Participatory Multicultural Social Counselling ( ) OSMOS -project funded by ESF Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences -Project organisations in a nutshell -Osmos project:  Participatory approach –Why  Main activities -In what way  What will come out of the project

Aija Ahokas & Lea Moua2 8/29/2015 Helsinki Metropolitan area 1 million inhabitants (20% of the whole population) Around 50 % of our immigrants live in the metropolitan area Foreign citizens living permanently in Finland, 31 Dec n= The Biggest groups: Russians Estonians Swedes Somalis

3 Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences in a nutshell The largest University of Applied Sciences in Finland students Personnel bachelor and master level degree programmes 4 fields of study: Culture Business and Administration Health Care and Social Services Technology and Transport Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa

Values Expertise – our passion Transparency – our operating policy High quality – our target Community spirit – our source of strength In practise…the education, research and development work carried out in co-operation with labour market

5 Degree Programmes in Health Care and Social Services Bachelor’s degrees / Tuition in Finnish Biomedical Laboratory Science Dental Technology Emergency Care Geriatric Care/ Elderly care Nursing Occupational Therapy Optometry Oral Hygiene Osteopathy Physiotherapy Podiatry Prosthetics and Orthotics Radiography and Radiotherapy Social Services Bachelor’s degrees / Tuition in English Nursing Social Services Master’s degrees /Tuition in Finnish Health Promotion Rehabilitation Social Services Health and Social Care Development and Management  Faculty of Welfare and Human Functioning  Faculty of Health care and nursing

Helsinki City Social Services Department The Social Services Department Organization has five responsibilities: Child Day Care Services Services for Families with Children: Family centres and child substitute care Adult Services Elderly Services Management and Development Centre Eastern Family Centre (1 out of four service districs) offers families with children following services: social and family work, families with children home service and child welfare. 4 Offices: Itäkeskus, Herttoniemi, Kivikko, and Vuosaari Offices Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences6

1/2010 Child and Family Section Services for Families with Children Social Services Committee Social Services Director Director of Services for Families Family Counselling and Family Legal Matters Head of Unit Family Centre Activities Head of Unit Substitute Care Head of Unit Southern Emergency social services and crisis emergency support Intoxicant prevention among young people Operations and management support WesternNorthernEastern Family centres: Regional units of family counselling: Family legal matters Southern-Western NorthernEastern Family care and vacation activities Evaluation and reception activities Activities supporting independence Children’s homes Client counselling unit Quick interference within family work

Services for Families with Children Play park activities, early support and home help for families with children Social work and family work within child welfare Intoxicant prevention among young people: Klaari Helsinki activity and youth stations Emergency social services, conciliation and legal representation of youg people Child guidance and family counselling Family legal matters Children’s substitute care

Participatory approach - Why Immigrant families ”hard to reach” ”The voices of the immigrant families’ are not heard, still less taken into account, when designing policies or interventions.” Counselling interventions should be designed and carried out with the active participation of the immigrant families they are supposed to benefit

The aim Support to immigrant families’ everyday life and wellbeing New methods and ways of working for social counselling New Concepts and service design

The Questions What are appropriate social counselling designs and methods for reaching the ‘hard to reach’ and how can they be implemented? How can service users and communities be involved in the design and implementation of OSMOS project? How can counsellors become reflexively aware of their own cultural background and do justice to the heterogeneity of migrant groups while avoiding generalisations? How can collaboration be built up between service users, communities, social workers, teachers, researchers and policy makers, in order to increase the effectiveness service interventions?

In What way –main activities The knowledge-practices Laboratory (University of Helsinki) offers a Tool for shared learning between teachers, students, social workers and counsellors as well as with clients / customers with immigrant background A service needs survey and critical cases (Mervi) Community-based pilot- interventions aiming to open up a dialogue with the immigrant families: -Group counselling sessions (5) for disadvantages somalian families empowering to make their voice heard - Group counselling sessions (5) for children Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences12

Analyses of Critical cases Pilot interventions The historical roots of the current practices Benchmarking the international practices Practice of proactive recognition and learning -mutual learning from diversity in connection to family life -inclusive family counselling environment and culture -Improved counselling processes and practices -structural integration of diversity Integration of best practices to mainstream What will come out of the project…

References Helsinki social services department Kaija Matinheikki-Kokko, From refugee welfare to immigrants´ integration. Magazine Monitori 1/ Finnish immigration services For further information, please contact: Päivi Kaija Mervi Paula Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences14

8/29/2015OSMOS 15 Thank you for your attention. Whatever it is that we call reality, we participate in it’s construction. (I Prigogine)