Regional work ability coordinators develop service paths for people with specific work ability
Regional work ability coordinators who started their work during the current year strive to improve work ability support services through regional co-operation. Each of the five coordinators has the responsibility for regional coordination in three ELY Centre regions.
Regional work ability coordinators have started their activities at TE Services in 2023. The task of the coordinators is to build and strengthen co-operation between TE Services and municipal trials as well as key co-operation networks and stakeholders, such as wellbeing services counties, Kela, organisations and Multisectoral Joint Services Promoting Employment (TYP) operators.
A need for the job description of regional work ability coordinators emerged from an earlier report. The task is part of the EU's Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) and the expansion of the Government's Working Capacity Programme. It has been possible to hire coordinators in the same areas as the new projects related to the extension of the Working Capacity Programme with separate funding from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. The coordinators are also referred to as RRP Working Capacity Coordinators in accordance with the Recovery and Resilience Plan.
Through co-operation and sharing good practices towards a smooth service path
There are five regional work ability coordinators, and each coordinator is responsible for regional co-ordination in three ELY Centre regions. Coordinators do not work directly in customer work, but build and strengthen interfaces between work ability support service packages and labour, social and health care services. The key objective is to increase the employment rate in Finland and to target the services and quality of support for the ability to work of the unemployed with specific work ability.
Regional work ability coordinators support work ability coordinators who have already worked in different areas for a longer time to build co-operation practices between different service systems as a smooth service path for clients. They also serve as counterparts for regional coordinators working in wellbeing services counties and promoting the Working Capacity Programme.
One purpose of regional co-operation is to promote good practices through the network.
‘We are a tightly knit group. We constantly exchange ideas by simulating good practices and sharing them further. It is our strength’, says Carita Virtanen, regional work ability coordinator for Southwest Finland, Satakunta and Pirkanmaa.
It is also a question of development.
‘We are united by an enthusiasm for development, and we need everyone to get involved in promoting the services of a shared customer’, adds Henna-Marita Salmensuo, Regional Working Capacity Coordinator for Uusimaa, Häme and Southeast Finland.
How would you describe well-functioning services for people with a specific work ability?
‘Customer-oriented services. I would like multidisciplinary co-operation to be possible from the beginning of the service process, as people with a specific work ability increasingly also need support from social welfare and health care services’, says Carita Virtanen.
Regional work ability coordinators will continue their work until the end of 2024. In addition to Carita Virtanen and Henna-Marita Salmensuo, Tanja Kontiainen (South Ostrobothnia, Central Finland and Ostrobothnia), Marja Hiissa (North Ostrobothnia, Kainuu and Lapland) and Tarja Riihinen-Väänänen (North Savo, South Savo and North Karelia) will act as coordinators.