Anchor Work – A Collaborative Effort for Youth Well-Being

In anchor work, the goal is to prevent potential cycles of crime by offering early support and intervention from the first reported instance of illegal activity. At the same time, we provide guidance and resources to young people and their families, helping them find the services best suited to their needs. Through multidisciplinary collaboration, we can also address broader concerns affecting young people’s daily lives.

Every social welfare professional in our Wellbeing Services County plays a role in identifying and assisting children who may benefit from anchor work. This initiative brings together experts from social and health services, the police, and municipal youth programs. These professionals meet with young individuals and their families as early as possible, offering support and, when needed, directing them to further assistance.

At the regional level, anchor work is overseen by a steering group composed of representatives from the Western Uusimaa Police Department, local municipalities, and our Wellbeing Services County.

To enhance and expand this initiative, responsibility for coordinating anchor work will shift to the service unit manager. This change will allow us to standardize services across the entire Wellbeing Services County, ensuring that all residents have equal access to support.

We have appointed social welfare professionals dedicated to guiding children and families into multidisciplinary anchor programs. Their role is to maintain smooth collaboration between municipal services and law enforcement, ensuring that young people receive consistent and effective support.

As we strengthen the anchor process at the county level, we can build a more cohesive network between social workers, police, municipal youth programs, and healthcare professionals.