Service coordination for families with children

The service coordination for families with children can be contacted by both private persons and professionals and is meant for all families in the county with at least one underage child. The service coordination is free of charge and voluntary.

You can contact the service coordination for families with children, for example, if:

• you have concerns about your family, but don’t know who to contact.
• you wish for support with regards to parenting or your couple relationship
• you are concerned about an underage child’s behaviour or mood
• you’re worried about how you will cope as a parent

The service coordination for families with children makes an initial assessment of the family’s situation and, together with the family and its network, it explores what kind of support the family could benefit from, and arranges the support that the family needs.

The Help button

You can leave a contact request via DigiSoite’s Help button, in which case the service coordination for families with children will contact you by phone within 1-3 weekdays. The Help button is a low-threshold digital contact channel for the service coordination for families with children.

In urgent crises and emergencies, you must contact the general emergency number 112 or the emergency social services.

The Family phone

Via the Family phone service number, families with children can receive guidance, support and services from family centre services, as well as information about the possibilities offered by the third sector. Via the Family phone , health care and social services professionals are quickly involved in the child’s situation. Responding to changes in a child’s daily life at an early stage can strengthen the child’s and family’s possibilities to cope and prevent the accumulation of problems.

The Let’s Talk about Children method

A Let’s Talk about Children -negotiation is based on the evidence-based Let’s Talk about Children method, which aims to support the child’s and family’s strengths and a well-functioning everyday life in different kinds of situations and different development environments. The method is to have a Let’s Talk about Children -discussion between the family and a professional after which they make an action plan together in order to support the everyday life.

If the support of other persons or services is needed in order to increase well-being, a negotiation can be arranged. The Let’s Talk about Children method is used in several early childhood education units, student welfare and services for children, families and adults.

Other network meetings can also be arranged at the request of the family or a professional. Those persons whose presence is justified and who can be of help to the family with regard to mutually agreed on themes are invited. For example, people close to the family, professionals and representatives of the third sector can be invited to participate. The aim is to arrange network meetings and Let’s Talk about Children -negotiations as timely as possible in a jointly agreed on space, close to the everyday life of the family.