Family centre
The family centre is a network that consists of services for families with children. The multidisciplinary family centre network includes services for children, adolescents and families that promote well-being and health, growth and development, as well as early support, treatment and rehabilitation.
The family centre co-ordinates social and health care services for families with children, educational services, municipal measures to promote well-being and health, as well as services and support provided by organizations and parishes. The aim of the family centre model is to make services easily accessible close to the everyday environment of children and families, so that families can receive the help they need easily and flexibly. The services of the family centre are intended for all families with children in the county.
The tasks of the family centre
The shared tasks of the family centre network are to:
- promote and monitor the health and well-being of children and families
- support parenthood and the relationship between the parents
- provide early support, treatment and rehabilitation
- help families reach an amicable separation and to continue with parenthood
- take into account the diversity of families
- prevent domestic violence
- strengthen the access to peer support and a sense of community
There are three family centre areas in Soite’s area: Kokkola, Lestijokilaakso and Perhonjokilaakso. In Kokkola, the family centre consists of a network of services and it does not have its own building. At the family centre Pajala in Kaustinen and the family centre in Kannus services have been concentrated to the same building.
Soite’s family centre services include:
In addition, the family centre network includes:
- activities and services provided by organisations and parishes
- municipal early childhood education and care (and other education services)
- municipal efforts to promote well-being and health
- services for adolescents
- specialised services and services on an advanced level
- digital services
- meeting places where one can meet other families, strengthen a sense of community and receive peer support. Children, their families and persons close to them are welcome at these meeting places. Participation is free of charge. Meeting places include Koivutupa, Silta Yhteisöklubi, Mannerheim League for Child Welfare, the association in Kaustinen and Kannus parish.
- service coordination for families with children
Methods used in family centre work
LENE is an assessment method for the neurological development of preschoolers, and it’s used to identify any developmental problems that may predict learning difficulties at school age, as early as possible. The LENE assessment is a tool used by public health nurses and doctors at child health clinics to assess a child’s development. The assessment is carried out either at a child health clinic or in day care by a teacher in early childhood education who has completed LENE training. A joint assessment by a child health clinic and early childhood education professionals makes it possible to get a reliable and up-to-date evaluation of the child’s development.
The aim of the Let’s Talk About Children (LTC)method is to support children and families in navigating and managing everyday life through major or minor life changes. This may relate, for example, to going to school, the parents’ state of health or moving to a new town, which affects the life of a child or an adolescent.
The method consists of a Let’s Talk About Children discussion and, when necessary, a network meeting. The discussion strengthens factors that protect the child and helps to prevent problems. A network meeting is arranged if a need for additional support is identified in the LTC discussion. People from the family’s own network are invited, and measures to support everyday life are planned together.
The Voimaperheet model has been developed for treating behavioural problems that children under school age have. The treatment makes use of digitalisation, guidance for parents by phone, and a web-based psychoeducational treatment programme that families can use regardless of time and place.
The systemic model brings systemic and family therapeutic thinking, tools and structures to child welfare. The systemic approach can also be applied to other services for children and families. It is also used in other services, such as family social work and adult social work.
At the heart of the work is respectful, dialogic and solution-focused interaction. The premise is the experiences in the whole family, and especially those of the child or adolescent.
The intervention for depression in adolescents i.e.the IPC method (interpersonal counselling) is used to prevent and treat depressive symptoms in adolescents aged 12–18.
The Family Path online courses offer support for parents in developing compassion towards themselves. Clients of Soite’s Family Centre services can take part independently and free of charge in the Family Path online course, which aims to strengthen a parent’s compassion towards themselves and support compassionate interaction in couple and family relationships. During the course, you can assess your own compassion towards yourself, receive information, exercises and tips related to compassion, and read stories by peers about everyday family life with children.