Information flow and cooperation between basic education and Child Welfare

The goal of the assessment

The main question of the assessment was whether the flow of information and cooperation between basic education and Child Welfare occurs in accordance with the City’s guidelines. The assessment examined whether the City's operating instructions have been complied with in the exchange of information and cooperation, whether competence related to the exchange of information and cooperation has been developed and whether structures have been created for the exchange of information and cooperation. Cooperation between basic education and Child Welfare is based on the premise that school studies are a key part of a child's life and should be organised in accordance with the best interests of the child. The City has drawn up several instructions and guides to support the multidisciplinary cooperation and support needs assessments concerning children, young people and families.

Conclusions

The cooperation and exchange of information between basic education and the child welfare needs assessment unit is mainly carried out in accordance with the City’s guidelines. At schools, the party who usually becomes concerned about a child and brings up their concerns with the child and the parents is the child’s class teacher. Families are primarily offered support measures provided by the school. Child Welfare is contacted in situations where the school's own resources are perceived as insufficient. Staff competence has been developed, and pupil welfare and Child Welfare’s consultation practices are effective. However, the guidelines concerning cooperation are not clear and consistent in all respects, and some school guidelines are difficult to find. Cooperation and the flow of information are hindered by schools’ varying access to information, reliance on specific individuals and the different expectations of operators. In addition to this, cooperation and exchange of information are affected by differences between areas, the ambiguity of legislation, the case-by-case consideration of confidentiality issues and concrete communication difficulties.