Partnering 4 Success - Mik's diary
Pictured left to right - Sarah, Ian, Michelle and Mik.
Saturday 4th June 2011
Sightseeing in Helsinki. It`s quieter than home. There are 17 people to 1 sq km here compared to 250 people per sq km. back in the UK. Helsinki has trams. Food`s not too bad but alcohol is very expensive. All the signs are bilingual, in both Finnish and Swedish (Swedes make up 5% of the population). The bilingual thing is Aleksis Kivis`s fault. He developed the Finnish language about a century ago.
Sunday 5th June 2011
A four hour train journey to Kauhava. The double decker trains include family and play rooms. The landscape outside is green and flat.
We are met on our arrival by Esa (our host). Back to house initially for some lunch. ‘Moccasins’, breadcake, cloud berry cake and homemade biscuits (made by Esa’s mum-in-law).
Met by a couple of people with learning disabilities. They had built the outhouse at Esa’s place. One of them, Ari, had worked at a bakery for 14 years until a new owner took over and made Ari and the other staff redundant.
Off to our digs, 45km away, which are by a lake on the island of Karma in Lippijarvi. Mosquitoes about!!! We have a sauna (pronounced sowna), swim in the lake, have a bbq tea. Our Catalonian colleagues got separated on the train journey. Only 2 arrive tonight, and the others don`t finally make it until the morning.
Monday 6th June 2011
After breakfast we drive to Kauhava (a 40km journey). Into Luovi College itself for lunch.
In the afternoon, we have two presentations. The first is by Peterri Kokko (Driver and Director of 12 social enterprises. He outlines the SE`s he’s involved with in Finland. Interesting issue here about a clearer integration between Health/Welfare/Social on the one hand and municipal authorities on the other working together on employment issues for disadvantaged groups. He says social enterprises here tend to be mixed disadvantaged groups (supporting integration).
The second presentation turns out to be harder for us to understand. It`s in Finnish and is then translated by Petteri (whose English is just passable). Not actually sure what is covered but I think it was the history of the laundry operation!
The main issue from my point of view is that disabled receive a disability ‘pension’ and can earn up to 400 euros a month. I wasn`t able to establish if any of the disabled people who were employed here had moved on from the pension.
We have a tour around the social enterprise that delivers the laundry services. They launder carpets, clothes, uniforms and bedding for a variety of customers including residential care, hospitals and municipals. It`s good to see that business is supported by municipalities in providing work but that business is still based on quality and price. I need to confirm whether their approach to procurement includes supporting SE’s. It`s a very effective and busy operation, and the employees are skilled and motivated.
Back to Luovi College. We have a presentation about the college and its organisation. In English LUOVI means Creativity, Innovation, Competence, Caring, Joy.
Tuesday 7th June 2011
There`s a problems caused by the army being on exercise in the entire region. Esa’s cunning plans have to be amended. Our planned visits to two placements have to be changed, and instead we visit a mini SE operation that is mobile. Basically, the business involves using a specially designed bike to travel to a series of 7 Lidl-type supermarkets whose owner has agreed to the SE having a position outside one shop per day. From there, the mobile business sells bread and other edible consumables. It`s not clear, though, to what extent this mobile operation is a viable business.
We go on to Esa’s school where there is a presentation about TIKAS, an innovative way to teach IT to people with learning disabilities. The qualifications are recognised by Finnish employers and this is definitely worth looking into for some of our customers.
Lunch is with some dignitaries and is followed by an ‘interesting’ lectures on farming and agriculture in Kauhava (which was not planned by Esa!!).
After lunch, it`s a session with Raisa Venalainen to discuss the social impact of supported employment in Finland, including a benefits trap in Finland which can be a barrier to work. Raisa is a highly qualified and respected exponent of support employment in both the public and private sectors, nationally and internationally, and has done work, for example, in Washington DC and Serbia. This is an area where I believe Pluss and our Catalonian colleagues could co-operate with Raisa and the Finnish organisation. It would be good to compare across the three countries whether it is systems, culture or attitude that create the main barriers to social inclusion.
Thereafter, it`s evening fun in Kivvitupu. It`s been a very long day, but enjoyable.
Wednesday 8th June 2011
The start of what will become a 36 hour day! Breakfast in the chalet with our Catalonian colleagues. (WE cooked again!).
Then to Kivvitupu to see a presentation by Professor Timo Toikko. He is carrying out a research paper on the most effective way to engage customers in designing services to enable supported employment in Finland. There are two theories – one using a hierarchical approach and the other a more fluid, non- hierarchical approach. The aim was to enable customers to have real and meaningful influence over decisions being made. They`re in the early stages of the research at present. Again, I think Pluss could benefit by linking in with this piece of work, especially as the Quality team is beginning to focus on forum and groups. We suggested that, firstly, empowerment could be achieved by giving users a leadership role in the process (either as chair or portfolio holder) and, secondly, that they could utilise the skills of professional market researchers to supervise the forum format to ensure that the users` voice is engaged, heard and responded to.
After that, it`s back to Esa’s place before we catch the train to start the journey home. In the end, it turns out to be 2 hours kip in 36 hours!! But it`s been worth it!
