The Family Centre Offers Help and Support

At the family centres, you can access a range of services that support the well-being, health, growth, and development of children, young people, and families. You can also find student welfare services at all the family centres in our area.

“The idea of the family centre came from the need to provide more diverse and timely support to families with children. By bringing together the services that a family needs and looking at the client’s situation as a whole, we can address multiple issues in one visit. This makes it better for the client,” explains Service Area Director Mari Ahlström. 

The work of the family centres is based on collaboration—not only between various service areas, but also with municipalities, organisations, and even specialised healthcare.

Some family centres operate physically in family centre buildings, while others function as a network. Equally important are the meeting points run by organisations and municipalities. They provide group activities, support, and community for families with children.

You can find family centres in every municipality of Western Uusimaa, and we are always working to make them better.  The Purje Family Centre in Lohja has been serving families for 10 years, and in Niittykumpu, a second family centre is opening in Espoo. In Kirkkonummi, the family centre is part of the wellbeing centre, and in Siuntio, it’s integrated with a school. Child and maternity health clinics are often located within health centres. By working as a network, we can make our services widely available to our residents.

“In the future, we will introduce DigiFinland Oy’s electronic family centre, which will host several digital services for clients. Our clients can already utilize the Family Path online course and the Voimaperheet program. Later, we will also introduce the First Line Therapies operating model for school-aged children.”

The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) has set the tasks for family centres, but how do they reach out to the residents of Western Uusimaa?

Ahlström wants the family centres to be easy and friendly to use for our residents, even when they have a lot on their plate. For example, residents don’t have to know exactly what service they need; professionals will help them find the right support and, if needed, work with other experts to address their needs. Also, professionals will share their expertise and consult each other to make sure clients receive smooth service.

We bring our services to residents – to homes, early childhood education settings, and schools. Some matters can also be addressed digitally, irrespective of time and place. Furthermore, the meeting points at the family centres are a great way for families to meet other families and receive peer support. We want to strengthen the participation and involvement of families.

At the family centres, we pay special attention to mental-wellbeing and proactively preventing problems. We focus on building up the things that make a family strong and reducing the things that cause stress, thus helping the family to live a smooth everyday life.

As Eija Tommila, the Head of Lohja’s Family Centre, says “The family knows best how their family is doing. Sometimes worries can stem from financial problems or, say, a mountain of laundry. We work together to figure out how to break down that mountain and make everyday life easier.

• The Niittykumpu Family Centre will soon welcome visitors to its newly renovated premises in an office building designed by Aarne Ervi, completed in 1971 (Address: Niittyportti) 4. The centre is conveniently located near the metro station and other public transportation hubs.
• The new family centre has been renovated with the aim of creating a functional, flexible, and comfortable space for the visitors.
• The centre occupies the second floor of the building, covering an area of over 4600 square meters. The same building will also host a variety of other services for families with children.
• The new Niittykumpu Family Centre will offer a variety of services for families in the Matinkylä, Olari, Tapiola and Espoonlahti areas under the same roof.

In Finnish: The Role of Family Centres (THL.fi)(external link)

Welcome to Our Meeting Point! (luvn.fi) The Family Centre Meeting Point welcomes children, young people, and families. Our services are easily accessible through digital channels, background information questionnaires, phone calls, or by visiting the Family Centre in person. The family centres also collaborate with adult social and health services to address the needs of the adults in the family. 

**
This article is part of our series on family centres. In this series, we will explore the services and activities that Western Uusimaa family centres offer to families with children.