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, local offices of the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela), and chairs of municipal social services boards.

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

The questions common to all organisations studied perceptions of the organisational sector's performance in customer service (e.g. notifying about existing services, availability of services), welfare of population in the municipality, positive/negative developments in the circumstances of some population groups, significance of various actors and institutions in the welfare of citizens, and suitability of one-stop shops for public service provision.

The questions not common to all organisations charted, among others, the financial situation of the organisational sector in the municipality, possibilities of ensuring service provision to citizens with the existing resources, human resources, plans to cut services or benefits, use made of opportunities provided by the Internet, service provision for people with low employment prospects and cooperation between organisational sectors to provide such services, participation in and outcomes of one-stop shops for service provision, and competitive tendering.

Background variables included the respondent's organisational sector, area of responsibility, and education as well as the major region and type of municipality in which the organisation was located.