Currently, Finland is running 12 nationwide projects, supported by the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), to develop services for children, young people, and families. These projects contribute, for example, to the implementation of the European Child Guarantee, Finland’s National Child Strategy, and the Government’s programme addressing youth and gang-related crime.
Concerns about the wellbeing and increasing disparities among children and young people are growing in Finland. According to recent School Health Promotion studies (e.g., THL, 2023), most children and young people are doing well, but the everyday lives of some are overshadowed by issues such as bullying, anxiety, and loneliness. Violent crimes committed by young people have increased, and the number of drug-related deaths has nearly doubled in a short period.
Challenges concerning children’s and young people’s wellbeing are also addressed in several national development programmes, such as the National Child Strategy’s action plan for 2024–2027 and the Government’s action plan on youth and gang-related crime. The projects under the ESF+ Specific Objective 4.3, which focus on developing services for children, young people, and families, are considered a resource in implementing these programmes.
These national ESF+ 4.3 projects aim to tackle current wellbeing challenges by strengthening preventive support in the everyday lives of children, young people, and families in vulnerable situations. The ongoing projects are developing, for example, solutions for supporting transitions in education, preventing dating violence, and promoting hobbies and leisure activities for children and young people with migrant backgrounds—in collaboration with children, young people, families, and professionals working with them.
During the upcoming autumn and winter, eight new ESF+ 4.3 projects focusing on parenting support will be launched, funded through the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health’s allocation authority. From the call for proposals by the Ministry of Education and Culture, which closed in summer 2025, will be selected projects related to children’s and young people’s hobbies and arts and cultural visits. The progress of the development work can be followed through the projects’ own communication channels and through the Coordinating the Participation and Inclusion of Children, Young People and Families (ESF+).
“The aim of the national projects is to develop and embed practices that promote the inclusion and wellbeing of children, young people, and families in the long term. One of our tasks is to enhance the national impact of the projects by strengthening their mutual cooperation,” says Elina Weckström, Project Manager of the Coordination.
The Coordinating the Participation and Inclusion of Children, Young People and Families supports development projects during both the application and implementation phases. In addition, the Coordination collects information on the outcomes of the development work to support decision-making of the public authorities.