Authors

• Finnish Federation for Social Welfare and Health (STKL)

Keywords

administration, employment services, health services, human resources, local government services, medical centres, online services, organizations, public services, social security benefits, social services, social welfare, welfare policy

Abstract

This wide-ranging survey charted expert opinion on the welfare of Finnish citizens, and on the present state of welfare services. The respondents were managers or management groups of municipal social services offices, municipal health centres (primary health care), employment offices, and local offices of the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela).

There were separate questionnaires for each organisational sector, with somewhat differing questions for each.

The questions common to all organisations studied perceptions of the changes in the number of staff, difficulty of recruiting skilled staff, sufficiency of human resources, prevailing atmosphere among the staff (worried vs. hopeful), and the possibilities of ensuring service provision to citizens with the existing resources. The respondents evaluated welfare of population in the municipality, and charted the action taken and attempts made by the organisation to improve the circumstances of some population groups (e.g. the long-term unemployed) and the sufficiency of these actions.

Views on how the services provided corresponded to the needs of the citizens were surveyed as well as changes in the provision of services related to advice and guidance, and the effect of online services on various things (e.g. rights of customers, staff workload). Public social and health services, employment services, services provided by the Social Insurance Institution and by private enterprises were evaluated. Cooperation between the respondents' organisation and other bodies and actors was surveyed. Situation of the organisation in terms of changes in services was investigated as well as the extent to which the respondents had made use of the Sociobarometer 2005 in their work.

The questions not common to all organisations charted, among others, actions taken to ensure the hiring of skilled staff, financial situation of the municipality, views on the need to increase the amount of some social security benefits, increase/decrease in out-tasking, the manager's role in the organisation, competitive tendering of services, models of service provision, and municipal and public service reform.

Background variables included the respondent's organisational sector, occupation/title, and the location of the organisation.