Study title

This wide-ranging survey charted expert opinion on the welfare of Finnish citizens, and on the present state of welfare services. The respondents were managers or management groups of municipal social services, municipal health centres, employment offices, major social and health organisations (voluntary organisations), or local offices of the Social Insurance Institution. The respondents evaluated the welfare of various population groups, and rated the possibilities of their own organisation/sector to support these population groups (e.g. single-parent families, the unemployed, immigrants, chronically ill persons). They were also asked to indicate which population group needed new sociopolitical support actions the most. Public social and health services, employment services, services provided by the Social Insurance Institution, and services provided by private enterprises were evaluated. Co-operation between different bodies was also surveyed. Further questions covered securing social, health, cultural and education services in the respondents' area of operation with current resources. Socio-economic situation of the municipality and the area of operation were charted. Changes in staff numbers from 2004 to 2005 in the respondents' own organisation, staff sufficiency, success in recruiting qualified staff, organisation's ability to take care of developing the staff's vocational skills, and prevailing working conditions were estimated. Some questions explored public service contracts, the impact of competitive tendering, problems related to welfare benefits, changes in the number of services provided by the respondents' organisation in 2004, and the most central development projects. In addition, the respondents were asked whether there were need for additional services in their area of operation. They also estimated the importance of different bodies in taking care of citizens' welfare both now and in the future, the importance of social and health care...