Pupil welfare services in basic education
Pupil welfare services promote and maintain pupils’ good learning, mental and physical health and social well-being as well their prerequisites in the school community. Pupil welfare work is guided by the child’s best interests and the promotion of their well-being.
Pupil welfare consists of communal work and individual support
- Pupils and students are entitled to pupil welfare free of charge, which is a prerequisite for attending education.
- Pupil welfare is primarily carried out in the form of preventive, communal pupil welfare that supports the entire community.
- In addition, pupils are entitled to individual pupil welfare and pupil welfare services.
Communal pupil welfare is everybody’s task at school
Communal pupil welfare refers to a working culture that promotes the pupils’
- learning
- health and well-being
- social responsibility
- interaction
- inclusion
- health, safety and accessibility in the environment.
Communal pupil welfare work is everybody’s task at school. Each employee who works with pupils and is responsible for pupil welfare services will promote the well-being of pupils and students as well as the entire school community and the cooperation with guardians. The school staff is primarily responsible for the well-being of the school community. The headmaster is in charge of developing the community’s working culture and communal work.
Individual pupil welfare
Individual pupil welfare services include school health care services as well as the services of the school social worker and psychologist. They also include a multi-professional group of experts, which will be assembled on a case-by-case basis to support the pupil.
Individual pupil welfare is always voluntary and requires consent.
Pupils are entitled to the services of the psychologist and school social worker within a set time limit. The services must be organised in such a way that the pupil is given the opportunity to have an individual conversation with either the psychologist or school social worker no later than the seventh day of school. If the matter is urgent, the discussion must be held on the same or following school day. The psychologist or school social worker will assess the urgency of the matter.
Requirements
Every pupil is entitled to pupil welfare services.
Instructions
You can contact your school's nurse, school social worker or psychologist directly. The contact information is available in Wilma. More information is available on the Eksote website.
Payment information
The service is free of charge.
Service background and legislation
The pupils in pre-primary and basic education are entitled to pupil welfare services. It means looking after the pupils’ physical, psychological and social well-being. Pupil welfare services promote the pupils’ balanced growth and development and ensure everyone’s equal possibilities for learning. The objective of pupil welfare is to notice and intervene in the pupils’ problems as early as possible.
Pupil welfare services include the school health service and the activities of a school social worker and a school psychologist. The teachers and all other school staff members also participate in pupil welfare.
A pupil welfare group operates in all schools, led by the representative nominated by the education organizer. The group’s task is to plan, implement and develop pupil welfare in the school community so that all children can have a healthy, safe and accessible school environment.