Prevention of interpersonal and domestic violence to be integrated into municipal welfare and security planning

The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities recommend taking prevention of interpersonal and domestic violence into account in municipal activities. Measures to prevent interpersonal and domestic violence are recommended to be integrated into the municipal welfare strategy and security planning. Preventive work requires a cross-sectoral and multiprofessional approach.

The recommendations are the first national recommendations in Finland for the prevention of interpersonal and domestic violence.

The recommendations are based on operational models and practices developed in Finland in the context of various projects and on international recommendations. It is hoped that methods that have been tried and have worked well will be embedded as a part of the primary and specialised services in social welfare and health care. In this way the coverage, continuity and permanence of the work to prevent violence can be ensured.

The work against violence must be coordinated and modelled. The division of responsibilities between the different municipal administrations as well as who is responsible for what and who leads the work must be defined. It is also important to improve the professional skills of the staff to intervene in violence and to increase research and development in the area.

Different groups suffering from violence are in need of appropriate models and types of services and care that meet the needs of children and young people experiencing violence in families and of older persons and persons with intellectual disabilities suffering from violence.

Violence can be prevented and reduced efficiently by providing perpetrators of violence long-term help to stop their violent behaviour.

The recommendations emphasise that it is important to link civic activity in municipalities to the prevention of violence. Also information and actions to influence the situation play a significant role.

The municipal inspection boards can assess the implementation of the recommendations. In the cooperation areas of social and health care services the implementation of the recommendations is evaluated in the context of other activities. The implementation of the recommendations will be assessed at the national level in the course of 2011.

The recommendations of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities are intended for the municipal social and health services to guide the municipal and regional work to prevent interpersonal and domestic violence.

For further information please contact:
Helena Ewalds, Development Manager, National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health (STAKES), tel. (09) 39672410, 050 466 2854 Jussi Merikallio, Director, Social Welfare and Health Care, Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities, tel. (09) 771 2602, 050 66 748
Sirkka Rousu, Project Manager, Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities, tel. (09) 771 2610, 050 301 9132
Further information from municipalities: Marjatta Karhuvaara, Director, Family Affairs, Espoo, tel. (09) 816 23 407

The recommendations for the prevention of interpersonal and domestic violence can be found in Finnish and Swedish on the websites of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities; an English summary is included:

www.stm.fi >Julkaisut / Publications
www.kunnat.net/soster

Information on the recommendation:
Recognise, protect, and act. Recommendations for social and health care services for guiding and leading the local and regional activities to prevent interpersonal and domestic violence.
Helsinki 2008. 40 pp. (Publications of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Finland,
ISSN 1236-2050, 2008:9) ISBN 978-952-00-2586-1 (pb.), ISBN 978-952-00-2587-8 (PDF)