Student welfare services in Vocational Higher Education.

Student welfare services support the learning and well-being of students in many ways. Student welfare staff cooperate with the school staff and various networks. Student welfare is primarily preventive work. 

Communal student welfare is the task of all those who work and study at schools. A multi-disciplinary team of professionals is there to support the student.

Individual student welfare services are provided by psychologists, school social workers, public health nurses, doctors and nurses specialised in mental health and substance abuse work. 

Schools also have many other professionals to support the students. The purpose of the services is to enable good learning for every learner.

Students can seek out most of these services themselves, but the student welfare staff are also always ready to guide and advise students in determining the right place to find support.

A multi-disciplinary team of professionals helps students if they need support in learning, face challenges in life or have concerns regarding  health. Student welfare services can also help students with anxiety or if they are feeling blue. Help is available both for urgent situations and on a planned basis - depending on the  needs.

Support from your school:

Family, friends and community:

Communal student welfare supports the entire school community and is the primary form of student welfare. Communal student welfare services are provided by everyone involved in the school: teachers, students, guidance counsellors and student welfare staff, as well as parents and guardians. Youth workers and sports coaches operating in many schools are also an important part of communal student welfare. 

School social workers:

The school social worker strives to increase students’ resources and seek positive solutions by structuring their situations, paying attention to their everyday life, functional capacity and interaction relationships.

Psychologists:

The task of the school psychologist is to promote the student’s wellbeing and mental health, support studies and prevent problems. The work may include psychological assessment or support in problems related to emotional development, social interaction or studying, as well as consultation, the promotion of wellbeing in the school community and collaboration with teaching staff, families and various stakeholders.  

School nurse: 

The duties of a school nurse include monitoring the growth and development of students and monitoring and promoting their study ability, as well as health counselling, contraception and sexual counselling, the promotion of good physical and mental health and the prevention of substance abuse. 

Physician: 

School physicians work closely with school nurses. In terms of medical care services, mental health problems and problems affecting the ability to study are prioritised. If necessary, the student is referred to a health station. 

Mental health and substance  abuse nurse: 

In student welfare, nurses specialised in mental health and substance abuse work act as experts in psychiatric nursing in primary health care, helping with mental health, substance abuse and addiction problems. The work supports students’ mental health, functional capacity, study ability and life management.

Multi-disciplinary expert team:

The task of the multi-disciplinary expert team is to support students and their preconditions for learning.

The team is assembled on a case-by-case basis to support a student when experts in different fields are needed for the early investigation and management of a situation that gives rise to concern. The team is also assembled if cooperation is needed between teaching staff and student welfare services staff.

Aula learner portal:

The Aula learner portal serves as a starting page for students’ computers. The portal contains information on, for example, your local student welfare services.

Aula also provides links to the most important services used by the school on a daily basis, such as learning environments. In addition, the portal has quick access to links to the homepage of your school, the city’s library services, the lunch menu and the city’s services for children and young people.



Apart from that support networks outside school are, youth station and health station, mental health service unit Mieppi, specialized medical care, ohjaamo, family centers, adult social work, online services, Mielenterveystalo (Mental Hub)(Link leads to external service) and Nuorten mielenterveystalo. (Youth Mental Hub) offer reliable public healthcare resources for mental wellbeing. 

References

  • https://www.hel.fi/en/childhood-and-education/general-upper-secondary-education/support-for-learning-and-wellbeing/student-welfare-services
  • https://okm.fi/en/pupil-and-student-welfare
  • https://www.luvn.fi/en/services/family-centre/student-and-pupil-welfare
  • https://www.hel.fi/en/childhood-and-education/general-upper-secondary-education/general-upper-secondary-schools
  • https://stadinao.fi/yhteystiedot/psykologit-ja-kuraattorit/
  • https://www.mielenterveystalo.fi/en
  • https://www.mielenterveystalo.fi/fi/nuoret


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Webinar 7 ( Competence in working life education and entrepreneurship education)

 By: Abeeda Khan Competence goals. You examine how work based networks integrate into the education and work in your own field? You examine the roles of teacher and workplace counsellor in teaching practice or workplace learning? You examine teacher's working life networks in education in your own field?   A collaboration between teacher and work based network is a key thing in education to promote entrepreneurship and employment. There are several networks through which teachers can collaborate and help students in making career choices. These networks could be any social media platform loke FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM etc.  • Collaboration between teacher and workplace tutor. The collaboration between the teacher and the workplace tutor is of primary importance. Teacher can communicate during the teacher’s workplace visits or through electronic tools. As a workplace tutor, you have to be aware of what is learnt at the educational institute to be able to support th...
Read more

Student Welfare services and Student Well-being in higher education/vocational schools.

 This blog post refers to the student welfare and well-being services in higher education. As it is really important for student's to be mentally and physically healthy and strong to prosper in their career, so are the services that are being provided them to flourish despite of the odds and problems that any individual can face in a society.    So here is a brief reflection about the services that are important part of student career and their well-being. First of all, the student care team has an important task in the welfare work of a secondary school. The student care team is responsible for the planning, implementation and evaluation of the entire study care at the educational institution. An important goal is to prevent problems that undermine students' well-being through community work.  Secondly, Student health care promotes student's health and  ability to study. Student health care also promotes the health and safety of the study environment and the we...
Read more

Ecosocial culture and sustainable future

As a teacher, there are several ways I can contribute to sustainable development within my future teaching practice. Here are some examples: Integration of Sustainability into Curriculum: I can integrate sustainability concepts, principles, and practices into my teaching curriculum across various subjects and disciplines. For example, in science classes, I can incorporate lessons on environmental conservation, renewable energy, and climate change. In social studies, I can teach about global citizenship, social justice, and sustainable development goals (SDGs). Experiential Learning and Project-Based Activities: I can facilitate experiential learning opportunities and project-based activities that allow students to explore real-world sustainability issues, conduct research, and develop solutions. For instance, organizing a school garden project where students learn about sustainable agriculture practices, or initiating a recycling program to reduce waste and promote environmental stewar...
Read more