“Opportunities to build something new this hands-on in central government are rare”

 

Laura Kuusio works on advancing Finland’s national Child Strategy and the European Child Guarantee. What matters most to her is strengthening the participation of children and young people and building something new together with the skilled team at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.

At the heart of my work is taking forward the national Child Strategy and the European Child Guarantee. My particular focus is on developing the participation of children and young people. I am also responsible for communications related to the Child Strategy and for developing communications cooperation across public administration. Together with my team, we are building up the strategy’s position and role in the ministries, almost from scratch, as it was only established during the previous parliamentary term.

My workdays vary a lot. They include expert work, communications planning and regular contact with stakeholders. Some days we are designing events for children and young people, other days we are working on participation structures at ministry level. I enjoy the range of my work as it calls for creativity just as much as solid process expertise.

My career path has not followed a straight line. I started working at the age of 15 at a stable in a support role in horse-assisted therapy. Since then, I have worked at an insurance company, in the International Unit at the City of Turku and at the Ministry of Justice, where I focused on children’s and young people’s participation in the Democracy and Elections Unit. I hold a Master’s degree in Social Sciences, majoring in political science, a combination that has proved very practical in day‑to‑day policy work.

I ended up at the ministry largely thanks to good timing and a series of coincidences. I became familiar with work on the Child Strategy while at the Ministry of Justice and was drawn to its potential. When a role opened up in the secretariat here at just the right moment, between graduation and the end of a fixed‑term contract, I seized the opportunity – and here I am, already in my fifth year.

One of my funniest work memories dates back to 2021, when we organised an event for children and young people to mark the launch of the Child Strategy. STIG performed the song Snake Charmer in Finnish, and the sign language interpreter threw themselves into the performance so wholeheartedly that the moment felt like a show within a show. It was unforgettable, and a powerful reminder of the impact of our work and who it is ultimately for.

What I love most is the sense of purpose in my job and the chance to do it as part of an excellent team. It’s a supportive workplace with very skilled people. They all bring their different perspectives to the table and enrich our work. In the Child Strategy team in particular, collaboration is energising. Opportunities to build something new this hands-on in central government are rare.

Laura Kuusio
Senior Specialist