Finnish Social Protection System

1
Finnish Social Protection System

• Provides basic security and income related
  benefits in order to maintain a reasonable level
  of subsistence in situations of risk
• Basic elements
• preventive social and health policy
• social and health care services
• social insurance

2
Finnish Social Protection System

• Built on the model of Nordic welfare
• the principle of universality
• a strong public sector with a monitoring and
  steering role by the state
• tax funding
• citizens/residents rights are grounded in
  legislation
• everyone is treated equally
• social benefits of a relatively high level

3
Finnish Social Protection System

• I Preventive social and health policy
• primary health care
• environmental health care
• occupational health care
• maternity and child welfare services
• prevention of social exclusion

4
Finnish Social Protection System

• II Social and health care services
• social work guidance, counseling and
  investigation of problems by qualified social
  workers
• conciliation in family matters, child guidance
  and family counseling
• child welfare
• day care arrangements
• welfare for persons with disabilities
• home help services

5
Finnish Social Protection System

• II Social and health care services cont.
• primary health care in the health centers
• specialist medical care in the hospitals
• child health clinics
• school and student health care
• occupational health care
• medical rehabilitation
• environmental health care

6
Finnish Social Protection System

• III Social insurance
• sickness
• pensions
• unemployment benefits
• additional social insurance through private
  funding

7
Finnish Social Welfare- social and health care
services

• Municipalities (431) are responsible for
  providing social and health care services
• Services can be produced by
• the municipality itself
• forming joint municipal boards together with one
  or more neighboring municipalities
• procuring them from outside, f eg another
  municipality, a private service provider or a NGO
• Services are funded with
• local taxes levied by the municipalities and
• subsidies allocated to the municipalities by the
  state
• client fees

8
Finnish Social Welfare- social and health care
services

• The basic services required from all
  municipalities are defined by law
• No detailed legislation on the extent, content or
  arrangement of services
• -gt social and health care services (may) vary
  slightly
• -gt access to services in rural areas, special
  services
• discussion on the states responsibility and
  means to supervise the service provision quality
  assessment and criteria

9
Finnish Social Welfare- social and health care
services

• Finland is divided into 5 provinces, led by state
  provincial offices -gt provinces direct and
  supervise social and health care services within
  their province
• The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is in
  charge of the development of social security and
  social and health care services and of operating
  policy in the field

10
Ombudsperson for Children

• The Finnish Government has established a post of
  an Ombudsperson for Children as of September
  2005.
• Duties
• Promoting the interests and rights of all
  children and bringing these perspectives into
  discussions and decision-making on social policy
• Bringing childrens own opinions up for public
  discussion and informing children about their
  rights
• Giving advice and guidance and taking the
  initiative to raise subjects for discussion on
  childrens issues
• Monitoring of the State and municipalities
• The monitoring carried out by the Ombudsperson
  will be limited. She can monitor the activities
  in municipalities, but is unable to sanction
  them.

11
Finnish Family Policy

• The aim of Finnish family policy is to create a
  safe environment for children to grow up in and
  to provide parents with the material and
  psychological means to have and raise children.
• -gt Financial support
• -gt Child care arrangements

12
Finnish Family Policy

• Family benefits
• lt to cover the costs arising from childcare
• I Direct financial support for families
• II Support for the daycare of small children
• III Child guidance and family counseling
• IV Child welfare
• V Health care for children and families with
  children
• VI Special services and support for children with
  disabilities and their families
• VII Other support services for families

13
Finnish Family Policy

• I Direct financial support for families
• Maternity grant
• Child allowance
• Maintenance allowance
• Housing support
• Income support
• Taxation

14
Finnish Family Policy

• II Support for the daycare of small children
• Parental leave and parental allowances -gt equal
  opportunities for both parents to care for their
  children
• - maternity leave and maternity allowance
• - paternity leave and paternity allowance
• - parental leave and parental allowance

15
Finnish Family Policy

• After the parental leave period, families have
  choice of three different child care alternatives
  supported by public funding until the child goes
  to school at the age of 7
• 1. Caring for child at home on care leave and
  receiving child home care allowance
• - partial care leave and partial home care
  allowance
• - care leave for the care of a sick child
• 2. Having the child cared for at a private
  daycare centre with private child-care allowance

16
Finnish Family Policy

• 3. Having the child cared for in municipal
  daycare
• - daycare centres
• - supervised family daycare at a minders home
• - group family daycare
• pre-school teaching (educare model), early
  education

17
Finnish Family Policy

• III Child guidance and family counselling
• the provision of expert help in family issues
  and in raising children
• social, psychological and medical research and
  care in support of the favourable development of
  the child

18
Finnish Family Policy

• IV Child welfare
• Preventive measures
• Non-residential care
• Non-residential support measures
• Taking into care and foster care

19
Finnish Family Policy

• V Health care for children and families with
  children
• Prenatal clinics
• Mother-child clinics
• School health care
• Childrens medical care
• Dental care for children