Senior Researcher Pekka Kettunen, Migration Institute of Finland, at Supporting Refugees' Mental Health, EU side event, 11-12 December 2019, THL, Helsinki.

1. Integration at the local level in Finland
PALOMA2 seminar 12.12. 2019
Pekka Kettunen

2. Introduction
• The wellbeing of immigrants, including refugees, should be a principal
target for local professionals
• However, organizing services plays a role in how the needs and services
meet
• Universal service provision is a good principle but the evidence suggests
that many thresholds and gaps exist
• Here the focus on local governments and their immigrant services

3. • Cooperation and team work
Public services are always siloed while real-life problems
overlap (for example social and health and education)
• Impact assessment
What works a key phrase, one model from the health care, in
social work more common to look at the contextual factors
• The role of the clients
Clients as information providers, and participants in the
process. The results (long run) are dependent on favourable
circumstances
Recent Trends in Public
Services

4. Impacts not only
Blom & Morén:
- Contexts
- Actors
- Interventions
- Mechanisms
- Results

5. Empirical findings

6. • The prevailing law (1386/2010) urges local governments to
coordinate that local services serve all inhabitants
• In practice a number of specific processes which focus on
particular groups of persons (education, refugees). Work and
language education central.
• In addition local governments ought to inform all newcomers
about the services (multi-lingual) and foresee that the
personnel has competence to serve everyone
• A survey in South-West Finland gives a bleak picture of the
latter (Finnish the main language). Immigration is an urban
phenomenon.
The Finnish integration system

7. No major differences, all four cities committed to identify and
help migrants with mental problems.
Some detailed differences: Turku refers to a number of surveys
results indicating inequalities in health; Tampere emphasizes
general wellbeing, and focus on the good health of elderly
people; Oulu highlights that all the immigrants are entitled to
regular psychiatric consultation; Helsinki emphasizes the
competence of the personnel in working with immigrants.
Integration programs (in four
cities)

9. • The responsible authority (for social and health services) is the
adult social work office (team work)
• The clients are immigrants attending an integration program (the
state labour administration) and others within the three-year-rule
• Families and spouses: only sporadic action
• In all a detailed client-plan is made and followed-up
• The contents is mainly basic counceling and remissions in case of
need. (Only one city having a separate health care office for
immigrants).
• A critical juncture the transfer to mainstream services (support
action in Oulu).
Interview results in the four
cities

10. • The Finnish integration system is not reaching all immigrants
• The minimum should be to inform all newcomers and give
counselling
• For the most vulnerable the system works in a relatively
satisfactory manner, but no long run evidence exists.
• In addition, the 3-year period (Integration law) is considered
to be rigid and often too short
• In general, education is required to improve the capacity of
local government personnel to serve all inhabitants
Conclusions

11. Thank you!
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