About us
The Federation of Special Welfare Organisations (EHJÄ ry) is a national child protection organisation that was founded in 1983. EHJÄ offers supported housing services and professional support person services for youngsters in aftercare or young immigrants. The aim of the organisation is to create new functional models for the use of child protection in co-operation with municipalities and member organisations.
We aim to improve the situation of the young people in child protection aftercare. In our work we aim to improve the content of aftercare to better meet the individual needs of the youngsters. EHJÄ ry looks after the interests of its member organisations in questions concerning their fields of action. And organizes seminars in co-operation with them.
We train voluntary support persons and support families for the needs of municipalities. We also aim to improve nationally voluntary support person services in child protection. We organise workshops and seminars on the subject.
“Sometimes I wished there was an adult in my life whom I could approach to ask about things I was thinking about, even if they were just silly things.”
Support services
EHJÄ ry organises support activities for the young people in aftercare. Our organisation makes agreements with municipalities to implement tailor-made aftercare services for individual persons. Also, when needed, the agreements are made concerning young people who do not have a legal right for the aftercare.
For young immigrants we organise supported housing services that aim to advance their integration into Finnish society and to support their independent survival skills that are needed in everyday life. We have been providing supported housing services for young immigrants since 1996. The support includes support for school, taking care of official matters, finding a job, everyday surviving skills and psychosocial support. There is also a possibility for the clients to reach help daily by phone and to participate to camps and journey.
We also offer family work when needed.
For more information please contact:
Executive Director
Kai Laitinen
+358 50 511 6714
kai.laitinen(at)ehja.fi
At the moment our offices are located in Helsinki, Järvenpää, Raisio, Pori, Kokkola, Vaasa and Pietarsaari.
Our services are available also in cities close by; for example Espoo, Vantaa, Turku, Naantali.
For more information please see the contact information below.
Capital region
Tiina Tuomala
+35845 125 6201
tiina.tuomala(a)ehja.fi
CENTRAL AND EAST UUSIMAA
Miina Herronen
+35850 414 0384
miina.herronen(at)ehja.fi
OSTROBOTHNIA
Linnea Pohjolainen
+358 50 3075 299
linnea.pohjolainen(a)ehja.fi
Southwest Finland
Tuure Oldendorff
+358 50 304 7910
tuure.oldendorff(at)ehja.fi
WEST UUSIMAA
Tiina Tuomala
+35845 125 6201
tiina.tuomala(a)ehja.fi
CENTRAL OSTROBOTHNIA
Hanna Tuohimetsä
+358 50 304 4330
hanna.tuohimetsa(at)ehja.fi
“It’s a wonderful feeling to realize that a stranger has become important to you.”
Voluntary Support Person Services
Support person service is a voluntary service organized by an organization or social services of a municipality for the children in need of support. Children and young people who get support are clients of child protection or in need of support. A support person is an ordinary, trustworthy adult, whose own life is in balance. A support person is an important model for a child, and he/she acts as a listener and as a safe adult with whom the child can go to hobbies and spend free time.
We train support persons nationwide for municipalities. The training is done in co-operation with a municipality or an organization that orders it. We have been organizing support person courses since 1989 and in 2005 we published a Support Person Handbook.
For more information please contact:
Organization Coordinator
Elina Tossavainen
+358 45 132 9321
elina.tossavainen(at)ehja.fi