18. Drifting family excluded from the community (cf. Korvela, 2003) Instruments: Reacting the object and situations faced Outcome: Home drifting excluded from the community Subject: Family with children Object: surviving moment by moment Division of labor: Day-care-center takes care of the children during daytime, help for grandparent, friends, social workers, etc. Rules: Timetables of other aactivity systems, like work, school, day-care-center Community: Social groups family members are involved like hobbies, parish, friends, relatives, earlier homes, etc.

19. If the connections to other activity systems will cut or are cutted by the family itself, the family may start drifting and will easily exclude from the cummunity • Trust on the community makes a protective cocoon (Giddens)

20. Sequence map • A three-year-project for developing a new family work method (Funded by the Lottery Fund in 2007-2009). • Tool for reflecting not the problems but the present doings at home. • Tool for developing more structured daily rhythm based on children basic needs. • Transparent for family members and professionals.

21. Coping levels in daily life Rigid, without flexibility Running, smooth daily life Drifting, unpredictible chaos (Source: Jonsson, 2006)

22. Thank You!