Student welfare

The pupil welfare services work to support a pupil’s learning, development, and health, as well as their social aptitude and skills.

Communal pupil welfare is a matter for all

Every pupil as well as every adult employee at the school is responsible for doing their own part to ensure the school’s safety and a school culture that supports health and well-being. At school, supportive encounters, everyday care, and adequate support for learning and going to school are priorities. To achieve these objectives, it is important for pupils, guardians, and the school’s adult employees to collaborate diligently.

Individual pupil welfare is based on trust

Individual pupil welfare refers to collaboration in support of an individual pupil. The objective of this work is to investigate issues and problems that may affect the pupil’s learning, schooling, or life circumstances, and to mitigate them as early as possible.

Individual pupil welfare work is confidential. It is carried out in cooperation with the pupil and their guardian. The pupil’s opinion must be heard in any matter concerning them. The best solutions and supportive measures are most often found through collaborative negotiation and agreement, in cooperation between the home, the school, and any external parties engaged in the pupil’s affairs.

The pupils, guardians, and teaching staff are aided and supported by the pupil welfare experts employed by the school, including the school nurse, the school physician, the school social worker, and the school psychologist. These services are provided on school premises, even during school hours.

Crisis work in schools

When a member of the school community, a group, or the entire school community is faced with a crisis, a crisis team for the school will be assembled if necessary. The crisis team plans out support measures and aid for those affected. In a crisis situation, work should be begun on the same or the following working day.

During the initiation of the crisis work, the school crisis team and the pupil welfare professionals will support the teaching staff as previously agreed. The key task is to meet the pupils’ needs, offer them factual information, listen to their views, and answer their questions. Staff should seek to increase sense of security of the pupils and to instruct them on how to cope with the symptoms resulting from the crisis. In some situations, it may be appropriate to organize separate crisis meetings for groups of pupils. A trained specialist will lead such meetings.

It is the responsibility of teaching staff and, if necessary, pupil welfare professionals, to observe the condition of the pupils and be watchful for the emergency of any trauma-derived symptoms for several months after the crisis.

Contact information

Head of Services, psychologist and school social welfare services
Sirpa Tikka
e-mail: [email protected]
phone: 050 379 1934