WELFARE SERVICES PROMOTE SOCIAL JUSTICE

The basic element of social and health care of the City of Kotka is the needs of our population and the keystone is to guarantee that these services are available for everyone. The City Council accepted in spring 2000 Strategy of Social and Health Policies, in which one of the areas of priority is preventive action towards children and youth.

The objectives of these actions are to prevent: exclusion, mental, intoxicate abuser and drug problems and to prevent criminal actions. Well-organised social and health care services are part of the process, which promote social justice.

In Kotka area, where unemployment rate in July 2001 was 16,2 %, the most presumable persons to be isolated are youngsters between 18-25 years, who have interrupted their studies, who usually do not have any degree or profession and have frequent and longterm unemployment periods.

The law of rehabilitative work activities came into effect in the beginning of September 2001. The city of Kotka has prepared itself for this so that social work will be targeted to the youngsters, who are in danger to isolate. As a part of active social policy, local social and employment authorities try to find, together with these youngsters, first of all, educational and employable solutions and just second, rehabilitative work activities. The rehabilitative work activities are based on different employing experiments. There should be found such meaningful work opportunities which include both rehabilitative element and also emphasised health aspect. The rehabilitation is multi-professional cooperation. The main goal is to help and support those isolated youngsters to achieve a better state of mind and to be their own masters. If these actions will be successfully completed, we surely prevent social justice in a perspective of these youngsters, the population and the whole society.

The Strategy of Social and Health Policies of the city of Kotka plays an important role in wider welfare policy. The local authorities of social-and health-care organisation follow the results. In this follow up we could assess how rehabilitative work activities prevent the exclusion of young people and promote social justice. We have a wide and demanding social field of work ahead of us.