Webinar, where child welfare professionals from Finland share their own experiences, help turn theories into practical work.
Joint meetings provide concrete examples of what really works in everyday life in supporting children, young people and families. Through the stories, participants gain both new tools and hope and motivation to continue their demanding work. Shared learning also strengthens professional networks and the feeling that no one is alone in challenging situations.
Here are some notes from the webinar:
Prevcit Care [Alcohol] use in Child Welfare in Päijät-Häme:
Pirjo Nieminen spoke about the experiences of the Päijät-Häme welfare area’s child welfare team in using Previct Care, where the Previct Alcohol device is utilized to monitor the abstinence of parents with alcohol problems and as part of a substance abuse treatment plan.
- Target group for implementation: The Previct breathalyzer has been implemented in Päijät-Häme child welfare for adults with alcohol problem and who live in the same household as children; the Previct device is used for both biological and adoptive parents, and use is based on individual need.
- Implementation of supervision: The social worker creates an individual test schedule for the client, initially with three tests per day, and the schedule can be relaxed as trust grows; the results are sent to the social worker by email and monitored via the app.
- The role of the substance abuse treatment plan: The Previct breathalyzer works as part of a broader substance abuse treatment plan, and when the device is deployed, the parent is referred to outpatient substance abuse treatment services, where an individual treatment plan is drawn up in collaboration with a substance abuse therapist.
- Practical benefits and challenges: The Previct breathalyzer enables daily monitoring of substance abuse even over long distances, reduces the need for surprise visits and makes the social worker’s work easier, but technical challenges may arise due to clients’ old phones.
- Additional features of the application: The application has a diary and other support functions that some customers actively use, but not all features are utilized in monitoring-oriented use.
Use of the Prevcit breathalyzer in child welfare in North Karelia:
Saija Päiväpuro presented the experiences of the North Karelia welfare region on the use of Previct Care in child protection, where the Previct breathalyzer has been introduced in the entire region after a pilot and individual plans are made with the client, emphasizing the importance of motivation and cooperation between different actors.
- Implementation Process: In North Karelia, the Previct breathalyzer was first introduced in a pilot and later expanded to the entire welfare area for child protection; an individual plan is drawn up with the client, and the social worker considers the necessity of the device on a family-by-family basis.
- The importance of motivation: The importance of motivational discussion is emphasized in the successful use of the device, so that the parent commits to using the device and the child gets the most out of it; motivation is supported by continuous interaction.
- Practical benefits and working methods: The device reduces the need for sensory observation and enables objective monitoring, which makes the work easier, especially in areas with long distances; however, the device does not replace home visits but complements them.
- Collaboration and teamwork: It is recommended that at least two employees monitor the results of the tests in order to react to changes and ensure continuity, for example during holidays; collaboration is also carried out with social and crisis emergency services if necessary.
- Successes and customer experiences: The social worker shared examples of successful family reunifications in which the Previct inhaler and other substance abuse treatment have supported the parents’ abstinence from substance abuse, as well as how the parents have found the device to be a significant support and have also shared their experiences on employee forums.
Webinar recording (Finnish): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owqn0RQ4XRQ
SiunSote pilot project (Finnish): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7lden2tZ9s