New social welfare guidance telephone service advises families with children and people of working age

The social welfare guidance service is not a new service, as it has previously been offered by municipal social counsellors and social workers. However, we wanted to centralise the service to make it easier for clients to get in touch.

– Guidance has been offered in different ways in the municipalities. For example, there have been limited telephone hours, and one member of staff may have done this as part of their other duties. Thanks to the new telephone service, which is open every weekday, all residents of Ostrobothnia can now be given counselling and advice on a more equal basis, says Ann-Christin Sundsten, head of client and service guidance.

Calls are answered by social workers who are familiar with the social welfare services offered to children, young people and families, as well as people of working age. They work full-time with service guidance.

The service provided is bilingual. When a client calls the service guidance number, they must first use the telephone’s keypad to select the topic that their case concerns; either child and family matters or a case involving people of working age.

One call directly to the service 

The social welfare guidance service, as the name suggests, provides guidance for the services the caller needs. During the call, the caller’s situation is assessed and, based on that, the caller is directed to the right service.

Sundsten advises calling the service guidance number if you need help to solve difficulties or concerns in everyday life. They can be related to a financial situation as well as parents’ mental health.

– If, for example, the parents are exhausted, the social worker can make an initial assessment and refer the caller to a suitable service in the wellbeing services county. There, a more comprehensive assessment of the service need can be made and a client relationship can be initiated if necessary. The caller can also be asked to contact Kela’s services or be given tips on forms of support that are offered within the third sector, says Sundsten.

– Certainly, most of the contacts will be made by adults, but of course young people can also call if they have questions about, for example, counselling services or mental health services that are offered at a low threshold.

If you wish, the service guidance can be handled anonymously and advice can be given on a general level. However, if you want a request for a transport service to be made during the call, for example, the caller must provide their personal information.

Calls to the social welfare guidance service are recorded to improve the quality of the service.

The social welfare guidance service also has local service points at Vaasa Central Hospital, Malmi Health Centre, the hospital in Oiet and Mustasaari Health Centre. You can find more information about local service points on our website.