Questions and answers about joint services for young people

The Act on Multisectoral promotion of Employment (381/2023) defines the task of the em-ployment authority to organise the operating conditions for a multisectoral support joint service promoting the employment of young people (section 16). Organising the operating conditions means that the labour force authority:

• draw up an assessment of the need for a joint service for multisectoral support for young people in their area
• negotiate with key actors in terms of joint services for young people in their area on the organisation of service points
• and ensure that the joint service within its area of operation has a person responsible for coordinating services and activities

The Act does not specify the task of the employment authority to administer joint services for young people; instead, the employment regions may implement an administrative model suit-able for them. Existing structures can be utilised in the implementation and administration of the service. For example, youth services may have been responsible for the current one-Stop-Guidance Center activities. In the future, the activities may also be managed by a significant actor other than the employment authority.

It is not necessary to renegotiate existing cooperation agreements; instead, existing agreements can be utilised and, if necessary, updated. Therefore, there are no existing cooperation agreements that could be utilised in joint services for young people in areas where there has previously been no One-Stop Guidance Center activities. In this case, the employment authority must ensure that the operating conditions are organised and negotiate with the ac-tors essential for the service.

The multisectoral support cooperation model applies to the current joint service promoting employment (TYP), whereas the multisectoral joint service for young people is a service such as the current One-Stop Guidance centers, which is easily accessible to young people. The multidisciplinary joint service for young people is based on the principles of the One-Stop Guidance Centre (Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment 6/2018). Joint services for young people are low-threshold services offered to young people under 30 years of age by the authorities and other actors.

Ohjaamo/One-Stop-Guidance Center can be used for joint services for young people. The Ohjaamo/One-Stop-Guidance Center is a brand that many young people are familiar with, which may make it easier for young people to find joint services.

There are no detailed instructions for drawing up an assessment of the need for a joint service for multisectoral support for young people. However, when making the assessment, the employment authority must consult other service organisers and key cooperation partners. The guidance and service network for multidisciplinary cooperation between local authorities, as laid down in section 9 of the Youth Act (1285/2016), should be involved in the preparation of the assessment, and the information it compiles on the conditions in which young people grow up and live should be used.

The estimate should be updated at regular intervals.

The following up-to-date issues in the employment area should be taken into account in the assessment:

• key actors in the regional service ecosystem for young people
• the general labour market situation of young people
• Development of structural unemployment among young people
• public, private and third sector cooperation structures
• situation of NEET youth
• possible need for multicultural competence in services for young people

Various studies and research have been carried out on the One-Stop Guidance centers, which show the functionality of the One-Stop Guidance centers. When considering joint services, it is appropriate to adhere to the service structures that have already been considered good and to consider the service as a whole together with the actors central to the service. Key actors include municipalities, wellbeing services counties, the national sector, companies and other authorities that provide services for young people. 

The starting point for drafting the section on joint services for young people (section 16 of Chapter 381/2023) has been to strengthen low-threshold multidisciplinary youth-oriented work carried out by basic services and to make use of existing service structures. However, there are areas where there is no One-Stop-Guidance Center that could be used as a basis for joint services for young people. In this case, the structures of the joint service will be created by means of a service needs assessment in cooperation with the actors essential for the service.

The planning of service points and services must be based on an assessment of the need for joint services for young people in the region prepared by the employment authority, in cooperation with key actors. The service should meet the service needs defined in the assessment in terms of resources, competence, service provision and accessibility. The service points must be easily accessible to young people. This means that the service point must play a key role so that as many young people in the area as possible can utilise the service.

The service points can be one-Stop-Guidance centers or similar joint service points, and they can be located as part of other existing service points, such as employment services or the health and social services centre. No separate premises would be required for multidisciplinary low-threshold services for young people. Instead, it would be appropriate to decide on the premises between the municipality, the county responsible for employment services and the wellbeing services county.

Information gathered by guidance and service networks or other similar joint working groups referred to in section 9 of the Youth Act can be used in the planning of service points.

The need for a coordinating resource has been found to be critical for the implementation of the One-Stop Guidance Centre activities in genuinely multidisciplinary cooperation. One-Stop Guidance activities have had a person in charge of the services as a whole who coordinates the activities. Joint services for young people must also have a person in charge of the services as a whole. The responsible person may also be other than the employment authority. The responsible person plays an essential role in streamlining the service.