Paper
The concept “intensive special care” for troublesome children and young people: The Finnish case
- issue: Issue 3 / 2008
- authors: TPösö Tarja, Kekoni Taru, Kitinoja Manu
- keywords: residential care, Finland
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abstract
Background. The paper looks at the residential care for children and young people in Finland termed 'intensive special care' (ISC). The ISC-units are meant to meet the needs of 'very troublesome' young people, providing care, accommodation, supervision and education for a limited period of time in a highly staffed, but spatially closed environment. The units may also limit the social contacts of the residents. The number of ISC-units has increased during recent years as a reaction to the demands experienced in child protection. It was, however, only 2006 when some juridical legislation was introduced to guide the functioning of the units.
In this situation, it is highly topical to explore how the units meet the different expectations expressed by the child welfare system, professionals and the young people themselves. In order to assess the "evidence-base" of the units, we use a multi-method approach emphasizing the importance of exploring the very concept of 'intensive special care' in its cultural and social context.
Purpose. The paper is based on an ongoing research project which attempts to capture the phenomenon of Isc as a practice, experience, social institution and concept. The data consists of a national survey of all the ISC-units, the textual policy, treatment plans and programmes of the ISC-units, interviews with the young residents both during and after their stay in the ISC-units as well as with the ISC staff. The study focuses especially on the ISC-units in the state-run reform schools (child protection institutions) in Finland.
The project is troubled by the question how and why the ISC-units exist in Finland. On the one hand, Finland does not recognize 'closed' or 'secure' care for children and young people as it is seen to threaten the rights of children, but on the other hand, intensive special care is implemented as it is seen as meeting the needs of young people. In this paper, based on on-going data collection and analysis of the international research literature, we analyse the distinctiveness of the concept of 'intensive special care' in the field of closed care for troublesome children and young people.
Key findings and recommendations. The concept of intensive special care is defined by the present child welfare legislation as a form of care which is time-limited, multi-professional and during which the rights of the young person to move within the institution/outside the institution may be restricted. Only the child protection institutions may provide this kind of care. A certain decision-making process is required to confirm that the needs of the young persons have been considered. The recent policy and legislation changes have highlighted in many different ways the distinctiveness of the ISC-units as a child protection measure. Therefore a complicated decision-making process, for example, is needed. The study suggests, however, that the complicated decision-making process is seen as a problem by the social workers who wish to place quickly a young person into care with restrictions. There is a contradiction in the ways how the legislation and the practitioners view the best ways to support children's rights in the context of closed care placements.
When looking at the international literature on (closed) residential care, it is difficult to find similar practices within child protection. The concept and practice of 'intensive special care' tend to differ strongly from concepts as, for example, "secure care" or "secure accommodation" (in Great-Britain, Canada and USA) or "sluten ungdåmsvård" (in Sweden). On the other hand, the Irish concept of "special care units" seems to be close to ISC both as concept and practises. In most countries, closed care is more attached to youth justice than to child protection as it is Finland. The Finnish ISC-units accommodate the young people for a relatively short period of time (maximum of 3 months) compared with other countries.
Most importantly, the motives and practices of the ISC-units focus on 'care'. Culturally and socially, this might be a reflection of the very Finnish 'welfare approach' to childhood and youth problems. Our focus group interviews among the staff and the young residents suggest that there are different views on the actual nature of care. The young residents do not describe their time in the ISC-units only with the words of care. Other elements are seen there as well. The staff, on the other hand, strongly views the units as places of intensive and unique care.
Key references
Hill, M., Lockyer, A., & Stone, F. (Eds.). (2007). Youth Justice and Child Protection. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Korpinen, J., & Pösö, T. (2007). Approaching Youth Crime through Welfare and Punishment; the Finnish Perspective. In M. Hill, A. Lockyer & F. Stone (Eds.), Youth Justice and Child Protection (pp. 41-60). London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Pitts, J., & Kuula, T. (2005). Incarcerating Young People: An Anglo-Finnish Comparison. Youth Justice, 5(3), 147-164.
Contacts: Tarja Pösö, University of Tampere, Department of Social Policy and Social Work, 33 014 University of Tampere, E-mail: Finland, tarja.poso@uta.fi, Phone 358-(0)3-3551 6312.