Social- og Indenrigsudvalget 2015-16
SOU Alm.del Bilag 212
Offentligt
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Mental Health among
Young People
 SOU, Alm.del - 2015-16 - Bilag 212: Rapport: "In Focus - Mental Health among Young People", udleveret af Det Social Netværk ved foretræde for udvalget den 3. marts 2016
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IN FOCUS: MENTAL HEALTH AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE
Published by
Nordic Centre for Welfare and Social Issues
www.nordicwelfare.org
© February 2016
Nordic Centre for Welfare and Social Issues
Box 1073, 101 39 Stockholm, Sweden
Visiting address: Drottninggatan 30
Phone: +46 (0)8 545 536 00
[email protected]
Nordic Centre for Welfare and Social Issues – Finland
Edited by: Lidija Kolouh-Söderlund, Helena Lagercrantz
Executive editor and publisher: Director Ewa Persson
Göransson
ISBN: 978-91-980800-9-4
Print-run: 1000
Graphic design: Idermark och Lagerwall Reklam AB
Print: Navii AB
Pohjoismainen hyvinvointikeskus
c/o Terveyden ja hyvinvoinnin laitos
PB 30, 00271 Helsinki, Finland
Visiting address: Mannerheimintie 168 B
Phone: +358 (0)20 7410 880
[email protected]
The report can be ordered as a printed copy or
downloaded at www.nordicwelfare.org
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FOREWORD
MORE AND MORE
young people in the Nordic regi-
on are saying that they are suffering from mental ill health
issues, and we have young people who risk ending up in
vulnerable situations on account of a range of factors. The
growing level of mental ill health among young people is
one of the greatest challenges facing public health in our
Nordic societies.
This is why it is particularly pleasing to see that Nordic po-
liticians have agreed to earmark resources for the Nordic
Centre for Welfare and Social Issues so that we can at-
tempt to find solutions together.
As part of our project ”Unga in i Norden – psykisk hälsa,
arbete, utbildning” [Young People in the Nordic Region –
mental health, work, education], we are looking at initiati-
ves that could help prevent early retirement among young
people aged 19 to 29, as well as considering initiatives for
young people risking long-term exclusion due to the fact
that they are not in employment or education.
There is currently major diagnostic focus when it comes
to determining which young people will receive help with
their mental health issues. But for young people who feel
bad, experience anxiety and are not ”ill enough” there are
no easy inroads to getting help. We have to take young
people seriously when they describe their self-perceived
mental illhealth.
In this publication, we will be presenting Nordic organisa-
tions that we hope will provide inspiration and contribute
to the greater Nordic synergy. We are working in a similar
way in the Nordic region with the heterogeneous group of
young people who risk ending up in vulnerable situations
on account of a range of factors. But we are working and
are sufficiently different to be inspired by things we can
develop, and we are aiming to improve the things we are
already doing.
Our welfare systems are overloaded in many respects,
and so multisectoral cooperation is necessary if we are to
be able to get this work done effectively. We are already
providing excellent support to young people in the Nordic
region, and the organisations described in this publication
are proof of this. When we look at these organisations,
Ewa Persson Göransson
Director
Nordic Centre for Welfare and Social Issues
We hope you will be inspired by these organisations and
the thoughts expressed in this publication. And who
knows – maybe you could implement a suitable part in a
specific context somewhere in the Nordic region.
The organisation Headspace from Denmark clearly in-
dicate that civil society can be a vital and supplemen-
tary stakeholder in the structured cooperation between
government and municipality and make a difference for
young people.
we can see that they all apply different forms of organisa-
tion, they are headed by different people, they use dif-
ferent forms of finance. But a strong youth perspective
is something they all have in common! The young people
involved are treated with respect, seen and listened to.
And the other common theme is that no matter what form
of organisation is applied, there is a culture of openness
towards multisectoral cooperation – in other words, an
unpretentious approach where the needs of young people
are the controlling factor.
Photo:
Fredrik Sjögren
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CONTENTS
1
Recommondations ...............................................................................................................
Nordic Centre for Welfare and Social Issues recommends ...................................................
2
Facts ....................................................................................................................................
6
7
10
The activities, the success factors ........................................................................................ 11
3
From reality ........................................................................................................................... 18
”Everyone should have had a youth office” -
Norway
........................................................... 19
The most important thing is to be taken seriously -
Norway...................................................
24
A strengths-based approach -
Denmark
................................................................................ 29
4
5
Someone who listens to what you have to say -
Denmark
.................................................... 35
The majority gets a job or begins study -
Iceland
.................................................................. 41
Encouragement to put abilities to use -
Iceland
..................................................................... 47
6
7
Hunting for assets -
Sweden
.................................................................................................. 52
Accepting joint responsibility for problems that may arise -
Sweden
.................................... 56
”Now I feel I can do it”-
Finland
............................................................................................. 59
”Young people shouldn’t always have to adapt to structures” -
Finland
............................... 63
”I`m moving forward now” -
Greenland
.................................................................................. 66
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2
Nivå 2 ..................................................................................................................................... 14
3
Nivå 2 ..................................................................................................................................... 15
Nivå 2 ..................................................................................................................................... 18
Politik ..................................................................................................................................... 22
Nivå 1 ..................................................................................................................................... 29
4
Politics ................................................................................................................................... 70
An ingenious system in the Nordic model ............................................................................. 71
5
Research and future knowledge needs.............................................................................. 76
Nordic network emphasises youth perspective ..................................................................... 77
6
7
7
International overview.......................................................................................................... 80
ESN brings together social services in Europe ...................................................................... 81
Reference list and suggested reading................................................................................ 84
Reference list ........................................................................................................................... 85
Suggested reading ................................................................................................................. 86
routines and the team
the best
“
The being here. During the spirit aremeal, wethings
about
morning
often
chat with the supervisors about the kind of mood we’re
in. The staff usually come over for a chat if they notice
I’m feeling a bit down or something.
”
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RECOMMEN-
DATIONS
CHAPTER 1
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NORDIC CENTRE FOR WELFARE AND
SOCIAL ISSUES RECOMMENDS
BOTH YOUNG PEOPLE
and adults are a
very diverse group of people in need of vary-
ing degrees of support from the security systems
we have in the Nordic region. All children and
young people are an enormous resource, and we
have never had as many educated and talented
young people in the Nordic region as we have
today. That said, more and more young people
are saying that they are suffering from mental
ill health , and we have young people who risk
ending up in vulnerable situations on account of
a range of factors. The growing level of mental
ill health among young people is one of the
greatest challenges facing public health in our
Nordic societies. When working with this group
it is important for us to have inherent flexibil-
ity and skills in our welfare sector so that we
can make quick decisions on who needs what
and provide the correct guidance. Some young
people need more extensive action and long-
term monitoring, while others need access to the
right network or briefer, less resource-intensive
action.
Nowadays, we know all too well that early
action for children, young people and their fam-
ilies is worthwhile from a socio-economic point
of view and helps to alleviate personal suffering.
There are a range of success factors when work-
ing with children and young people who are
risk of some form of exclusion, and we know
what they are.
We currently have major diagnostic focus when
it comes to determining which young people
will receive help with their mental ill health, but
for young people who feel bad, experience anxi-
ety and are not “ill enough” there are no easy
inroads to getting help. We have to take young
people seriously when they describe their self-
perceived mental ill health.
Our welfare systems are overloaded in many
respects, and so cooperation is necessary if we
are to be able to get this work done effectively.
We are already providing excellent support to
young people; we have NAV in Norway which
is founded on cooperation, and we have the
financial coordination of coordinating associa-
tions in Sweden, for example, but things are
moving too slowly. We have to do more, and
what we do has to be even better. And we have
to do it now.
Our recommendations are based on the things
we learned when visiting the selected organisa-
tions presented in this report, as well as other
publications and research reports which we
studied and produced as part of the Unga in i
Norden [Young People in the Nordic Region]
project.
We have chosen to divide our recommendations
into two categories; structure/organisation and
youth perspective.
MENTAL HEALTH AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE | 7
Recommendations
1
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RECOMMENDATION:
STRUCTURE/ORGANISATION
MULTISECTORAL COOPERATION,
ABILITY AND KNOWLEDGE OF ONE
ANOTHER’S RULES AND CULTURE
EDUCATION AND WELFARE SECTOR
National authorities, regions, county authorities,
municipalities, county councils, the psychiatric
service and civil society have different fields of
responsibility in the Nordic countries, as well as
the Faroe Islands, the Åland Islands and Green-
land. Irrespective of structure, organisation and
fields of responsibility, a collective multisectoral
cooperation relating to young people in need
of help and support is crucial. Cooperation is
not easy in this context; we have to be familiar
with one another’s work, rules and culture. In
this cooperation, it is important to know who
bears overall responsibility for individual young
people and who bears coordinated responsibil-
ity.
Flexibility is vital. The professions should be
receptive and learn from young participants,
and they should be willing to change course if
needs arise which differ from the ones for which
plans were laid.
Many of the young interviewees bear witness
to the fact that welfare state bureaucracy can
resemble an impenetrable jungle. In this context,
it is crucial that the bearers of the complexity
are our authorities and organisations, and not
our young people.
We know that good, completed schooling is the
strongest protection factor for all young people,
but this is particularly the case for young people
who risk ending up being excluded in some way.
Children and young people spend a large pro-
portion of their childhood and adolescence in
school, continuing until the age of 16 at least
– or most commonly 18 in the Nordic region.
Young people who are not in work or education
and who suffer from mental ill health often cite
negative experiences from their years at school.
They experienced bullying or exclusion, felt that
they did not fit in or did not receive the support
of their teachers in order to learn all the things
they needed to, and many left school early.
The heterogeneity of the youth group requires
more education alternatives.
The health of students is very important to
schools, but if teachers are to be able to teach to
the best of their abilities schools should to invest
in multi-skilled staff where everyone can work
together to create a school that promotes health.
Schools should maintain broad cooperation
with the various support initiatives offered by
the welfare sector and civil society, and they
should be open to various forms of cooperation.
Besides knowledge criteria and grades, much of
the work in schools should involve ensuring a
health-promoting work environment for every-
one.
Mental health could be introduced as a school
subject.
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RECOMMENDATION:
THE YOUTH PERSPECTIVE
The young people interviewed cited the fol-
lowing factors as important as regards the
support they receive, so our recommenda-
tions are:
LISTEN TO YOUNG PEOPLE!
WHAT ARE OUR RIGHTS AND
OBLIGATIONS?
Being listened to and treated with respect are so
fundamental that many of us take these things
for granted. However, this is not accepted as
a matter of course by the young people inter-
viewed. Everyday conversations characterised
by respect for one another are an effective ingre-
dient in these activities.
HELP US TO FIND A DIRECTION
Many young people indicate that the bureau-
cracy of the welfare state can be like an impen-
etrable jungle. Like having to “go hunting” for
help. Many people in need of the services of
the welfare state feel it to be nearly impossible
to make their way through the thorny issue of
complicated rules.
WE WANT TO BE PART OF A CONTEXT
The majority of young people interviewed
dream of being able to support themselves in the
future. The majority of young people are pos-
sessed by the dream of having a job to go to in
future. Everyone is good at something. We have
to help young people to find their strengths and
believe in their abilities.
HELP US TO SUCCEED
Loneliness is closely linked with mental ill-
health, and having lived with anxiety or depres-
sion for a long time, for example, often means
that social contact with family and friends
is ravaged. Participation at these centres has
frequently involved swapping isolation for a
sense of social community. The individual acts
of laughing with others, cooking and eating
together or going for a walk are perhaps trivial
phenomena, but collectively they are described
as a kind of “kit” that brings meaning to life. It
is also important to reinforce the social network
of young people; if, indeed, this exists.
TREAT US WITH RESPECT AND GIVE US A
SECURE FOUNDATION
The feeling of not being good enough can be
devastating. Many young people taking part in
the activities described here share a sense of not
fitting in, of not being good enough. Time and
time again it has been proven to them that they
do not fit in – in education, in the workplace.
After numerous failures, they are relieved to be
part of a group where the demands on them are
reasonable and where the people surrounding
them wish them well.
Interaction between young participants and
professionals in particular is crucial. The climate
prevailing among participants is also important.
Trusting relationships, or at least contact char-
acterised by respect are a necessary prerequisite
for participation at the centre must be perceived
as a positive, strengthening factor. Many vulner-
able young people have had negative experi-
ences with the security systems when it comes
to the kinds of activities described here. Taking
these experiences seriously is a central element
in the creation of the important trust platform.
MENTAL HEALTH AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE | 9
Recommendations
1
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FACTS
CHAPTER 2
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THE ACTIVITIES, THE SUCCESS FACTOR
Text:
Sara Hultqvist
ALTHOUGH IT HAS
been pointed out over the
past few years that the Nordic welfare model is
perhaps not quite as unique as it is sometimes
claimed to be and that the European countries
have now come to resemble one another more
extensively, there are still features in the Nordic
countries which justify discussion of the Nordic
model at this time, a little way into the 2000s.
As regards features such as a high standard of
living and small differences in income, there are
a number of other countries which resemble the
Nordic countries. The combination of a high
standard of living, small differences in income
and low levels in respect of poverty nonetheless
characterise the Nordic region in comparison
with the rest of the world (Valkonen & Vihriälä,
2014).
Behind the outcomes which have led to the
Nordic model being regarded as a role model,
the five countries share a view of how the state
ought to deal with social risks and safeguard
the security of its citizens (Nygård, 2013). As a
result of this shared view, all the Nordic coun-
tries have developed extensive social security
systems which are largely financed through
tax on gainful employment. Hence one impor-
tant political target has been to encourage as
many citizens as possible to play an active part
in the labour market. The ambition has been
for women as well as men to work outside the
home. The theory refers to a dual-breadwinner
model where household finances are based on
dual incomes. Whether this model has unequiv-
ocally promoted gender equality between men
and women has been discussed in social policy
research (Borchorst & Siim, 2010, O’Connor,
2008), but the fact remains that the female
employment level in the Nordic countries is one
of the highest in the world (Nygård, 2013).
Furthermore, active labour market policy is one
of the features often highlighted as being char-
acteristic of the Nordic welfare model. With
the work-first principle as a political principle,
the Nordic countries have invested a great deal
of effort in initiatives and programmes aiming
to ensure that as many adults of working age
as possible play an active part in the labour
market. Political measures involved in active
labour market policy include everything from
funding for companies to help them take on
new staff, via extension of care for children and
the elderly so as to move women away from
their traditional work in the home and into paid
work, to day centres designed to make it easier
for participating unemployed and ill people to
find a job in the long term.
The last of the above examples of active labour
market policy in the Nordic countries is the
subject for discussion here. While unemployed
MENTAL HEALTH AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE | 11
Facts
2
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people have historically been the most common
target group for political programmes with the
work-first principle as a driving force, people
regarded as unfit for work due to medically
induced incapacity for work have also become
a target group over the past few years (Nørup
& Hultqvist, 2015). The consequence is that
not only unemployed people, but also people
who have been granted early retirement after
having been assessed as having such extensive
disabilities that they are unable to remain in
gainful employment are now often involved in
programmes where the aim is to equipped par-
ticipants for paid work. The paradox is clear.
On the one hand, the welfare state has deemed
these people to be unfit for work. On the other
hand, they are being referred to centres where
the objective is to get them back to work.
This paradox is incorporated in the field of
activity known as vocational rehabilitation, a
field which also goes back a long way in the
Nordic countries. A form of work rehabilita-
tion was introduced as early as the 1913 pen-
sion reform in Sweden. This reform provided
an opportunity for people deemed permanently
unfit for work to apply for a certain amount of
care and training if they were considered capa-
ble of returning to work (Montan, 1988). Work
rehabilitation – then as now – can be viewed as
an expression of the Nordic welfare model’s aim
to involve as much as possible of the workforce
in paid work on the labour market while also
guaranteeing that the important social needs of
citizens are met (Lindqvist, 2001).
The Nordic cooperation concerning the element
of policy regulating work rehabilitation goes
back a long way, not only by virtue of its roots
in active labour market policy, but also as part
of disability policy. Back in 1953, an agreement
was concluded in Reykjavik with regard to
benefits for ”invalids” when staying in another
Nordic country, and there has been organ-
INTERVIEW GUIDE
We have carefully selected organisations that work with young people who suffer from men-
tal ill health issues and risk ending up in vulnerable situations and early retirement. The
Nordic Centre for Welfare and Social Issues has worked with a Nordic team of experts who
have helped us with quality assurance of our selection. Important criteria included in our
selection are:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Evaluated
Socially inclusive
Innovative
Working with equal opportunities
Good at working in partnership with other stakeholders in the welfare sector
Producing good results related to their expressed targets (which may include quality of life,
transition to work experience/work, studies, mental and physical health)
When we visited the organisations, we interviewed a responsible manager or chief and a
young man and a young woman receiving help. We used a semi-structured interview tem-
plate.
PhD Sara Hultqvist analysed interviews from all selected organisations in the Nordic region
and was tasked with focusing on the youth perspective; in other words, what the young
people cite as being important and good about the support they receive.
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ised cooperation between individual disability
organisations since late 19th century (Montan,
1988).
Of all the people regarded by the Nordic welfare
states as having a medically induced incapac-
ity for work which is so extensive and perma-
nent that it provides entitlement to an income
via a social insurance scheme, the percentage
of people suffering from mental ill-health is
increasing. This phenomenon is most apparent
among people aged 19 to 29. The majority of
all young people who take early retirement have
a psychiatric diagnosis on their doctors’ certifi-
cates which forms the basis for compensation
(Olsen & Tägtström, 2013).
All examples of programmes on the boundary
between social policy and labour market policy
are activities regarded here. These are, to vary-
ing extents, the fruits of the work-first principle,
but they have also arisen from a shared Nordic
view that the state bears major responsibility for
the wellbeing of the members of its society. The
next section will present five of the keys to suc-
cess described as necessary tools for the selected
organisations to regard themselves as successful
examples. ”Successful” is defined in this regard
from a user perspective, and the stories of par-
ticipants – rather than printed descriptions from
the organisations – provide empirical data.
BEING RESPECTED
matter of allowing everyone taking part in the
conversation to have their say without classify-
ing the things being said as right or wrong, but
first and foremost showing interest and genuine
care. Further, it involves giving people a sense
of being seen and respected for the person they
are. At Jobbskolen in Kristiansand, emphasis is
placed on the everyday lives of the young people,
and it has been found that many of the partici-
pants felt alone and were without a secure foun-
dation in the home even if they were surrounded
by family. At Jobbskolen, participants must feel
at home – this is a basic prerequisite.
Another aspect when it comes to conveying a
sense of security involves adapting structures
for young people instead of attempting to force
young people to adapt to existing structures. At
SVEPS in Helsinki, the staff cite the option of
customising jobs to suit the wishes and abilities
of young people as a success factor. If the struc-
tures are flexible, they can be formulated so that
each and every individual can utilise their own
unique potential. If the structures are rigid, on
the other hand, young people have to comply in
order to fit in.
Many young people suffering from mental ill-
health share the experience of having their life
situations assessed and named in order to receive
the right support and assistance. When meet-
ing with a variety of people in authority, they
have ended up being categorised on the basis of
medical and bureaucratic terms. In many of the
activities studied here, there is a specific princi-
ple of dealing with each individual on their own
terms without translating the young people’s
own descriptions into existing welfare state cat-
egories such as ”unemployed”, ”unemployable”
or ”incapable of work”.
GIVING LIFE A DIRECTION
Being listened to and treated with respect are so
fundamental that many of us take these things
for granted. However, this is not accepted as
a matter of course by the young people inter-
viewed. They have experience of the reverse –
having been neglected or insulted. For the young
people interviewed, this issue of being respected
as a human being is one of the positive elements
emphasised as an important factor when they
describe the activities they are now taking part
in and enjoying.
Everyday conversations characterised by respect
for one another are a seemingly trivial but effec-
tive ingredient in these activities. It is all a
The majority of young people interviewed
dream of being able to support themselves in
the future by working. This is something they
refer to time after time. A job or a place on a
course leading to a job hovers like a beacon over
the activities. Irrespective of the organisational
MENTAL HEALTH AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE | 13
Facts
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targets of the centres, which frequently involve
encouraging the majority of participants to
continue their studies or find a job, the major-
ity of young people are possessed by the dream
of having a job to go to in future. At the same
time, internships at a place of work are options
available at several of the centres. A number of
the people interviewed feel that going to a place
of work is significant, even if the tasks they do
are not the same as the tasks done by the staff
or the payment they receive for the work they
do is lower.
Although paid work acts as a kind of ideal and
target for the participants, staff at some of the
centres point out that it is not possible to focus
on the target of paid work to the exclusion of
all else. Much of their work involves attempting
to give the young people a realistic view of the
labour market. Excessive emphasis on getting
the right education or sharpening up a CV can
reinforce a negative self-image when the indi-
vidual becomes aware that a huge amount of
personal effort is not enough to get a job. Giving
people time is also important. Healing processes
take time, and for many people who suffer from
mental ill-health peace and quiet are a must,
allowing them to recover. Stress can have direct
adverse consequences. Financial considerations
are another aspect. One of the young people
interviewed described how taking part in Lyra
”created scope in my life” in that when charting
and planning her future, she was made aware
that she could finance her studies at a college via
the Social Insurance Office. These college studies
in turn made it possible for her to start studying
at university, and at the time of the interview she
was just about to start her second year studying
social work.
According to some of the staff interviewed, con-
centrating on the wellbeing of young people and
helping them to find an everyday structure that
works is more effective than presenting big num-
bers in the annual report showing the number
of young people who have found jobs. In other
words, it is all a matter of helping young people
to get back on track: not a track marked out by
society, but a track defined by the young person
in question.
BEING GOOD ENOUGH
The feeling of not being good enough can be
devastating. Many young people taking part in
the activities described here share a sense of not
fitting in, of not being good enough. Time and
time again it has been proven to them that they
do not fit in – in education, in the workplace.
After numerous failures, they are relieved to be
part of a group where the demands on them are
reasonable and where the people surrounding
them wish them well. One of the young people
interviewed reckons that the staff at Lyra are
like an arm you can take hold of, ”someone
who can help you cross the bridge”. A genuine
interest in individuals and an instinctive feel
for what each individual participant is capable
of are vital success factors in the professional
approach adopted by the staff towards the par-
ticipants.
Many of the people interviewed also highlight
the abilities of staff to emphasise the merits of
each individual rather than pointing out all their
flaws. A number of Nordic studies confirm the
fact that feelings such as shame and humiliation
are common among citizens who have consulted
the welfare state’s aid organisation in the hope
of receiving support (Julkunen, 1992, Solheim,
2001, Hollertz, 2010). Encounters with social
services and the care sector have often been
problem-oriented, while the emphasis at these
centres is placed on resources and skills. One of
the participants describes her time at Lyra as a
treasure hunt, constantly finding new skills and
abilities within herself with the guidance of the
staff. ”Wow, did I do that?”. The staff bear wit-
ness to the fact that time after time, they have
seen young people grow as human beings while
they have remained with the centre. Regaining
their faith in themselves gives them a brighter
future. The young people learn to build on their
strengths instead of constantly perceiving them-
selves to be hindered by their weaknesses.
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GETTING HELP WITH DEFENDING THEIR
RIGHTS
Many of the young people interviewed indicate
that the bureaucracy of the welfare state can be
like an impenetrable jungle. One of the young
people interviewed describes how he has to ”go
hunting” for help. Earlier research (Hollertz,
2010, Hultqvist, 2014) reinforces the view that
many people in need of the services of the wel-
fare state feel it to be nearly impossible to make
their way through the thorny issue of compli-
cated rules. And when they finally find the right
door, there are no guarantees that it will be
open to them. Long waiting lists can discourage
anyone, but for anyone who is young and suf-
fering from anxiety or depression it is important
for help to be available when they are motivated
to seek it.
Finland has outreach youth work, the purpose
of which is to make it easier for young people
not in employment or education to get the
right support. At its core, outreach youth work
involves ensuring that all young people have
access to secure, trusting contact with adults.
In other Nordic countries, the knowledge that
welfare bureaucracy can be difficult for citi-
zens to work their way through has provided
an incentive for the development of ’one-door
solutions’ for relevant authorities. The prin-
ciple behind these is that instead of having to
maintain contact with a number of authorities
such as the Social Insurance Office, the Employ-
ment Service, the municipality and the psychi-
atric services, citizens instead maintain contact
with a person in authority who represents the
elements of welfare bureaucracy needed by the
individual citizen. Instead of the citizen having
to stay up to date with a plethora of rules, this
person’s needs are charted and responsibility for
being aware of the rules is placed with an officer.
Arranging personal representatives is another
way of tackling the problem of complex bureau-
cracy and making it easier for citizens to defend
their rights. This personal representative works
on behalf of the individual and acts as a point of
contact between the citizen and the authorities.
In other words, they act as a kind of advisor for
people suffering from mental ill-health.
Young people turn up at Sherpa in Copenha-
gen after having attempted in vain to get help
elsewhere within the welfare state. The psychi-
atric services have told them that they are not ill
enough, and they have then queued for primary
care without receiving adequate support. ”These
MENTAL HEALTH AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE | 15
Facts
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young people have done what they were told
to do and waited nicely in turn. One day, they
won’t be able to wait any more and they’ll just
collapse,” explains a member of the staff team.
Collectively, the staff at Sherpa have a broad
range of skills, including experience of social
services and psychiatric services. As a team, they
are very familiar with how the various welfare
state organisations work and are able to provide
the young people with guidance.
EXPERIENCING A SENSE OF
SOLIDARITY
phenomena, but collectively they are described
as a kind of ”kit” that brings meaning to life.
At Vamos in Helsinki, a number of the young
people interviewed reckon that the team spirit
that develops is one of the best things about
being part of the centre. Meeting up with other
people who are in the same boat eases the feel-
ing of being alone with their worries. ”Vamos
has given me support, and above all I’ve received
the support of my colleagues”, says one of the
participants.
Research has also shown that social support
under certain conditions can contribute to
recovery and help the individual to develop
resistance to stress factors (Lindqvist, 2001).
Although social support is difficult to define, the
testimonies of the young people are in line with
the findings of studies into what factors pro-
mote and hinder rehabilitation. Feeling appreci-
ated, receiving help to overcome problems and
having physical contact with others appear to
facilitate recovery processes.
Community with others is important to indi-
viduals, therefore, but from a social standpoint
Humans are social creatures. Feeling a sense of
community with other people is a human need.
A number of the young people interviewed
describe how important being part of the gang,
feeling a sense of solidarity has been to them.
Loneliness is closely linked with mental ill-
health, and having lived with anxiety or depres-
sion for a long time, for example, often means
that social contact with family and friends
is ravaged. Participation at these centres has
frequently involved swapping isolation for a
sense of social community. The individual acts
of laughing with others, cooking and eating
together or going for a walk are perhaps trivial
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THE TRUST PLATFORM AND
FINANCIAL SECURITY
When we borrow the viewpoints of the young
people and assess the organisations visited
from their perspectives, the interaction between
young participant and professional in particu-
lar appears to be crucial. The climate prevailing
among participants also seems to be important.
Trusting relationships, or at least contact charac-
terised by respect as a necessary prerequisite for
participation at the centre must be perceived as
a positive, strengthening factor. For Norwegian
sociologist Liv Johanne Solheim, this involves
a trust platform (Solheim, 2009). Many of the
participants have had negative experiences with
the security systems when it comes to the kinds
of activities referred to here. Previous encounters
with other parts of the welfare state have made
the young people mistrustful of the aid organi-
sation. Many of the young people view welfare
state representatives as opponents on account of
their experiences of not being believed or even
listened to. Taking these experiences seriously is
a central element in the creation of the impor-
tant trust platform. Acknowledging the negative
experiences of young people will allow trust to
be built back up. Using the trust platform as a
secure foundation, it is possible to move on and
recover from long-term mental ill-health and
develop skills that are in demand on the labour
market.
The trust platform is the sum of the success fac-
tors specified most clearly by the young people.
However, the trust platform cannot be shaped
unless a central framework condition is in place.
That framework condition is financial security.
To borrow an expression from German play-
wright Bertolt Brecht’s ”Threepenny Opera”:
Applied to the young adults participating at
the centres examined, there must be a financial
security system which avoids them having to
worry about having no money to buy food or
pay their rent. They must be able to rely on the
welfare state guaranteeing them a secure income
when they have no pay from work.
To summarise, financial security for young
people and the existence of a trust platform
from which young people can take inspiration
are basic criteria which allow for work rehabili-
tation at the organisations examined here to be
regarded as successful examples.
MENTAL HEALTH AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE | 17
Facts
it is also important for people to feel a sense
of solidarity with one another. The institutions
that form our society will crack without a cer-
tain degree of interpersonal trust and a sense of
belonging. Social isolation poses a risk to indi-
viduals, but also to society as a whole. In other
words, ”exclusion” is a threat to democracy as
well as human wellbeing.
first we eat, then comes morality. In other words,
basic needs – such as food for the day and a
roof over our heads – must be secured before
people can absorb new knowledge and develop
new abilities. Research confirms that there is a
link between mental ill-health and relative pov-
erty (Read, 2010). We do not know what precise
form this link takes, but the results of an exten-
sive Swedish study carried out recently show
that an improvement in financial conditions
promotes recovery among people with mental
ill-health who have lived under poor financial
conditions (Topor et al., 2015).
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FROM
REALITY
CHAPTER 3
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YOUTH OFFICE”
Text and photo:
Bente Haarstad
“I WOULD NEVER
have got this far on my own.
LOTS OF DEFECTION IN NORWAY
I am now ready for working life”, says Rebecca
Straume. She is one of the approximately 90
youths who have been followed up by the youth
office in Sund outside Bergen since 2010. None
of them wanted to become dependant on social
services.
Rebecca contacted NAV, Norway’s agency for
labour, social security and social services, when
she dropped out of upper secondary education
after just six months. She knew nothing other
than having to go there to sign on.
EXPECTED DAILY CASH BENEFITS
Rebecca Straume is among the many Norwegian
young people who drop out of upper secondary
education. A report published in 2014, based on
the defection statistics from 2012. shows that
Norway is among the countries with the lowest
completion of upper secondary education. 72
percent complete and pass their exams in stand-
ard time plus two years in Norway, whilst the
average in the OECD is 87 percent. The defec-
tion is especially large in vocational subjects,
where 60 percent of Norwegian pupils complete
within two years after standard time, compared
with 79 percent in the OECD.
FROM DRESS-MAKING TO CHILDREN
She expected to remain in receipt of daily cash
benefits, but was quickly put in contact with the
youth office in the municipality. They arranged
an experience placement for her in a daycare
nursery. After a period of three years and close
follow up, she is ready to take a craft certificate
and for working life.
– “I am a very shy person, and would not have
tried a day nursery on my own, since it is nec-
essary to have contact with parents and many
people. I was very worried about starting, but
found it was surprisingly good. All that remains
now is the craft certificate, and then I become
a child and youth worker. Who would have
believed that, I was very discouraged when I
dropped out of school”, says the 22 year old.
Dress-making was the vocational subject
Rebecca started, and within six months she
realised this was not for her. Dress-making was
OK as a hobby, but she realised this was not a
vocation for her and she was not at all content.
Suddenly she found herself without school, frus-
trated and not knowing what to do with her life.
Given early and close follow-up, it was possible
to get back on course, and Rebecca cannot stress
enough the good follow-up she has received.
– “The youth office has assisted me in many
ways. From sitting with homework, to finding
the information you need to write a CV and
work applications, as I have been doing now.
I was able to contact them about all sorts of
MENTAL HEALTH AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE | 19
From reality
NORWAY |
”EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE HAD A
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things, whatever the time, but as time went on
we made appointments for meetings, because
then you can make more time available. I feel I
have grown during this process,” says Rebecca,
some days in advance of her subject examina-
tion in the vocation of child and youth worker.
ANDREAS WANTED TO BECOME A
CARPENTER
– “I loved building things, doing things where
you can see that you are achieving something.
I wanted to become a carpenter, something I
had dreamed about as long as I can remember.
It was very frustrating having to give up school
and carpentry. Yes, it was very simply a great
stress factor”.
OVERWHELMING HOPELESSNESS
The frustration was also great when Andreas
Vorland dropped out, but for him it was illness
and not a difficult choice of vocation that meant
that he could not continue. He had started a
vocational course that had been in his dreams
since he was a little boy, and it was very difficult
to see his dream go down the drain. This was
what he felt. At this point in time he had com-
pleted the actual school subjects, but had only
completed six months of his practice place as a
carpenter.
The hopelessness was great, almost overwhelm-
ing, when Andreas contacted NAV. He was
fairly quickly referred to the youth office. The
initiative was completely new when Andreas
was referred; he had never heard of it, and was
in reality frustrated at being referred on.
– “Sund is a small place, and it was not far to go.
The youth office is in fact located in the base-
ment of the NAV building, but I must confess
that I was a bit sceptical. After having to leave
school, I got a little troubled about speaking to
The manager Annette Henden together with her staff
Tone Stikholmen, a nurse (left), and NAV adviser and
home
MENTAL HEALTH AMONG
20 |
monitor Lene Kvigne Lerøy.
YOUNG PEOPLE
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Andreas says he was completely without any
driving force or determination when he first vis-
ited the youth office, and that he would not have
managed to start anything on his own.
– “I don’t know where I would have ended up if
it was not for the youth office. It has meant a lot
to me. Not only have I completed my education
and got into working life. I have also become
much more self confident. The office has not
just contributed with practical issues, but also
mental issues. I feel a lot better about myself
now.”
FEEL THAT MANY YOUNG PEOPLE ARE
SUFFERING
Andreas Vorland was able to try
different places of work when he
was given help.
people. My dreams were crushed, and I pulled
away from everything and everybody. This is
why I was sceptical about everything new and
unknown”.
FROM FRUSTRATION TO MASTERING
Rebecca and Andreas agree about one thing,
and this is that all young people should have an
initiative like the youth office to contact if they
are stuck and don’t know what to do or become
in life.
– “It is very useful to spend time with some-
one when you have to figure things out,” says
Andreas.
– “Everyone should have a youth office, because
many young people are suffering; they are stuck
and don’t know what they want or how to do
it. I was helped to figure it out, and everyone
else who is stuck should also get this help,” says
Rebecca.
The youth office in Sund was started as a project
by the child welfare authority in the municipality
during the autumn of 2010. Mostly in order to
coordinate efforts against drop-out from school,
but also to avoid the development of behav-
ioural difficulties and drink and drug problems.
Today there is one person in full employment
as well as two project staff at the office. The
office has 350-400 visitors per year, and this far
approximately 90 young people have received
close follow-up. Approximately 45 of these in
the spring of 2015. Much the same as the rest of
the country, three out of four are boys.
Andreas took the chance, went to the youth
office, and he has never had cause to regret
this action. Three to four years later, he is now
employed in a temporary position as a caretaker
in the municipality. He has completed the edu-
cation of his dreams, and is now a qualified car-
penter. And he is planning to take further quali-
fications in the brand new subject of Building
Management. His motivation is at an all-time
high, and he is aiming even higher than his origi-
nal dream.
– “Building Management is the actual subject
for caretakers, because we are the ones running
the buildings in, for example, the municipalities.
The new subject sounds good and I have there-
fore applied. It is good to have more compe-
tence, and I know what I am going to use it for.
I want permanent employment, preferably in
Sund. I have found my niche, and this is where
I belong.”
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EVEN 13 YEAR-OLDS
The youth office is not just for those who experi-
ence problems, and not just for youths, explains
its management. Sund is a small municipality
with around 6,700 inhabitants, and anyone
who wants to can contact the office. The target
group is children and young people between
15-24 years of age, but the manager Annette
Henden says that they often become aware of
even younger children.
– “We are working with children down to the
age of 12-13, because we can see that the ones
we have been in contact with have had long
term problems before coming to us. Absence is
the most important early warning sign for what
at a later stage becomes a lack of school motiva-
tion, conflicts at school, anxiety about attend-
ing school or problems at the point of entering
upper secondary education.”
FACTS ABOUT THE YOUTH SOCIAL SERVICES
ORGANISATION IN SUND
Responsible for the organisation?
The municipal authority is responsible for the initiative.
Cooperating/collaborating organisations?
NAV is represented within the Youth Social Services Organisation through a part-time
position (20% FTE). NAV is a collaborative initiative between the Norwegian State and the
municipal authority. The organisation reports directly to the Child Welfare Service, which in
turn belongs under the Municipal Executive, Children and Young People.
Target group?
The target group consists of young people aged between 14 and 24 who are at risk of be-
ing unable to complete an education, who are in danger of developing psychological disor-
ders and/or drug/alcohol abuse problems. Young people who have been granted a disabil-
ity pension are not included in our target group.
Who finances the organisation?
The municipal authority finances the organisation and coordinates the position within the
organisation. Around 20% of the coordinator position has been funded by the Directorate
of Health.
One position in the office, LOS position. Is covered by funding from the Directorate for Chil-
dren, Youth and Family Affairs.
Professional profiles of the staff?
The coordinator within the organisation is a qualified child welfare office with further educa-
tion in psychosocial work with children and young people.
The LOS in the organisation is a qualified nurse with further education in psychiatry. The
others who are affiliated to the organisation are a teacher with training as an advisor, a hair-
dresser who has pedagogics training and has also started training as an advisor, a social
worker and a cultural advisor.
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Rebecca Straume dropped out of upper secondary education when she understood that
dressmaking was not something she wanted to work with. The experience put her at a
loss, but thanks to the youth office she got onto a new track and is today a fully qualified
child and youth worker.
The youth office collaborates with a variety of
agencies, and the three employees have between
them a diversity of competence. Henden is a
child welfare officer with further education in
psychosocial work. Of her staff, one is a social
worker with further education as a residential
monitor, and the other a nurse with further edu-
cation in psychiatry. Among other things, they
use the “pilot” method. This means that they
accompany the young person to where they are
going, whether to the doctor or to work.
COLLECT YOUNG PEOPLE WHO DO NOT
TURN UP
– “We try to see everything from one standpoint
and follow up the ones who need it very closely.
So closely that if they do not turn up for school
one day, we go and collect them. This produces
results”, says Annette Henden.
One week has passed, and we make contact
with Rebecca. She is very happy that the voca-
tional examination is over.
– “I have completed the craft certificate and got
a mark of very good in the test,” says the 22 year
old, who has her future mapped out. What she
wants is permanent employment in the field of
her education.
–“What works it to meet the young people
where they are. The youth office has no criteria
for admission, as many other services have. This
makes us into a low threshold offer that is easy
to contact. It also gives us the opportunity to
tailor the follow-up to each person. We often do
this in collaboration with other services.”
MENTAL HEALTH AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE | 23
From reality
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NORWAY |
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS TO BE
TAKEN SERIOUSLY
Text and photo:
Bente Haarstad
Anders Grasaas from the Job School is on his way to a company on the outskirts of Kristiansand.
Two of the pupils are there for their work experience placement, that is to say that one of them has
recently become a permanent employee after a few months on trial, whilst the other one has only
been there for a week. Grasaas’ work is to secure contracts and work experience placements in
industry, and to follow-up on the youngsters.
– “THE FOUNDATION IS
laid at the Job
School. We cannot help anyone to get a job until
they are ready for it. It must be made clear in
advance that they are able to get to work on
time and actually be awake. It is does not help
to be a time waster at work, that is how to be
shown the door.”
Anders Grasaas sounds strict, but it is not nec-
essary discipline it is all about, as both Ivar and
Nikolai light up with pleasure when they spot
him. They probably feel that someone who
wishes them well is coming.
– “It was very good to be offered a job here, since
I have used up my three-year right to schooling,
and because I had been trying for a few months
to get a job by myself. I took what possibilities
were open, like shop work and courier driver,
but it never turned into anything proper,” says
Nikolai.
HAPPY WITH WORK EXPERIENCE
a production company for composite, or glass
fibre as it is also called. Both the youngsters are
working in this last department. Nikolai is con-
vinced that the preparation for working life has
been useful.
– “The Job School showed me step by step how
things need to be done, from how to be inter-
viewed, to turning up even when you lack the
motivation. They are very clever, and I no longer
have problems with motivation. I am extremely
content, and in addition I have a role model
here”, says Nikolai and nods to his work mate
Ivar.
Like Nikolai, Ivar alternated between attend-
ing school and attempts at getting a job without
any success. He tried by himself, and he tried by
going through NAV, but there was no end result
until he was given a place at the Job School, Ivar
explains.
– “NAV just add you to a pile of papers. It is
an eternity mill, where nothing comes out”, says
Ivar.
– “What makes the difference is that they have
time for you at the Job School. Lots of time if
needed,” Anders Grasaas quickly adds.
The 20 year-old was originally dreaming about
becoming an electrician, but the dream has
become a bit pale, and he is now very happy
after a time at the Job School and now in work
experience. Oil and Process Services is a group
encompassing both a mechanical workshop and
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Ann-Carina could not get into working life because of illness, and
it was not successful when she made an attempt with assistance
from NAV. It was only when she started at the Job School that the
plans became a reality.
FINALLY A JOB
Ivar got a foot in the door, but after a few
months there were redundancies. The oil indus-
try is performing badly, something that is also
noticed in the supply industry. But again he was
lucky and was able to transfer to the mechanical
department for production of composite. This is
where he is today, with new permanent employ-
ment.
– “This is wonderful. Permanent employment
has been the goal all along, but very difficult to
manage on your own. I tried, probably a hun-
dred times to complete the schooling, but it did
not work,” says the 23 year-old, who like many
others suffers with reading and writing difficul-
ties.
– “What is it like to get to work, you probably
have an early start as you work in industry?”
– “We start work at seven o’clock. I arrive about
half past six and it’s not a problem,” says Ivar.
– “It is just a question of getting to bed early.
A wonderful thing happened when I started to
work, I also became tired early in the evening. It
is not a problem at all”, adds Nikolai.
Ivar and Nikolai are lucky. In future, there will
be even fewer possibilities of getting a job with-
out formal competence. Even cleaners require a
trade certificate today, and there is competition
to be tested in working life. In many places hun-
dreds are queuing for one job.
MORE DIFFICULT WORKING LIFE
It is not just the educational requirements that
are higher, but there is also competition for jobs.
“Several thousand Swedish youths have come to
Norway to work,” says Perry Helmundse, Coor-
dinator at the Job School.
– “There are many Swedish people working
at Ikea in this area, and this is also the situa-
tion in other industries. Many of the Swedish
youths are more determined. They are possibly
more desperate due to a difficult job market at
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home. They often have better qualifications. In
these circumstances, a lazy attitude is useless.
You don’t get far with a half finished vocational
education and low marks for attendance. This is
how brutal the world has become.”
In the meantime, Anders Grasaas has arrived
at yet another company in the centre of Kris-
tiansand. This is where Ann-Carina Rønnaases
has her work experience placement, following
preparation at the Job School. The 24 year-old
has for several years been dependent on support
from NAV due to illness, and was also assisted
by NAV to try her hand in working life. She is of
the opinion this did not work.
SHE WAS TOO ILL TO SUCCEED
it had what she called a rather “heavy” envi-
ronment. After a few months, the impression is
completely different.
– “There are people from different backgrounds
at the Job School, but the most important thing
is to be taken seriously. As time went on I felt I
was being heard with regard to my wishes and
needs. I was very happy there, and I am very
happy in this job. That is quite a new experience
for me,” says Ann-Carina.
The Job School exists for those who for vari-
ous reasons have ended up outside school or
work, and the school is concentrating its efforts
in three focus areas. One is to increase compe-
tence and preparation for working life. Another
area is to focus on school subjects. The third
focus area is possibly more unexpected. The Job
School is also concentrating on the daily life of
the pupils.
CONCENTRATING ON SOCIALISING
– “NAV were just focusing on me getting to
work as fast as possible, but I was off sick
so often that it did not work out. I have now
taken some subjects at the Job School and com-
pleted my upper secondary education, and I am
happy at my shop work and hope for perma-
nent employment. I am unable to work full time
because I still have periods when I am not well.
This is now being taken into account.”
Ann-Carina was a bit sceptical about the Job
School at the start, and had the impression that
– “Some young people grow up alone, even when
there are other people in the house. Many feel
lonely, or need to be socialised for other reasons.
We all have our lunch together at the school and
in general we put great store by togetherness,”
says Helmundsen.
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makes the
“
WhatLots of timedifference is that they have time for you at the Job
School.
if needed.
”
This last point becomes even more obvious
when an earlier pupil pops in to show off the
uniform she has been issued with in her new job
as a security guard. Hugs are exchanged by eve-
ryone and the happiest face is the one who is
just visiting.
– “Some of our pupils have not had the follow-
up they should have had at home, so we become
their mums, dads, uncles and grandmas. The
complete family that they have been lacking,
or not been getting help from,” adds Anders
Grasaas. “We are carers. Youngsters need to be
seen and have good experiences, but we also
give them the push they need. For some of them
a little push is all they need. Others must be
lifted from where they have sunk to.”
MIXED COMPETENCE
young people having had to become mum, dad
and social services for their own parents.
– “They arrive at this place with the belief that
they don’t know anything, since they have no
formal competence. Sometimes it rips deep into
the soul. It is really a wonder that some young-
sters are still in one piece.”
– “The Job School is in a way a normal NAV ini-
tiative, but multiplied ten times with effort and
resources,” says Svein Marcussen, head of the
youth department at NAV Kristiansand, under
which the Job School is placed. The Job School
was established as a project during the spring
of 2013, and he too is excited about how it will
be when the project eventually becomes perma-
nent. This is what all the people involved are
hoping for, including the person responsible at
NAV.
– “The Job School is there for those who “there
is nothing the matter with”, but who have fallen
into the gaps. We have poured in resources, and
the figures show that the Job School is success-
ful. It will be a challenge to turn this project into
normal operations, as the same funds that are
helping 100 persons at the Job School can be
used to help 800 normal NAV users, or 350 per-
sons with reduced working capacity. The aim is
to achieve a permanent option, because the Job
School is a very good initiative,” says Marcus-
sen.
– “Besides, I believe there are huge socio-eco-
nomic gains,” adds Helmundsen. “All you need
to do is to save one or two from missing out
on working life completely, and this will enable
us to finance the whole of the Job School. The
challenge is to make the politicians and others
understand how important this is.”
The employees at the Job School have differ-
ing professional expertise, such special educator
and preschool teacher with special competence
in behavioural problems and socio-emotional
problems. Human characteristics and experi-
ence also count for a lot.
– “One of the most important characteristics
Anders has is for example that he is compas-
sionate, not that he has 40 marks for team work
or the like”, says Helmundsen about Anders
Grasaas. His colleague was managing shops for
more than 30 years before he was employed by
the Job School; he worked in close contact with
young persons in recruitment positions.
It can be difficult to get young people back onto
the right course, and everything does not always
go smoothly at the Job School either. Quite the
opposite, sometimes it can be both painful and
problematic. One employee has received death
threats, and one pupil had to leave the country.
And not least, they have experience of young-
sters who have had very difficult home lives, the
MENTAL HEALTH AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE | 27
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Ivar has finally found a job that he feels is right for him. He is happy after nearly a year at
OPS Composite Solution AS, a production company and mechanical workshop located in
Kristiansand. He was given a permanent position nine months after starting.
FACTS ABOUT JOBBSKOLEN (JOB SCHOOL)
Responsible for the organisation?
A collaborative project:
NAV Kristiansand/Vest Agder County Council/Kristiansand Municipality
Cooperating/collaborating organisations?
See above.
Target group?
Vulnerable adolescents aged 16-25 who are at risk of falling out or who have fallen out of
upper secondary education, minority adolescents, adolescents who are in the process of
developing criminal behaviour, trying drugs and/or alcohol and young recipients of social
assistance.
Who finances the organisation?
The Labour and Welfare Directorate throughout the entire project period.
Professional profiles of the staff?
Three full-time employees from NAV Kristiansand’s Youth Department. Two are qualified
special educators and one is a trade and industry coordinator.
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DENMARK |
A STRENGTHS-BASED APPROACH
Text:
Iben Nørup
Photo:
Camilla Falkenberg
“We are called Sherpa for a reason. We don’t walk the path – or chose the path - for anybody, but we
can make the walk easier. And we are pretty good map readers. What we can do is to light the roads
or little paths, and also points to the ones you tend to overlook. And we can make the choices that
you make and the possibilities you encounter along the way more visible for you. That’s what we can
do.” Lene, Mentor.
WHEN ONE ENTERS
the premises of Team
Sherpa in Copenhagen it doesn’t look like your
stereotype image of a place that offers help,
facilitates motivation, activation and such to
vulnerable young adults. If you didn’t know any
better, you would think you had just entered a
private company working perhaps with some
sort of creative type business. The rooms are
light and airy; and the atmosphere is warm and
welcoming, yet professional.
But Team Sherpa is not a design company or
consultancy. It is company working with vulner-
able young adults with mental disorders, help-
ing them getting back on track, the adult’s own
track that is. They do not offer typical activation
to education or employment, but concentrate on
helping the adult cope and recover from mental
disorders, navigate in the social system and find-
ing the right path – career-wise as well as with
life in general. In that sense, Team Sherpa is
not a traditional private company hired by the
municipality as a so called “other actor con-
ducting activation of citizens receiving social
benefits” and controlling their availability and
readiness to take up work. Yet they do have
cooperation with municipality and the munici-
pality does refer some of their residents receiv-
ing social assistance or sickness benefit to Team
Sherpa.
A PATH OF THEIR OWN
This arrangement is a choice made by the man-
ager Trine Lindahl because she doesn’t want
Sherpa to have the obligations that comes with
being an “other actor,” such as reporting back
to the municipality when the young adult can-
cels a meeting or prioritizes other activities
over the appointment with a mentor. As Trine
Lindahl points out, not showing up, reschedul-
ing, or choosing to do something else, can be a
very positive thing. There is the possibility that
many other appointments or activities are much
more important to prioritize on that particular
day for that particular individual. And in gen-
eral one doesn’t get positive output from forcing
people to attend a meeting with at mentor or
career advisor.
“Everybody comes here voluntarily, no matter
who is paying. Of course there are persons
receiving social assistance who have been
referred to Sherpa by the municipality and have
been told, that if they don’t accept this offer then
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Lene, Mentor at Team Sherpa.
their benefits will be cancelled. And here you
obviously can discuss whether they show up by
choice. But I do not force anybody to show up.
If they don’t feel this is right for them or don’t
want to be here, then it’s not right now that they
should be receiving the help we offer. And then
the municipality must find another offer for that
person,”
Lene, Mentor.
The voluntariness and autonomy is a key value
at Team Sherpa. Not just when it comes to the
young adults’ right to cancel or reschedule, but
is also one of the core values of the work that
the mentors and career and educational advi-
sors do with the young adults.
“There is just the way you choose for yourself
[…] only what you think is the right path in life.
I have no entitlement to think that I know better
than you. I can sit beside you, I can support you,
and I can challenge you or question what you
say or do, but I will never say or think that I
know better than you. Never!”
Lene, Mentor at
Team Sherpa.
In practice this means that the essence of each
meeting is to help each individual person get
closer to making the decisions and to prioritize
what they find right or valuable.
When asking Maria, a former user at Team
Sherpa who was diagnosed with depression, she
finds that this was one of the differences from
the help she has experienced previously.
“I thought to myself- ‘oh no, not another person
pushing me and more stuff I have to do.’ But it
wasn’t like that at all.”
Maria, 23 years old.
Trine Lindahl stresses that this is not the same
as just asking a completely open question about
what the person wants in life. It is much more
about clarifying what that person’s options and
alternatives are and what the consequences of
“
If you give people time, then they will also find the right path.
”
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each choice imply, and then letting the person
decide which path to walk down – or if needed.
Letting the person wait at the crossroads taking
more time to decide if that is what is needed.
ENOUGH TIME
mentor support doesn’t stop just because the
young adult finds a job or becomes enrolled at
an educational institution.
“Their need for support doesn’t stop just
because they enter the educational system or
get a job. Quite contrary, actually. This is where
their real life begins and where they really need
support and role models. It is hard starting at a
school, for instance going on “freshers’ week”
and finding out how to deal with alcohol while
being on psychoactive drugs – that’s not easy...”
Trine Lindahl, Manager.
MENTOR SUPPORT AND CAREER ADVICE
“If you give people time, then they will also
find the right path. Sometimes they can obstruct
things for themselves, but even so, I dare to lean
back, give it time and wait. Because if you are
tormented, as most of the young adults here are,
then of course you want it to stop. And I believe
they want to and are able to find out what is the
right way for them, and I will of course support
them in the process.”
“When she [the mentor] was visiting, it never
felt like she had something on her schedule that
she needed to do right away. It felt like she had
all the time in the world.”
Maria, 23 years old.
This also means that the young adults typically
are in touch with Sherpa for quite some time,
most of them about 18 months. This is what
differentiates us from many other offers to this
particular client group. Another important dif-
ference from the offers generally given as part
the traditional employment effort is that the
Sherpa offers mentor support combined with
career or educational counseling. Most of the
meetings with mentors take place at the young
adult’s home or at places the young adult has
chosen. This could be, for instance, at a café or
even walking around in a park. The meetings
don’t have a pre-fixed agenda; rather the focus
is on what is important for the young adult
at that particular point in time. This could be
simply having somebody to listen to his or hers
concerns or thoughts about the future, about a
job, educational program, or such, or it could
be just having an everyday chat about problems
Trine, the manager at Team Sherpa, in the lunch room. Many of the men-
tors work a large part of the day outside the office visiting clients in their
home or out in the city, so it isn’t everyday they all meet up at lunch.
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and experiences one encounters in their daily
life, or it could be having someone given a help-
ing hand to go grocery shopping or taking the
dishes if that has become a challenge.
“We do the things that are needed for each indi-
vidual. If that means doing the dishes or going
to a grocery store with the young adult, then we
do that. And that’s where we differ from many
of the municipalities’ offers. They don’t see all
this everyday stuff as their job, but instead they
give the young adult their assignments for fol-
lowing week. We don’t do that. We help them
getting things done as role models.”
Trine Lin-
dahl, Manager.
Alexander, who was diagnosed with severe anx-
iety, is very positive about this type of support.
“In the beginning we just talked about how I
felt. I was in psychiatric treatment and that took
up a lot of my focus […] I needed some struc-
ture. I mean there is a lot of stuff you need to do,
and it gave me some peace of mind to know that
when we got to Thursday each week [where the
mentor was visiting] we would reply to all the
important e-mails and apply for stuff if that was
needed. Like… you know – because the fact that
I knew it was getting done means that I didn’t
need to stress out.”
Alexander, 25 years old.
Knowing that someone was there – also to help
with the practical stuff – was also important to
Maria:
“When I got assigned to a mentor, I thought
it had something to do with education. But it
wasn’t like that at all. She was just someone who
was there. She was more like someone I could
lean myself against. A support, or a friend […]
she just helped me with everyday stuff – like get-
ting groceries. Little things maybe; but they are
very difficult when you simply cannot get your
life to work.”
Maria, 23 years old.
Along with the mentor support, the young
adults are typically also referred to either a
Team Sherpa career advisor or their educational
advisor as one of the first things after starting at
Team Sherpa.
“To have a career doesn’t mean crawling up
the ladder. Here it means having an interesting
day. That you have something that makes sense.
So career advice is about finding out what you
want. Many of the young adults have things
they care about and are interested in. Some of
them have parents who have an education and
know the educational system, but many of them
don’t. And they don’t have any image of what
it means to complete an educational program.
So instead they have told themselves that educa-
tion or a degree probably isn’t for them because
they weren’t good at math. They’re aware of
all the different ways you can put an education
together. So what we can see is that when they
get to talk to a career advisor who knows the
educational system, then we were very quickly
see a spark. They remember what they like and
what they were good at.”
Trine Lindahl, Man-
ager.
“We go out with the young adult and visit the
schools and training programs. We don’t wait
for a formal introduction day. We go out and
talk to the teacher and the students. And we sit
in the schoolyards when there is a break and
observe what it is like to be a student, in order
for the young adult to be able to find out if they
can picture themselves there.”
Trine Lindahl,
Manager.
Maria explains how she needed to try some-
thing other a restaurant job, but she didn’t really
know what. She liked the idea of working in a
retail shop, but didn’t really know how to get
such a job.
“Henrik [career advisor] and Mette [mentor]
went with me around in the stores in the city to
ask for a job. It was difficult for me, but having
them as a back-up helped. Also knowing that
they stood outside waiting and cheering for me
meant a lot.”
Maria, 23 years old.
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FACTS ABOUT SHERPA
Responsible for the organisation?
Sherpa is a private organisation.
Cooperating/collaborating organisations?
This is a private organisation, but it maintains formal cooperation with the psychiatric ser-
vice (Region Hovedstadens Psykiatri) and the Employment Administration in a number of
different municipalities.
Target group?
People with mental health problems (no age limits). But the organisation focuses on young
people in particular.
Who finances the organisation?
This is a private organisation. Among other things, municipalities purchase their initiatives
for residents from Sherpa. Private individuals can also make purchases from Sherpa them-
selves. In addition, the organisation has received support from foundations and from a gov-
ernment agency for its cooperation with the psychiatric services.
Professional profiles of the staff?
Social workers/case officers, nurses, educational courses, coaches/therapists. The com-
mon denominator is that they all have experience of working with the target group from the
public system (e.g. from the health sector, the social system or the employment system).
Postcard wall at Team Sherpa with messages to and from users.
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Alexander who is now studying to be teacher
also points to the importance of support and
help to find out what he wanted to do – and
how to achieve it.
“At one point I got this idea. I don’t know
where it came from because I had no experi-
ence in this field. But there was a position as a
pedagogic assistant at a youth club. I thought
maybe I should apply just for the job. I got
assigned a session with the career advisor and
he helped me with my resume and application.
Well, I didn’t get that job, but I did get a job
at the youth club next door instead, and I have
been working there ever since. I found out that
working with kids what was I wanted to spend
my time doing.”
Alexander, 25 years old.
Alexander had concerns about undertaking a
formal education, but after working in the youth
club and realizing that this was something he
was good at, he decided to give it a try.
“I was never that academically strong. Yet now
I am harvesting all the best grades!”
Alexander,
25 years old.
Sherpa do not offer treatment for the mental
disorders the young adult suffer from and hence
many of the young adults are also in contact
with a psychologist or a psychiatry clinic while
they are in contact with Team Sherpa.
HANDLING THE PRESSURE AND GETTING
BACK ON TRACK
psychiatry, then they get noticed […] These are
young adults who have done everything that
was expected of them and kept on doing so
for way too long. And one day they just break
down.”
Trine Lindahl, Manager.
“Now I go home from my job and do a lot of
cozy stuff at home. Walk my dog and so on.
Before [I got sick] it was just about work all the
time. That was it.”
Maria, 23 years old.
The majority of the young adults at Sherpa
have mental disorders such as depression, anxi-
ety or severe stress, but there are also cases of
psychiatric disorders such as bipolar disorder
and schizophrenia. The common denominator
is also that typically they haven’t a long history
with the social services system. Despite different
socio-economic backgrounds most of them have
lived a pretty ordinary life before their illness
arose. And many of the young adults in fact do
return to ordinary education or work when they
finish at Team Sherpa.
“I have become much better at handling the eve-
ryday. I now know why I sometimes get tired
and irritated. And I know how to deal with it.”
Maria, 23 years old.
“I have found out what I want in life. I am very
happy and proud of what I do [...] I really love
working as a teacher”
Alexander, 25 years old.
All of the mentors at Sherpa have a background
in working with or counseling adults with
mental disorders. Many of them have a back-
ground from the psychiatric or social services
system.
Maria is now working as a sous-chef at grocery
store and Alexander is studying to become a
teacher while working at the youth club.
Then who are the young adults who get in con-
tact with Sherpa?
“Our young adults are not your typical social
services client […] they are ordinary young
adults who have suddenly broken under the
pressure and because they aren’t used to being
in the social service system and accustomed to
dealing with a mental disorder then they don’t
know where to ask for help – and when they
ask nobody listens, because they don’t appear
to be ill ‘enough.’ And first when they are very
ill and perhaps have been referred to the district
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DENMARK |
SOMEONE WHO LISTENS TO WHAT YOU
HAVE TO SAY
From reality
Text and photo:
Iben Nørup
A huge graffiti painting on the wall and a room furnished with furniture built from used pallets
and other recycled materials is the first thing that catches the eye when you enter Headspace
in Esbjerg. Even though it is in the middle of summer vacation and the room is empty, one can
easily imagine adolescents hanging out here and feeling comfortable and safe being here.
AS YOUTH COUNSELOR
the premises of
VOLUNTEERS AS A KEY RESOURCE
counselor Annette Friis later explains, the fur-
niture was made by the staff and volunteers on
a strict budget.
“We made it all by ourselves before we opened.
Many of the things were recycled stuff we found
in our basements or elsewhere […] as the rooms
shouldn’t look like an office or like a doctor’s
waiting room […] that is also why we don’t
have any offices for the staff. If we need to work
at a computer or have meetings, we just use the
Common Space room. But most of the time we
don’t need having a desk and a computer in
front of us. Mostly the Common Space room is
used by volunteers.”
Annette Friis, youth coun-
selor and social worker.
Despite the summer vacation the place isn’t
entirely empty. Further back in the “Common
Space” room, Per Frederiksen, who is man-
ager of Headspace, and Annette Friis, who is a
social worker at Headspace, are busy discussing
today’s public event with a volunteer and the
volunteer coordinator. T-shirts are handed out
and flyers are stacked. The event is supposed to
attract new volunteers. Headspace has some 25
or so volunteers, but as more and more adoles-
cents are using Headspace, more volunteers are
highly needed. Per hopes that over the summer
Headspace can increase the number of volun-
teers.
Headspace
only has four full-time employees,
including the manager as well as a part time
social worker from the municipality and a part
time employee from the district psychiatry, so
the volunteers are crucial in order to provide the
help and counseling for all the adolescents who
are in contact with Headspace.
“We have to represent a huge diversity. When
we say that nobody is wrong in coming in here
and that no problems are too small or too large,
then we also need to be able to be versatile. We
need to have people who can provide all sorts
of help. And that is why the volunteers are so
essential. There is no way we could do that with-
out them.”
Per Frederiksen, Manager.
MENTAL HEALTH AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE | 35
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Per Frederiksen, psychologist and manager at Head-
space, standing in the front desk, where the adoles-
cents are welcomed
In that sense, Headspace is organized in a rather
untraditional way. On the one hand, Headspace
is not a traditional activation or social services
office that provides assistance, activation to
work, or education or other public social ser-
vices to adolescents. But on the other hand it
isn’t a traditional helpline run by volunteers
either.
COUNSELING ON THE ADOLESCENTS’
OWN TERMS
or a helping hand in order not to develop more
serious psychological or social problems.
“However we also have a rather large share of
youth who need more than what we can offer.
They need psychiatric treatment or more formal
help elsewhere in the system. In those cases we
help them get in contact with the right place
as well, because we don’t offer treatment.”
Per
Frederiksen, Manager.
It is not uncommon for
the
youth who use Head-
space to have a psychiatric diagnosis and even
though they need to go elsewhere to received
treatment, many of them still use Headspace as
a place to talk freely about their worries or con-
cerns about being young and having to live with
at mental illness.
Volunteer Tina was diagnosed with a chronic
mental illness herself, but has been without
symptoms for some years, explains it like this:
“Many of my conversations are with adoles-
cents who have recently been diagnosed. It is
often about learning to accept the diagnosis and
learn how to move on from it […] there is a lot
Headspace offers anonymous counseling or
sometime simply just conversations with some-
one who listens and understands to youth
between 12 and 25 years old. The young per-
sons are using Headspace voluntarily. The pro-
ject is financed by foundation grants and by
grants from the municipality and the regional
authorities. Thus it is not a private company nor
is it a traditional public service.
As manager and psychologist Per Frederiksen
explains the original intent is to help and coun-
sel youth who are not ill or troubled enough
to be eligible for help or treatment in the dis-
trict psychiatry or elsewhere in the health care
system, but who nevertheless still needs support
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of fears when you’re diagnosed. Like - can other
people see it? Can I start or continue with my
education now? And so on. So you need to get
all that played down. And sometimes you just
also need to talk about other problems or wor-
ries that have nothing to do with being ill.”
Tina,
Volunteer.
As Per Frederiksen as well as youth counse-
lor Annette Friis and volunteer Tina stress the
starting point for each session or conversation
between a young person and a volunteer or staff
at Headspace is the things that the young person
wants to talk about.
“We don’t have an agenda, when the young
person enter the door. What we do here is
entirely on the adolescents own term.”
Per Fred-
eriksen, Manager.
“Just having an ordinary conversation with
someone who listens to what you have to say.
No matter what it is. And someone who cares
about and about what you say… you know -
that just means so much when you’re vulner-
able.”
Tina, Volunteer.
Camilla who frequently uses Headspace points
out that this approach was the reason why she
started using Headspace.
“I have always been very much against going to
see a psychologist when people have suggested
that to me. But this is different. It is only the
stuff that I want talk about that is discussed.
They don’t have a form or a list that they need
to fill out and to check off the boxes. It becomes
less... hmm how do you explain that... less
formal, perhaps. They pay much more atten-
tion to what you need and you want and are a
better at putting themselves in your place. They
haven’t drawn any conclusions beforehand.”
Camilla, 21 years old.
MENTAL HEALTH AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE | 37
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“
Headspace is with you all along the way. That was very
crucial to me.
”
NO PREFIXED AGENDA
The fact there isn’t any prefixed agenda also
means that the goal at Headspace is not to clar-
ify or make the young person ready for job or
education.
“They [youth] are extremely aware that job and
education need to be clarified, that they need to
find out what they should do. And if they just
get that in place, then everything else will be all
right and their frustrations will disappear. So
they rush through everything get that clarified.
But despite that, they remain frustrated. And
the frustration is much deeper than just about
job or education. So that’s what we talk about
[…] And when that frustration disappears –
well they don’t necessarily get clarification job
education wise but that is not the goal either.
The goal is that they should feel good. And then
learn to believe that if you or the situations feel
good then it will also turn out well.”
Per Fred-
eriksen, Manager.
This also means that Headspace doesn’t keep
a record of those who utilize their services and
they don’t record or note down anything from
the conversations. This is an important differ-
ence from most other social services.
“Many of our users are not very keen on seek-
ing help from the municipality.”
Annette Friis,
Youth Counselor.
“When youth come here for the first time they
sometimes find it odd that we cannot give them
anything specific like a place to live, benefits, etc.
But I think that is one of our greatest values that
we don’t hand out these things. Because here, it
is not a trading situation. When you go to the
municipality, it is always a trade. They give you
something in return for something else [benefits
in return for seeking a certain number of jobs
each week, etc.]. Here we just listens to them.
And you can see it in their eyes in the begin-
ning. That they are doubtful about whether or
not they are being seen, heard and recognized,
and have any value as a human being. We see
them, we listen and we approach them with
respect, that is something that many have not
experiences for a long time...”
Per Frederiksen,
Manager.
“I forgot an appointment with Headspace
once, but that was an unintended. I never have
that feeling where you dread coming here and
think ‘oh no – today I have an appointment
with Headspace.’ Quite the contrary actually.”
Camilla, 21 years old.
JOB LEARNING – AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A
REAL JOB WITH A REAL SALARY
Besides having counseling with youth, Head-
space in Esbjerg also is part of a project called
“Job Learning” which at the moment is a pilot
project that is supposed to be replicated in
other cities. Job Learning is project initiated by
a number of large private companies in Esb-
jerg. The idea is that the companies hire young
adults with psychological or social problems for
a period of four month. The young adults are
hired on ordinary, fulltime contracts and are
paid a normal salary just like everybody else.
While they are working at the company, the
company provides a mentor.
“It is about dignity. They have a real situation
where somebody is paying them salary on equal
terms with everyone else.”
Annette Friis, Youth
counselor.
Headspace became a part of the project because
the companies needed a method to recruit the
young adults.
“They didn’t want the strongest of the young
person’s we are in contact with, but they didn’t
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want the absolute weakest either. Of course they
couldn’t just put an ad in the newspaper, so they
asked us if we could put recruit some of the ado-
lescents we were in contact with.”
Annette Friis,
Youth Counselor.
Typically the young adults participating are per-
sons who for a various social and/or psychologi-
cal reasons have been excluded from the labor
market and the educational system. Typically
they have tried taking an education, keeping a
job or participating in activation to work sev-
eral times – all ending in failure.
The young adults typically don’t stop using
Headspace while working at the company, thus
Headspace functions as social or mental sup-
port during the project.
“Headspace is with you all along the way. That
was very crucial to me.”
Camilla, 21 years old.
“So far 12 young adults have been through the
program and the results have been fantastic. The
young adults have found the zest for life again.
Many of them have made educational or train-
ing contracts with the company they have been
working at. Others have started other types of
educational programs. But common for them all
is that they have found the faith in themself and
they have started to believe that they actually
can ‘do stuff.’ And that it is worth pursuing one’s
goals.”
Annette Friis, Youth Counselor.
The young adults who are recruited to the pro-
ject are in general very positive about the oppor-
tunity.
Camilla, 21, found herself in very vulnerable
position. She has been using Headspace in or-
der to have someone to talk to. She has also
become part of the Job Learning project and
is now working fulltime in a shipping company.
MENTAL HEALTH AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE | 39
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“At first they can’t really believe that it’s true.
That they are actually given a real job with a
real salary. And that they are not receiving social
welfare benefits. These young adults have had
so many failures. They have sent out hundreds
of job applications but have been deselected
because perhaps they have several sentences
behind them or have been in psychiatric treat-
ment. And often they aren’t that good at writ-
ing an application and selling themself either.”
Annette Friis, Youth counselor.
“I felt extremely lucky having that opportunity
[…]. It means a lot that it is a real job. […] Most
of the others working there already have a fancy
education. I don’t, but they hired me anyway.
They didn’t do that just for fun. They have done
it because they know they can use me and that
I can do something valuable.”
Camilla, 21 years
old.
When asked where she will be in 10 years’ time,
Camilla answers:
“I’ve finished my education and training and am
working fulltime at that company. I really love
that job. I never thought about doing something
like that, but now I’m really passionate about
this.”
Camilla, 21 years old.
So far 14 companies are participating in the
project and 12 young adults have been through
the project.
The volunteers at Headspace are very diverse.
Many are students studying social work, psy-
chology or similar academic studies, but some
have other backgrounds, for instance skilled
workers are also represented in the group. Some
volunteers themselves have personal experiences
with mental illness or loneliness.
The staff consists of a psychologist, two social
workers, and a sociologist. A social worker from
the municipality and an ergo therapist from the
regional psychiatry are working part-time at
Headspace.
FACTS ABOUT HEADSPACE
Responsible for the organisation?
Headspace is an a non-governmental organisation.
Cooperating/collaborating organisations?
Headspace is an “independent” NGO, and most people who use its services turn up vol-
untarily without being referred there by the municipality, for example. However, Headspace
operates a partnership, Headspace+, with private enterprises and the municipality.
Target group?
Young people aged 12 to 25. All young people can apply, but the people who use Head-
space are young people with mental health and/or social problems and young people who
need someone to talk to, who are alone and vulnerable.
Who finances the organisation?
Foundations, government grants.
Professional profiles of the staff?
The staff at Headspace Esbjerg comprise a psychologist, social workers and a sociologist.
However, Headspace relies heavily on volunteer workers with very diverse backgrounds,
though a majority of our volunteers have degrees or are studying for degrees in social
work, psychology, education and similar subjects.
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ICELAND |
THE MAJORITY GETS A JOB OR
BEGINS STUDY
Text and photo:
Jóhann Hauksson
THE CITY OF REYKJAVÍK
began prepara-
tions for increasing services for young people
looking for work and for the creation of Work
Market in 2011. Payment of social assistance
by the City had then begun to increase and the
city council decided to focus on young people
who applied for social assistance and were not
entitled to unemployment benefits. “The City
authorities wanted to set up a project to provide
them with major support on an individual basis,
boost their active search for employment and
more,” says Tryggvi Haraldsson, Work Market’s
project manager at the Directorate of Labour.
GETTING STARTED
Directorate of Labour. I had previously worked
in the welfare department of the City of Rey-
kjavík. We relied completely on cooperation, as
half of our workforce came from the munici-
palities and half from the Directorate of Labour.
The Directorate of Labour was where the job-
seekers came. We went into their service centres
to welcome people co-operating in the project.
I don’t think there are any previous examples
of such extensive co-operation between the state
and the municipalities in this area.”
CO-OPERATION THE DECIDING FACTOR
“The state joined the project in its preparatory
phase and it became a collaborative effort by the
City of Reykjavík, the Towns of Hafnarfjörður,
Kópavogur and Reykjanesbær, the Directorate
of Labour and the Ministry of Welfare. This
was a new idea and preparation was considera-
ble. We travelled to Sweden and acquainted our-
selves with the experience of a similar project,
Jobbtorg Stockholm. This became a Nordic pro-
ject, where the expertise and experience gained
in one Nordic location is introduced in another
location.
We divided the tasks among us. I directed the
project in Reykjavík. Four of us who worked for
the City of Reykjavík had work facilities at the
Tryggvi relates that a large number of people
were involved in the preparations, ranging from
city councillors to ministerial officials. “I was
working in the City’s welfare department and
there were as many as 4 employees calculat-
ing what the financial outcome would be. Of
course there is some cost involved in this. But
this meant dedicating funds to the project for a
specific period which would result in savings in
the longer term by getting more people in work
and reducing the need for social assistance. An
extremely good interaction developed between
the City’s welfare services and the services of the
Directorate of Labour for jobseekers. This is a
must: the systems need to collaborate well.
MENTAL HEALTH AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE | 41
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YOUNG PEOPLE FIRST, THEN THEIR
ELDERS
One could ask what actions were taken to ben-
efit jobseekers. Tryggvi answers that to begin
with the focus was on people younger than 24
years of age, with the idea being that each of
them would practically get a personal coach to
help them into the labour market. “The coach
took the individual under her wing, called him
frequently for interviews, examined his situa-
tion closely and set up a programme to make
the individual more active in seeking work and
improving his or her prospects. This was impor-
tant. At the City of Reykjavík these individuals
had a social worker who was perhaps able to
meet with them every other month or so. It is
difficult to assess the situation under such con-
ditions. Individuals could say they were look-
ing for work but could be doing anything but
that in the intervals between meeting the social
worker. Now they almost had a personal coach
who said: This is what you have to do, this is the
way you have to act to have a chance in compet-
ing for a job. All of this took time. Sometimes
there is this misunderstanding that it’s sufficient
to create jobs. But often you have to get people
more active, motivate them and get them to
understand that this is a good thing.”
As previously mentioned, the project was ini-
tially established for young people under 24
years of age who were not entitled to unem-
ployment insurance or their entitlement was
running out. “Some had actually never been
entitled to unemployment benefits in their life,”
Tryggvi says. “Nothing was guaranteed in this
project and it was by no means certain that it
would work. Pretty high demands were made of
people. There’s the question of whether condi-
tions should be set for financial assistance. In
other words, we made it a condition for finan-
cial assistance that people had to participate,
attend a course, etc. in order to receive assis-
tance. This drove people onward. It’s perhaps
not a nice method but it’s healthy, if I can put it
that way. It urges people onward and increases
their activity. You perhaps use the income sup-
port to get people moving and direct them into
The manpower cost of funding the project was
divided equally between the Directorate of
Labour and the municipalities. Rental of prem-
ises and other expenses were also split equally
between the state and municipalities. The Direc-
torate of Labour, however, provided financing
for all purchase of remedies. It was to the ben-
efit of the City of Reykjavík to undertake this
together with the Directorate of Labour (a state
institution) because through this effort people
who were not entitled to benefits got access to
the same system as others entitled to benefits.
There these people could take advantage of
various remedies, for instance, take courses in
Icelandic and other options which would not
necessarily be available otherwise.”
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remedies suitable for them and help them in
whatever situation they are in, in this and that
instance.”
ORGANISING JOBSEEKING HELPS
applications, e-mails and my resumé. You also
made reports on what you had been doing and
explained your situation to a counsellor. It was
very useful.”
Arnór had a temporary job in a machine shop
and later shift work for awhile before he got the
job in the automobile dealership Bílabúð Benna.
He says that nightshift work did not suit him.
“The counsellor I had most to do with at Work
Market was very good. She followed what I
was doing closely and was always nudging me,
encouraging me and recommending me. I have
nothing but good things to say about that. I can
recommend this without question for anyone.
There they are helping people get work and it
must be suitable for people of any age who are
seeking work.”
Arnór was one of those jobseekers who was not
entitled to unemployment benefits and therefore
applied for assistance from the City of Reykjavík
social services. “The counsellors there worked
with the Directorate of Labour and there they
sent me on this route. They telephoned me often
and kept track of things well. I should add that I
don’t have much schooling but I did learn weld-
ing in metalworking. The last time I used the
service last autumn I was offered a course, either
in operating heavy machinery or further welding
study. I took the heavy machinery course and
last month I got my licence. You don’t have to
take the whole thing at once and can continue
to add more to it. That is very good of course.”
One of the options Arnór has been consider-
ing is to move abroad, preferably to Sweden,
with his girlfriend. Through the Work Market
it is also possible to check on work abroad. “I
would like to try something different while I’m
still young.”
Arnór Ingi Jónsson (26) works in a tire shop in
Reykjavík. He’s cheerful and speaks positively
of the service he benefited from in seeking work
in recent years.
“I’ve turned to the Work Market twice in recent
years. Late last year I was looking for a job
and registered. I had to turn up twice a week
and report on my situation and apply for jobs.
It helped me a lot to get all the booklets and
sit down at a computer and have everything in
the same place. I found likely jobs there, sent in
Tryggvi Haraldsson: “It turned out that 65% had not
had to receive financial assistance anew. This is also
considered good success.”
The last time Arnór sat down at Work Market
and looked through the folders on vacant jobs
there was nothing new. “But all the same that’s
no reason to quit or give up. You learn that.
It’s really good to have everything to do with
MENTAL HEALTH AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE | 43
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seeking work in one place so you don’t have to
spend hours over this on the Internet. You sit
down there at the computer with the folders
and can concentrate on looking for work. The
likelihood of missing an interesting job is much
less if you’re looking for work through Work
Market.”
EIGHT OUT OF TEN SATISFIED
As might be expected, people want to try to
assess how successful Work Market has been.
And this has been done to some extent Tryggvi
says.
“We assessed this one year at a time and took
a sample from those persons who had ‘gradu-
ated’ from the programme. On average around
60% of those who finished the programme went
to work without support or began study. Which
is good success. We also looked at the group
which had been receiving financial assistance
when they came to us. We checked the situa-
tion as of 1 January 2014, to see how high a
proportion once more had to receive financial
assistance. It turned out that 65% had not had
to receive financial assistance anew. This is also
considered good success.
We have also examined how satisfied people
were with this remedy. We asked whether they
liked the service. It turned out that around 80%
were satisfied with their counsellor. That also
perhaps shows that we have had good people
working on this on our side.”
The project changed on 1 January 2015. The
three-year pilot period concluded and at the
beginning of this year the Directorate of Labour
took over the project entirely. “Now the Direc-
torate of Labour handles this service, which is
very positive in my opinion. The service will
continue to be offered and based on the experi-
ence we have gained.
We took three years, in other words, and
focused on people younger than 24 years of
age. After one year we raised the age limit to 30.
The last year the age limit was eliminated and
now anyone who is not entitled to benefits can
use the service. It was very successful, but you
could say that the older group is more difficult.
Among them are individuals who have been on
benefits for a long time and have lost some of
their working capacity. We often had to refer
people to other remedies, for instance, industrial
rehabilitation or the like.”
“
Unemployment can become a
way of life and the situation eats
away your self-confidence.
”
Sigríður Brynja Helenudóttir: “The people at Work
Market encourage you, instruct you and make you
feel that you matter.”
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SERVICE THAT KINDLES HOPE AND
SELF-CONFIDENCE
Sigríður Brynja Helenudóttir (26) has a variety
of experiences behind her despite her young age.
She was only 16 years old when her daughter
Brynja was born.
As a youth Sigríður Brynja’s (Sigga Brynja’s)
path had taken various directions. She was anx-
ious and was diagnosed as depressive. Her cir-
cumstances were therefore rather difficult and
she dropped out of school. She now dreams of
finishing high school and perhaps continuing
her education still further.
Sigga Brynja’s parents and sister now live and
work in Norway. She herself lives in rental
accommodation in the capital region with two
others and has a regular and good relationship
with her daughter.
“I have work now for at least the summer, as I
intend to go back to school in the autumn. My
goal is to finish my education.”
TRIED A BIT OF MANY THINGS
Arnór Ingi Jónsson: “The likelihood of missing an in-
teresting job is much less if you’re looking for work
through Work Market.”
INACTIVITY IS HAZARDOUS
“The gender breakdown in this group was rather
interesting. Around 75% of those referred to the
programme were men (boys). This fits in fairly
well with the discussion that the dropout rate
for boys is much higher than for girls in second-
ary school and tells us that their circumstances
are in some way different that those of girls.
You could say that emergency assistance (finan-
cial assistance) for people under a certain age
can be hazardous if no suitable remedies or serv-
ices are offered. It’s actually a dangerous situa-
tion to receive financial assistance and be inac-
tive and manage to live on this money. It can
become a way of life. It can be dangerous for
young people later on to end up like that. That’s
how I see it,” concludes Tryggvi.
Like many others, Sigga Brynja has had diffi-
culty in getting suitable work on a permanent
basis in recent years and has regularly been on
the unemployment register without being enti-
tled to unemployment benefits. “It can be hard
to get work, especially when you have no edu-
cation. I think it is the right step to finish my
studies. But I have had all kinds of jobs in recent
years. Among other things I have worked at
welding together iron doors, fences, pipes and
more. I have been a bartender, supervised kids
in leisure programmes and many other things.
I lived in Canada for half a year and now it’s
about a year since I moved back home from
Alberta. I intended to go to school there but
wasn’t accepted and took courses instead to
make use of the time. So I have a varied work
experience. Now I’m going to work as leader
of a summer youth work group for the City of
Reykjavík, starting early in the summer.”
MENTAL HEALTH AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE | 45
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After returning home, she began seeking a job
once more. Her situation was difficult, as Sigga
Brynja was not entitled to unemployment ben-
efits because she had just returned from Canada.
“I told my social services counsellor from the
City of Reykjavík that if I couldn’t start school
at once I was going to go straight to work. She
got in touch with the Directorate of Labour and
in that way I became acquainted with Work
Market. This was very good because it’s impor-
tant to keep active when looking for work. I
have really tried always to keep active when
looking for work. I learned to play the ukulele
and guitar and am pretty good now. I also got a
motorcycle licence and take out my bike in the
summertime. There’s no reason to sit and do
nothing.”
UNEMPLOYMENT AS A WAY OF LIFE
pears. There you have to attend, you get support
and advice. I went on courses there that were
just great. In the middle of one I was asked to
go for a job interview. I had applied for so many
things that I hardly knew what job it was. It was
thanks to the guidance and support from Work
Market that this turned out so well. You get to
know people of a similar age who have ended
up in work problems. This is very important and
stimulating in such a situation. Now a difficult
period without work is behind me and I look
forward to starting work.”
Sigga Brynja speaks well of Work Market and
the counsellors there. She is determined to
improve her education in the next few years and
in so doing improve her prospects in the labour
market. “The people at Work Market encour-
age you, instruct you and make you feel that
you matter. This is a very important service for
people in the position that I’ve been in.”
“Unemployment can become a way of life and
the situation eats away your self-confidence.
You live your life that way,” Sigga Brynja says.
“Work and study counsellor Ragnhildur Ólaf-
sdóttir sent me on a course which is aimed at
improving your technique in applying for a job.
You need something like that. When you’ve had
no success for a long time hope gradually disap-
FACTS ABOUT WORK MARKET
Responsible for the organisation?
Directorate of Labour Labour (Vinnumálastofnun) and City of Reykjavik.
Cooperating/collaborating organisations?
Directorate of collaborates with the municipalities.
Who finances the organisation?
Directorate of Labour and City of Reykjavik.
Professional profiles of the staff?
Counsellors, careers advisors with work experience in various areas of social services,
employment consultants.
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ICELAND |
ENCOURAGEMENT TO PUT
3
delivered to all heads of state institutions and
mayors of towns and the City of Reykjavík. This
was a blue box containing a blue paper bird,
some three hundred of which were folded and
packed by workers at the sheltered work train-
ing centre Örvi. The box, on the other hand, was
made at Múlalundur, which is also a sheltered
workplace. We have been distributing these
objects in recent weeks to leaders and council
representatives here in the capital region, and
have also started to distribute them outside
the capital area. I have been in charge of this
here in the capital region while the directors of
eight local service branches of the Directorate of
Labour look after this in their own regions. This
had to be organised and took some time. Now it
has begun to bring in results in the form of jobs
for people with limited work capacity.”
Margrét Linda says that around 400 persons
with restricted work capacity are registered as
seeking work in the capital region. “Since the
beginning of this year we have been stepping up
the pace of the programme and in recent weeks
we have been five to six people involved. It is
linked especially to our campaign. We had to
make appointments with the heads of the insti-
tutions, the mayors of Reykjavík and of various
towns to deliver the object to them in person,
and it is now beginning to result in more jobs
being listed with us. We are aiming at good col-
laboration with the National University Hos-
pital, which has responded very positively and
aims at creating many jobs for persons with
restricted work capacity. Employees of the pro-
gramme Work with support (AMS), are also
MENTAL HEALTH AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE | 47
ABILITIES TO USE
Text and photo:
Jóhann Hauksson
THE PROJECT “PUT
ABILITIES – ALL ABILI-
TIES – TO USE”
was set up by the Directorate
of Labour in collaboration with the National
Association of Intellectual Disabilities and the
Organization of Disabled in Iceland (ÖBÍ).
It was decided to follow up on an advertising
campaign launched by the National Association
of Intellectual Disabilities and ÖBÍ, which spot-
lighted that people with restricted work capac-
ity could perform various jobs. Last autumn it
was decided to follow up on this and for the
Directorate of Labour to take part in the pro-
ject.
At the AGM of the Directorate of Labour on 4
November last year the Minister of Welfare offi-
cially launched this campaign. “This was then
followed up on with letters to state institutions
and municipalities. The state and municipalities
were the first target group, and the group we are
currently working with,” says counsellor Mar-
grét Linda Ásgrímsdóttir, who is in charge of the
project
Put abilities – all abilities – to use.
ATTRACTING EMPLOYERS’ INTEREST
“This got started in earnest around the begin-
ning of 2015. We had opened a so-called job
portal, where enterprises could register jobs and
our task was to pass on these jobs to jobseekers
with limited work capacity. To start with suc-
cess was limited. Only a few jobs were sent in
and we had several hundred people with limited
work capacity registered with us who wanted to
get work. We wanted to see better results. Then
we started to work with an advertising agency
to design an object as an incentive, which was
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Bjarki Erlingsson: “I’m not thinking about changing
jobs or anything like that. I would naturally use the ser-
vices again if I needed to.”
involved in this in finding suitable jobs and
placing people in them. I look after particularly
people who only need assistance in jobseeking
and can look after themselves once they begin
work. But the employees at AMS have clients
who need more support after they have started
work and need, for instance, instruction and
training in their new job.”
Margrét Linda examines jobs which are listed
together with AMS employees and together they
try to find suitable work for the applicants on
the list. They send the workplace in question
the resumés of individuals who could be a pos-
sibility, but only after consulting with the person
concerned.
DISABILITY PENSION AS AN INCENTIVE
FOR HIRING
and wage-related expenses for the employee in
question to the enterprise. The employee is hired
at the same wage as other persons in a similar
position. This has proved effective. The refund is
75% for the first two years then decreases after
that by 10% each year until it has reached 25%,
and can remain at that level indefinitely. This is
an incentive for both public and private enter-
prises. Currently we have around 400 contracts
of this sort in the capital region and probably
around 700 in the country as a whole. These
contracts often result in satisfaction for both
parties, the employer and the employee, and
often employers realise they have hired espe-
cially good workers through this system.”
SUPPORT IN A NEW JOB
Margrét Linda also mentions contracts con-
cluded between the jobseeker, the State Social
Security Institute and the employer. “Contracts
are concluded for people receiving benefits fol-
lowing a disability assessment. People with disa-
bilities can conclude a bilateral agreement to the
effect that the State Social Security Institute will
refund from disability benefits 75% of the wages
Continuing support and advice is offered to job-
seekers after they get work, in particular through
AMS. “Sometimes it’s enough to be in contact
several times each year, while others need more
follow-up which is then provided from here.
We are also experimenting with an innovation
we call a work buddy. This will enable a new
employee with restricted work capacity to be
able to contact and obtain specific support from
another employee at the workplace. No special
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others
“
We want to mix withnot justin the workplace and be
where everyone else is,
in sheltered workplaces.
”
payment is expected to be made for this, but
we offer training courses for enterprises and
employees who are willing to participate.”
The project is financed completely by the Direc-
torate of Labour, but initially the National
Association of Intellectual Disabilities and the
Organization of Disabled in Iceland provided
workers for the project.
The project
Put abilities – all abilities
–
to use
has only been underway a short time and no
systematic assessment has been made of its suc-
cess as yet. The project has met with a positive
response everywhere, says Margrét Linda.
Employment contracts between disabled per-
sons and the Social Security Institute, on the
one hand, and employers on the other, however,
have existed for many years and have given
good results. There are plenty of examples of
people with restricted work capacity who have
worked in the same place for many years on the
basis of such employment contracts.
EMPLOYMENT FOR THE DISABLED HER
MAIN CONCERN
Aileen Soffía Svensdóttir (37) has worked for the
same company, [the food retailer] Hagkaup, for
13 years and benefited from the services which
arose out of the programme Work with Support
(AMS). She herself is an active volunteer in a
subsidiary organisation of the National Asso-
ciation of Intellectual Disabilities called
Átak
(Effort) and was involved in the programme
Put
abilities – all abilities – to use.
“I am very interested in employment issues for
people with restricted work capacity so I was
quite willing to take part in that project,” Aileen
says.
“The public system, public support, needs to be
strengthened. I myself got a job in 2002 through
the project
Work with Support
(AMS) which
had then got underway. It was a really neces-
sary option for people like me with restricted
work capacity who were seeking a job. This is
a good remedy for both the individual and the
Aileen Soffía Svensdóttir: “The response from employ-
ers in the project Put abilities – all abilities – to use was
unbelievably positive, actually really incredible.”
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company seeking workers. It’s good to get com-
pany managers to realise this. It’s very reward-
ing to participate in this. We study what jobs
we can obtain ourselves. There’s a market for
innovation everywhere but we have to work
hard on examining what we can do ourselves.
We want to mix with others in the workplace
and be where everyone else is, not just in shel-
tered workplaces. People should be able to get
work suited to their qualifications and ability.”
Aileen dislikes how long the waiting lists are for
jobs. “Several hundred persons with restricted
work capacity are currently seeking work and
registered with the Directorate of Labour. This
is also a group which perhaps is unable to take
advantage of all the options offered to the
unemployed or in seeking work. The response
from employers in the project
Put abilities – all
abilities
–
to use
was unbelievably positive, actu-
ally really incredible. It made me very happy.
The only problem I see now is the waiting lists.
We have to try and shorten them,” Aileen says.
WORK PRACTICE PROGRAMME SET
BJARKI ON TRACK IN JOBSEEKING
Bjarki says he never thinks about what he will
do next in the future. “I would naturally talk to
AMS again if I needed to.”
Bjarki is well satisfied with his situation. On
Wednesdays he leaves work an hour earlier to
meet with a drama group in which he is active.
“We are not preparing to put on or practicing a
play at the moment. We get together now for a
dramatic reading of The Mousetrap by Agatha
Christie. It’s a lot of fun,” Bjarki says.
Bjarki Erlingsson is a 26-year-old living in Rey-
kjavík. He lives by himself in a rental apartment
in Grafarvogur, a suburb of Reykjavík. He is in
good physical shape but has some intellectual
disability and a speech impediment. He had lost
his jobs in two large supermarkets, first in Netto
and then in Bónus.
“Two years ago I contacted Work with Sup-
port (AMS) at the Directorate of Labour. Sev-
eral weeks passed and then they phoned and
told me I could get a job in the Sundahöfn har-
bour area in the Warehouse Hotel Bakki. I’ve
been working there since in a half-time position.
The people at AMS were helpful, which was a
good thing for me. When I was in Borgarholt
secondary school many years ago they came to
the school with a work practice programme.
That was where I first got to know of this. So
I went and spent three weeks at workplaces in
this work practice programme.
Margrét Linda Ásgrímsdóttir: “The employee is hired at the
same wage as other persons in a similar position. Accord-
ingly the employer can send a copy of the employee’s pay
slip to the State Social Security Institute and receive in return
75% of the wages and wage-related expenses.”
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FACTS ABOUT PUT ABILITIES -
ALL ABILITIES - TO WORK
Responsible for the organisation?
Directorate of Labour and the Organisation of Disabled in Iceland (Öryrkjabandalagið).
Cooperating/collaborating organisations?
The Organisation of Disabled in Iceland and their youth sections collaborates with the
Directorate of Labour.
Who finances the organisation?
The Government thru the Directorate of Labour and the Organisation of Disabled in Iceland.
Professional profiles of the staff?
Counsellors, careers advisors with work experience in various areas of social services,
employment consultants.
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SWEDEN |
HUNTING FOR ASSETS
Text and photo:
Helena Lagercrantz
– “It’s not just because they’re professional and
have the right resources. It’s mainly because I
felt that they really do care. It was as though
they reached out a hand and said to me ‘Come
on, this is going to work!’.”
We’re sitting in the meeting room at Lyra’s
premises just outside Huddinge, a suburb a little
way south of Stockholm. We’re drinking coffee
together, and the sun is beaming in through the
windows of this slightly shabby but homely
meeting room. Samir (Samir isn’t actually his
real name – he’d prefer to remain anonymous)
speaks quickly and with enthusiasm. He’s pre-
pared our discussion carefully. He’s made a list
on his mobile of all the things he thinks Lyra
has given him, along with a few things that were
missing from his life before.
– “There are various stations here that you have
to pass through in a certain order, more or less
like a car wash. You start off with one station,
which involves devising sensible routines for
yourself, the second station involves finding
your strengths, and the last station is all about
getting you back out into the world and surviv-
ing on your own. And everything is suited to
your own specific needs.”
Like for many people who arrive at Lyra, it’s
taken a long time for Samir to find his way. He
explains how he spent many years blaming him-
self and desperately trying to find out why he
was feeling so bad. He registered at Komvux,
an adult education resource, for seven terms, on
seven different occasions, and every time he was
absolutely determined to complete his courses.
It’s only now that he’s spent a year at Lyra that
he’s managed to complete his studies.
STRIKING A BALANCE
Samir explains that he’s always had many irons
in the fire. Too many, he reckons.
– “When I was at school, I often used to be up
all night and tired during the day, which meant I
wasn’t able to concentrate when I was in class. I
was struggling the whole time, but I didn’t know
what to do about it. This was before I knew I
had ADHD, and before I managed to get some
sensible coping strategies. Apart from school
there were loads of other things in my life that I
was grappling with, and as a result I just ended
up feeling worse and worse.”
While he was trying to get his upper second-
ary grades, he started an events company and
started working evenings as well.
It was as
they
“
Come on, thoughgoingreached out a hand and said to me
–
this is
to work!
”
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Milena didn’t have high expectations, but hoped that she
would gain something. She was apprehensive and wor-
ried she was going to be told that she was doing things
badly. “How wrong I was! Instead, I was encouraged to be
open with my opinions, and I was shown ways of thinking
and seeing situations differently.”
– “I find it really easy to make contact with
people and I have loads of ideas, so everything
went really well for me after a fashion. I was
making money, but I didn’t submit a tax dec-
laration for a few years. I kept all my receipts,
they were in bags in my flat. So that was the sit-
uation. I didn’t want to dodge paying my taxes,
I just didn’t know how to go about it. I put eve-
rything off, which made me feel really awful.”
Through Lyra, Samir has been given help with
learning how to organise his life. For example,
he’s started using an app on his mobile where he
can plan his day’s activities.
– “Thanks to that, I’ve learned how much I can
fit into a day, what’s reasonable and the order I
should do things in. It’s all about learning how
to find a balance. I’ve got so much energy and
I can get so much done, I just can’t keep every-
thing in order. Lyra has taught me to do this.”
Social services in the municipality of Huddinge,
the Employment Service, the Social Insurance
Office and the outpatient psychiatric clinic are
all Lyra partners. The aim of the organisation is
to place attendees in a position to mobilise their
own resources and control their own lives by
finding jobs, for instance.
– “We have one target: 20 young adults in, and
20 young adults out – every year. We have a
clear limit: people can stay with us for a maxi-
mum of one year. These people have been roll-
ing round inside the system for quite a while,
and there comes a time when you have to say
‘that’s enough’! That said, we’re really keen to
stay in touch with people. Everyone who’s been
registered with us knows they can always drop
in and say hi or give us a call. At the same time,
they know we’ll stay in touch to find out how
they’re doing,” says Marve Diop, project man-
ager at Lyra.
According to Marve, the staff are one of the
main reasons for Lyra’s successes. All the people
working at Lyra have different professional
backgrounds. Some of them have worked for
social services, others have worked as employ-
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Lyra uses three different types of coaching. The purpose is to strengthen self-con-
fidence, provide insight on health and on his or hers own ability.
ment consultants and a number of them are
specialists in fields such as neuropsychiatric dis-
orders. But regardless of their backgrounds, the
staff share a common outlook and a commit-
ment to young people.
– “We’ve gone from strength to strength, and we
realise now that this is sustainable! We’ve done
enough evaluations and can present statistics to
demonstrate that our organisation really does
work, but what our attendees have to say about
us carries the greatest weight.”
Marve worked at the Social Insurance Office
and in social services and with educational and
vocational guidance as part of individual upper
secondary programmes. She explains how she
found herself meeting students at school and
then these same students turning up at social
services while having to be referred for psy-
chiatric treatment time and time again. Lyra’s
activities gave her an opportunity to break the
vicious circle.
– “We haven’t chosen just ONE method, the
way in which we work and our attitudes are the
key to our success. We’re a small team, but we
work well together and this gives us incredible
strength. Our partners can help us out with any
skills we don’t have.”
Attendees turn up every day. This is important
as the organisation is based on a salutogenic
approach, and a lot of their work is all about
social training.
– “Initially, we form an overall picture of our
attendees. After that, we devise a personalised
schedule that’s always based on what individu-
als are capable of. Many of the people we see
here are struggling with enormous social pho-
bias, which means we have to take things one
step at a time.”
Milena is spending her last few days with Lyra
after a year of hard work. Two years ago, she
was suffering from severe burnout.
– “It was an absolutely awful time. It probably
sounds really stupid, but I really thought I was
going to die. I lost my memory and had panic
attacks, and I couldn’t look after myself or my
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children. I remember thinking that if I could sur-
vive this, I could survive anything! It took time,
but Lyra really helped me. Before I came here,
all I did was go and see doctors who prescribed
me loads of pills.”
Milena says its as though she and the staff at
Lyra have managed to find their way back to
the healthy, strong Milena, taking things step by
step over the past year.
– “Marve and the others here at Lyra are like
coaches. They look for the resources I have
instead of concentrating on the negative things.
And they see your inner person – they look
inside you, kind of. What can Milena do? What
does Milena want to achieve? In a way, I reckon
they saved my life.”
FACTS ABOUT LYRA
Responsible for the organisation?
Lyra comes under the Social and Elderly Care Administration, in the municipality of Hud-
dinge. Lyra is run within the scope of financial coordination by Huddinge Botkyrka Salems
Samordningsförbund (coordinating association).
Cooperating/collaborating organisations?
There are four parties involved in the coordinating associations: the Social Insurance Office,
Social Services, the Employment Service and Stockholm County Council psychiatry. These
organisations help to finance the coordinating associations in respect of rehabilitation initia-
tives, on behalf of the government and Parliament.
Target group?
Young adults aged 18 to 29 with mental ill health and complex problems. Young people
who have experienced exclusion for four years on average, often longer. Usually multiple
diagnoses, most failed to complete school.
Who finances the organisation?
At present, the organisation is financed entirely by the coordinating association, which
receives a budget from the government. In the longer term, the plan is to allow social ser-
vices to take over the financing of the organisation.
Professional profiles of the staff?
Sociologists/behavioural scientists, student counsellors, careers advisors with work experi-
ence in various areas of social services, employment consultants, experts in psychiatry,
eating disorders, rehab, etc. work, psychology, education and similar subjects.
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SWEDEN |
ACCEPTING JOINT RESPONSIBILITY FOR
PROBLEMS THAT MAY ARISE
Text:
Ulrika Fredriksson
”I don’t think people should be afraid of starting with an activity, because we all have to go
through it and everyone finds it hard to be the new person. That’s never fun, but you have to be
brave. This is the best thing that’s happened to me for a few years!”
These are the words of Agnes, describing how
she felt about starting out with DISA after four
years of activity compensation, with no activ-
ity. Agnes has a neuropsychiatric disorder and
battled through her school years. After upper
secondary school and a temporary job, Agnes
“crashed”, as she puts it. She got in touch with
the psychiatric services and was granted activity
compensation/ early retirement.
The picture she paints when we meet one April
day on the DISA premises in Hisingen is brighter,
however. She has been with DISA for about a
year now, and she feels a lot better these days.
Agnes practises together with other participants
and a supervisor at a restaurant at one of the
activity centres in the city of Gothenburg.
“I really enjoy it. You learn how to cook, you
work in the cafeteria, you learn how to use the
till, you bake – things like that. I really love this
team!”
DISA began in 2010 after the Social Insurance
Office in Hisingen ran a survey of young people
receiving activity compensation. This survey
managed to identify a large number of young
people with psychiatric problems, but with
whom none of the relevant authorities – the
Social Insurance Office, the county council, the
municipality or the Employment Service – was
working.
“We saw a passive group of people requiring
lots of resources and with a major need for
coordination, but they weren’t receiving the help
they needed to make them active. And so DISA
was launched in 2010,”
says Maja Bremell, an
administrator at the Social Insurance Office.
DISA is financed by the Delta coordination asso-
ciation
1
in Hisingen, Gothenburg, and DISA’s
target group is made up of people aged 19 to 29
who have a psychiatric disorder and are receiv-
ing activity compensation from the Social Insur-
ance Office.
The vast majority of people active in DISA have
been on sick leave for many years, with psychi-
atric treatment and – in many cases – in-patient
1 The activities of the coordination associations are regulated through Lagen om finansiell samor-
dning av rehabiliteringsinsatser [the Act on financial coordination of rehabilitation initiatives],
2003:1210.
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psychiatric care as well. Various anxiety and
depressive disorders, neuropsychiatric disorders
and emotionally unstable personality disorders
are common diagnoses among participants.
Nine out of ten participants are female.
Two people work at DISA; an activity coach/
coordinator and an administrator from the
Social Insurance Office. DISA’s work is essen-
tially based on three elements: exercising
authority with administration of activity com-
pensation, internal and external collaboration
and activity coaching.
Coaching support and collaboration aim to give
participants support in all areas of their lives so
that they can increase their capacity for activ-
ity and work. The objective is for participants
to start with some form of activity, and for the
coach to support them in this process. This may
involve starting to work out or doing a course,
or finding a work placement and getting some
work experience. In many cases, preparatory
training for work is involved.
“As many of the participants have stayed at
home for a number of years, getting started on
planning is often a major step for them and so
many of them need a long time to come to grips
with it. Others are more ready to get started
straight away, so for them we might plan for
a practical internship directly,”
says Annika
Brännberg, activity coach.
“It’s a kind of sliding scale between pre-rehabil-
itation and work rehabilitation. We work with
the entire range – fitness, creative courses, train-
ing, activity centres with open groups, and then
more customised work training, internships and
goals in respect of employment or studies.”
DISA’s staff are of the view that they are success-
ful in overcoming the passiveness of their par-
ticipants, despite their low functional capacity,
thanks to the fact that they focus on the needs of
each participant and adopt an overall approach
to their problems. It is also important to have a
long-term plan and be capable of providing per-
sistent support, with close contact and regular
follow-ups.
Their working method is based on a salutogenic
approach, and they use motivational discussions
as well as deriving inspiration from elements of
the supported employment method.
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Around forty per cent of participants who no
longer work with DISA have found jobs, work
placements or full or part-time places on courses
when they leave. Many of the participants also
say that they feel better, with lower anxiety
levels and less need for medical treatment.
Given the fact that the target group is made
up of young people with psychiatric problems
who are deemed to be remote from the labour
market, DISA’s results are perceived to be very
good.
SUCCESS FACTORS
“These aren’t two separate authorities that have
to meet up and work together. We’re all DISA,
and our participants are very clear on this too,”
says Annika Brännberg, activity coach.
Accepting joint responsibility for issues and
problems that may arise is also important for
successful collaboration. Social Insurance Office
administrator Maja Bremell describes DISA’s
attitude towards cooperation.
“’This is our desk, let’s sort it out together’,
rather than ‘this isn’t our desk, go and ask some-
one else”.
PARTICIPANTS ON DISA
The Delta coordination association has evalu-
ated experiences of DISA’s activities between
2012 and 2014. Their results indicate that DISA’s
success factors include their individual-oriented
perspective, focusing on individual participants.
They attempt to see the participant’s entire life
situation and interact with the parties named by
the participant him/herself as important people
to include in planning. The combination of exer-
cise of authority and coaching is important; the
administrator from the Social Insurance Office
and the activity coach work in close collabora-
tion and are also based in the same building.
Amanda, 23 years old:
“They’re really responsive, and I think this is
really important because everyone is completely
different and has different needs, and it’s really
important for people to listen to them”.
Elin, 24 years old:
“It’s like an internship, but the important thing
is that it’s adapted to suit your own abilities.
There’s no pressure or stress, you just take it at
your own pace.”
FACTS ABOUT DISA
Responsible for the organisation?
The Social Insurance Office is the project owner and responsible for the organisation.
Cooperating/collaborating organisations?
The Social Insurance Office, the municipality, the Employment Service and the Västra Göta-
land region work in partnership in the organisation.
Target group?
The target group is young adults aged 19 to 29 who are receiving activity compensation on
account of psychiatric disorder diagnoses and who live in Hisingen, Gothenburg.
Who finances the organisation?
The Göteborg Hisingen (DELTA) coordination association finances the organisation.
Professional profiles of the staff?
A personal administrator from the Social Insurance Office and an activity coach from the
municipality make up the staff of the organisation.
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Text:
Jessica Gustafsson
Photo:
Héctor Montes
”One thing a very large number of all the young people coming here have in common is a sense
of loneliness. This is rarely caused by alcohol or drug problems or trouble with the police, as
so many people believe. These young people have been unemployed for so long that they feel
nobody appreciates or believes in them, that they’re of no use to themselves or anyone else.”
THESE ARE THE WORDS
of Olli Alanen,
senior specialist at Vamos in Helsinki, a service
package aimed at young people aged 16 to 29
who are not in education or employment. Some
of the young people who turn up at Vamos have
not done anything for a number of years. In their
case, developing their social skills is important.
“The people who work here have to be capable
of urging on the young people, really observ-
ing them and helping them to believe that their
lives will turn out okay. The educational back-
grounds of the staff are of less importance,” says
Alanen.
”NOT THE BEST LIFE SITUATION”
“I wasn’t capable of attending college back then,
but I’ve just reapplied. Of the things I’ve learned
at Vamos, they’ve taught me how to function
more effectively in a group context,” says Miro.
SOCIAL WORK, SEXUAL THERAPY AND
CIRCUS SCHOOL
According to Olli Alanen, everything they do at
Vamos always focuses on targets. They do not
want just to be a place where people come to
pass a few hours.
“We have our own careers officers who try to
organise training or jobs for the young people.
Where possible, we try to meet the young peo-
ple’s own requests. We work in partnership with
small companies as well, so we can also offer
jobs that are a little out of the ordinary.”
Vamos’ other partners include municipalities
and various organisations. Young people are
offered everything from support from colleagues
for addiction problems to the opportunity to
take part in a circus school. The municipal ser-
vices are integrated to an extent in the centre at
Vamos. The various units have staff who work
with outreach youth work, social work, sexual
therapy and advice on accommodation.
“The psychiatric nurses of the city of Helsinki
also have their clinic on our premises, which is
brilliant. We’re the best place for the municipali-
One of the people involved in the centre is
22-year-old Miro.
“I’m here because there’s nothing else to do
during the day. The routines and the team spirit
are the best things about being here. During the
morning meal, we often chat with the supervi-
sors about the kind of mood we’re in. The staff
usually come over for a chat if they notice I’m
feeling a bit down or something.”
Miro has been working with the centre for
about six months after having dropped out of
vocational training (metalworking) because he
was experiencing “not the best life situation”,
as he puts it.
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FINLAND |
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ties to reach these young people. But if the deci-
sion were mine, I’d like us to have even greater
service packages for helping young people with
mental ill health ,” says Alanen.
GETTING TO KNOW YOURSELF
Raija, 22 years old, started coming to the Vamos
centre just a few months ago after having been a
client at a psychiatric day hospital.
“The staff at the hospital recommended Vamos.
It’s good here, I don’t end up just sitting at home
staring at the wall. There are lots of other people
here who are in the same situation as me, so I
don’t have to constantly keep explaining myself.
Vamos has given me support, and above all I’ve
received the support of my colleagues. The staff
here really listen to us,” says Raija.
Anna (not her real name), 27, has been coming
to Vamos for nearly two years. Before that, she
was on sick leave for a fairly long time due to
serious epileptic fits and problems with her
medication which made her very tired.
“The most important thing for me here is the
daily rhythm. I’ve also got to know myself a bit
better, what’s suitable for me and what’s not. I
now know, for instance, that I ought to be work-
ing as part of a team. I’m planning to apply to
the practical nursing programme, because now I
feel I can do it,” says Anna.
REACHING OUT TO PARENTS AND
FRIENDS
Vamos regularly assesses its activities in-house
and is able to present good results.
“Two-thirds of all our young people go on to
find jobs or places at college or in preparatory
training. This evaluation also shows that the
young people are happier and their belief in
the future tends to be stronger,” explains Olli
Alanen.
But there still remains much to be done.
“The big challenge lies in how we should suc-
ceed in reaching out to the people surrounding
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our young people. In the long run, simply help-
ing individuals isn’t sustainable. We also have to
try to overcome the problems of their relatives
or friends. I’d also like to work with an even
younger target group than we do at the moment.
This might help us to prevent problems before
they escalate,” says Alanen.
IN TEN YEARS’ TIME...
like to be Finland’s supernanny!” says Anna.
“I’ll have had an education and I’ll be working
somewhere in the Canary Islands,” says Miro.
“I try to live in the here and now. I might have a
job by then, but the most important thing is for
me to feel better in myself,” says Raija.
“By then, I hope to have studied education and
psychology and to be working with children. I’d
According to senior specialist Olli Alanen, every-
thing they do at Vamos always focuses on targets.
MENTAL HEALTH AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE | 61
From reality
Anna, Miro amd Raija no longer hesitate when
asked where they see themselves being in ten
years’ time.
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FACTS ABOUT VAMOS
Vamos employs around 70 staff throughout Finland (about 30 employees work in Helsinki).
Around 1500 young people are involved with the centre on an annual basis (half of them in
Helsinki). Vamos has centres in Helsinki, Espoo, Turku and Kuopio.
Responsible for the centre?
Helsinki Diakonia College (a charitable foundation).
Cooperating/collaborating organisations?
The municipal services are integrated to an extent in the activities at Vamos (including out-
reach youth work, psychiatric nurses and advice on accommodation), along with various
companies, training courses and organisations.
Target group?
Young people aged 16 to 29 who are not in education or employment. Vamos works with
12 to 19-year-olds in Turku, a younger target group than elsewhere in Finland.
Professional profiles of the staff?
Social workers, professional supervisors and psychiatric nurses, for example. Vamos em-
phasises the fact that the training of its staff is of less importance. The important thing is
for them to be capable of working with and urging on the young people.
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FINLAND |
”YOUNG PEOPLE SHOULDN’T ALWAYS
HAVE TO ADAPT TO STRUCTURES”
Text:
Jessica Gustafsson
Photo:
Héctor Montes
”I’m a trained practical nurse, and my job included lecturing to young people at a youth
workshop. Suddenly, I’m now a client here. It took a bit of time for me to feel comfortable here,
but I’m pleased I had the courage to take that step,” explains 22-year-old Jenny, one of the
young people taking part in activities at the SVEPS youth workshop in Helsinki.
“I was bullied terribly when I was little, partly
because I went to a special school. I had child-
hood epilepsy and was tested for Ehlers-Danlos
syndrome, a group of inherited connective tissue
disorders. People are so quick to judge others,
and this is why I want to work to counteract
unfairness,” explains Jenny, who worked in the
education sector and the field of senior care
until the summer of 2014.
“I fainted at work, and since then I’ve been on
sick leave. My mum just happens to work with
outreach youth work, and she was the one who
recommended SVEPS to me. So now I’ve been
here for a few months.”
HELP WITH BILLS AND HEALTH
CUSTOMISED JOBS
Peter Rolin, centre manager at SVEPS, explains
that more than 80 per cent of the young people
here have found jobs, places on courses or other
positive placements after having taken part in
SVEPS activities.
We have relatively good chances of customising
jobs to the wishes of our young people as we’re
based in the capital region. Our job coach main-
tains good contact with small and medium-
sized enterprises, and he can – for example
– offer practical assistance with paperwork
to small businesses taking on a young person.
Further developing the tasks of the job coach is
something that could be considered jointly at a
Nordic level,” says Rolin.
NOT A UNIFORM GROUP OF PEOPLE
SVEPS runs four different activities: initial train-
ing three days a week for young people who
have been out of work or education for any
length of time, occupational training five days
a week, outreach youth work and job coaching.
“The best thing about SVEPS is that I can always
get help – with bills, with my health or with
awkward paperwork from the Social Insurance
Institution of Finland,” says Jenny.
According to Rolin, one of the big challenges
in this regard involves viewing young people as
individuals.
“We can’t simply focus on making sure that
young people find a job or a place on the course
within a specific time. If someone’s been mar-
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cooking. We also have guest
“
My favourite thingtoisthe theatre and often pick up lectur-
ers, potter about, go
subjects
that we spend a lot of time discussing.
”
ginalised for five years, for how long would it
be acceptable to offer support measures? This is
a constant source of negotiation with officials.
“How we could help young people at an even
earlier stage is another major challenge. This
ought to be considered within the scope of the
youth guarantee,” reckons Rolin.
He would like to see the training courses in gen-
eral being a little more flexible, and on-the-job
training being offered to a greater extent than is
currently the case.
“I wonder whether we could alter the structures
so that they suited the young people better, so
that the young people wouldn’t always have to
adapt to the structures,” muses Rolin.
COOKING AND THEATRE
Prakticum vocational institute, where he still
has a place on the course.
“I enjoyed the practical elements but wasn’t
able to cope with certain courses, such as native
language and ergonomics, so my supervisor
suggested that I went to SVEPS. It’s good here,
the supervisors are nice people.”
According to Emil, the best thing about SVEPS
is that no two days are alike.
“My favourite thing is cooking. We also have
guest lecturers, potter about, go to the theatre
and often pick up subjects that we spend a lot
of time discussing. Now I have something to do
during the day.”
IN TEN YEARS’ TIME...
Emil, 18, has been taking part in SVEPS activi-
ties for about two months. Before that, he was
studying for a BA in Computer Science at the
Emil is not sure whether he will go back to his
studies in the autumn.
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“It depends a bit on how I feel. Things might be
difficult if there are people I don’t get on with.
I have no idea where I’ll be in ten years’ time, I
don’t usually think so far ahead. Ideally, I’d like
to play World of Tanks professionally.”
Jenny is very clear about her answer when asked
where she sees herself being in ten years’ time.
“I really hope I won’t be in a wheelchair because
of my illness. I don’t want to be on a disability
pension either. I won’t be able to work as a prac-
tical nurse any more, but I’d really like to train
as a social worker, for example.”
According to centre manager Peter Rolin, you have
to view young people as individuals.
FACTS ABOUT SVEPS
Around 250 young people receive guidance at SVEPS every year, and SVEPS employs 10
staff.
Responsible for the centre?
Folkhälsan Utbildning Ab (Public health education l.c.).
Cooperating/collaborating organisations?
Social services in the capital region, psychologists, employment offices and various study
and work communities, for example.
Target group?
The target group for SVEPS is young people aged 16 to 28 who speak Swedish and are
currently not in work or education or who have nothing else to do during the day.
Who finances the activities?
The Ministry of Education and Culture, municipalities in the capital region, the Regional
State Administrative Agency, Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Envi-
ronment, funds and foundations.
Professional profiles of the staff?
Outreach youth workers, people with degrees in education and social sciences, and social-
workers.
MENTAL HEALTH AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE | 65
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GREENLAND |
“I’M MOVING FORWARD NOW”
Text:
Inga Egede
THESE ARE THE WORDS
of 25-year old
Sara, who was born with alcohol-induced foetal
damage and grew up in a number of foster and
children’s homes. In recent years, she has been
working at Piorsaavik, an employment centre
for young people in Nuuk. The centre has helped
her to move forward in life. She now has a job
and a place to live.
“I feel like I’m moving forward now,” says Sara.
Because she has just recounted a tough and
unhappy life, first as a child and then as an ado-
lescent, characterised by failure and insecurity.
Sara has never had it easy, but fortune is at last
smiling on her now. Sara has been affiliated to
Piorsaavik for almost four years now, and she is
on the way to emerging into the big, wide world,
because she now has a job and a place where she
can live for a year.
“My partner and I have got jobs and we have
rented an apartment for a year, so things can
only get better for us now,” says Sara, who
recently got a temporary job as a kitchen and
cleaning assistant in a canteen.
Sara was born with alcohol-induced foetal
damage, grew up in a number of foster homes,
spent some of her childhood in a children’s
home and has always been in a special class. She
was bullied during her childhood and adoles-
cent years and is embarrassed that she is differ-
ent from other people. She has tried to commit
suicide several times, the first time when she
was 13, and she has never been far from sui-
cide since her teenage years. Several people in
her family and circle of friends have committed
suicide. Her younger brother committed suicide
last year. He was 22.
NEED FOR ALTERNATIVE EDUCATIONAL
OPPORTUNITIES
The vision when Piorsaavik opened its doors
in 2009 was that the project would be closed
down within 10 years. However, the manager
of Piorsaavik, Nuuk Nanna Chemnitz, believes
there will be a need for the Piorsaavik project
for many years to come yet and that similar ini-
tiatives should be set up in elsewhere in Green-
land.
– We have so many young people in Greenland
who do not finish their education and who
neither work nor study. There is a compelling
need for alternative education paths for young
people, a context for individuals to exist in,
employment and, last but not least, a drug-free
life. Around half of pupils leaving Folkeskole
(State primary and lower secondary school) in
Greenland do not go on to further education. In
2010, around 53% of 458 pupils did not enter
education. In 2011, around 50% of 402 pupils
who left Folkeskole did not go on to further
education”, says Nanna Chemnitz.
In Piorsaavik, the staff work according to the
needs of the individual. The initiative offers
creative work, “learning by doing”. Piorsaavik
wants to offer a secure place with secure adults
where young people can reflect on and discuss
their life situation and get the tools and courage
they need to take a step towards employment,
education and a healthier life. If necessary, the
young people get help to come into contact with
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I
Piorsaavik I
“
Whenat came to where I couldfelt that I had finally
arrived a place
get started and be heard
and listened to.
”
a psychologist, social worker, hospital or other
support body.
– Many adolescents who come to us come from
socially challenging homes; around 40% have
substance abuse problems; some have had jobs
but been unable to keep them. Here, we give
them a belief in their own abilities and support
them. Everyone is good at something after all
and it is amazing to see when they create some-
thing with their own hands and find that they
are good at something after all – they grow
here,” says Nanna Chemnitz.
Sara has been affiliated to Piosaavik for a
number of years now and is very grateful for the
support and help she has received. She says that
for the first time in her life she felt that some-
one was interested in her when she got a place
at Piorsaavik almost four years ago. Piorsaavik
helped her to find an apartment, which she has
furnished sparsely.
– When I came to Piorsaavik as a 21-year old, I
felt that I had finally arrived at a place where I
could get started and be heard and listened to.
The best thing of all was that there was a kitchen
where I could prepare food myself. Because I’ve
always enjoyed cooking and would like to train
as a chef,” says Sara.
CHILDREN
Sara is the fourth of six siblings. When she was
three months old, she was compulsorily removed
from her home and placed with a single foster
mother until she was 14. She was a hyperactive
child and was bullied at school because she was
different.
“I was bullied and stayed away from school. I felt
very alone during my childhood. I hid and was
embarrassed about being different, but I never
told anyone about my feelings. When I started
stealing from my foster mother as a 14-year old,
I was moved to a new foster mother. It was a
very confusing period, partly because after two
years with the second foster family I was moved
to a children’s home”.
“My first foster mother is the only person who
has shown that she loved me. It was therefore
very hard when she died a year after I left her.
So although I have always kept in contact with
my biological parents and siblings, since my first
foster mother died I hadn’t had anything perma-
nent to relate to or any close relationships until I
came to Piorsaavik as a 21-year old,” says Sara.
As a 17-year old, Sara went to a continuation
school for intellectually disabled young people
in Bornholm. The two years she spent there
were very positive. When she arrived in Green-
land, she was placed in a home for mentally
handicapped young people, where she lived for
18 months.
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“It was odd to live with intellectually disable
people, because I’m very hyperactive because
of my handicap. So it was strange to live with
young people with a mental handicap. Because
I don’t think about my own illness as such. I’m
just hyperactive and restless,” she says.
More recently, Sara lived for a while with a
“stepfather”. When she met her partner four
years ago, she moved in with him into a small
apartment. They lived there until they were
evicted because they had got behind with the
rent. That is why Sara and her boyfriend had
been staying with his parents and various
friends until around three weeks ago, when they
managed to rent their current small apartment,
where they can live for a year.
SUICIDAL THOUGHTS
MOVING FORWARDS
Sara’s eyes light up as she starts to talk about
her time at Piorsaavik and her new job and
apartment.
“If I hadn’t come to Piosaavik, I could never
have coped. The staff have helped me and lis-
tened to me. I’ve learned a lot and developed
myself. The staff at Piorsaavik have been my
rock, and I have felt that people accept me as I
am here. My time at Piorsaavik has enabled me
to cope on my own and I now have a job. I’m
particularly grateful that they have helped me
to rent the apartment where we can stay for a
year. It seems like I’m on the right path now,”
concludes Sara.
FACTORS FOR SUCCESS
Sara has tried to commit suicide several times in
her young life. She also says that she self-harmed
for many years.
“I first tried to commit suicide when I was about
12-13 years old.”
Since then, she has tried to commit suicide sev-
eral times by hanging herself.
“The feelings of desolation just keeps coming
until I reach the point where I want to leave
my sad life behind. I have often had suicidal
thoughts and I used to cut myself when I was
a teenager, but when I stop to think about how
much it hurts and how hard it is when someone
close to you commits suicide, that is what stops
me from doing it,” says Sara quietly.
“Several of my former classmates from the spe-
cial class and other friends have committed sui-
cide. It’s very hard to take when your family and
friends die.”
Nanna Chemnitz attempts to describe what
she believes are the strengths of the initiative:
– We meet young people where they are, not
where adults think they should be. Many of the
staff who work here themselves have experience
of dealing with tough challenges in life and we
aren’t afraid of feelings. We see the whole indi-
vidual and include their life situation, but above
all else we make time to see and listen. We have
learned that there is no single solution or meth-
od which can help everyone; every individual
requires tailormade solutions and support.”
Nanna Chemnitz stresses that it is im-
portant that the staff show that they be-
lieve in the young people and their abili-
ties and that they can achieve things.
– At the same time, a person’s basic needs must
be met before they can work on their person-
al development. We are prepared to give our
young people a second and a third chance and
we never promise anything we can’t deliver.
Our young people have been failed by the adult
world so many times, so their trust in us is vital.
We always try to be available and if we have to
prioritise our work, we prioritise meetings with
young people first and paperwork second.
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FACTS ABOUT PIORSAAVIK
Responsible for the organisation?
Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq.
Cooperating/collaborating organisations?
Vocational college, upper secondary school.
Target group?
Piorsaavik is an employment project for young people aged 16-24 in Nuuk. Young people
who do not have Folkeskole (State primary and lower secondary school) qualifications or
who achieved low school grades are employed in creative jobs which provide them with
the skills they need to move on in education – or work.
Who finances the organisation?
Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq, under which the towns of Nuuk, Paamiut, Tasiilaq and Itto-
qqortoormiut belong, pay Piorsaavik’s running costs, while the Government of Greenland
pays education support for the young people who are employed at Piorsaavik.
Professional profiles of the staff?
A manager, three activity leaders, a kitchen assistant, a joiner, an artist, a mentor and a
kitchen manager are employed at Piorsaavik Nuuk.
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POLITICS
CHAPTER 4
70 | FOKUS PÅ ARBETSINKLUDERING
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AN INGENIOUS SYSTEM IN THE
NORDIC MODEL
Text:
Caroline Lagercrantz
Photo:
Victoria Henriksson
”The fact that the social insurance schemes work well and that people have a high degree of
confidence in the system provides a fundamental bond in the Nordic social model. This why
other countries look up to the Nordic region,” says Anna Hedborg, Swedish government official
and politician.
ANNA HEDBORG CAN
look back on a long
period of service to the government. In the
1970s, she worked together with Economist
Rudolf Meidner, one of the architects behind
the Swedish model’s solidaristic pay policy,
active labour market policies and the proposal
for wage earner funds. Anna Hedborg was the
Social Democrat government’s Minister for
Social Security, Director General at the Swedish
National Social Insurance Board and an investi-
gator of social insurance schemes.
“I developed an interest in social insurance
schemes early on – their structure is really
very clever. These are income-related, manda-
tory insurance schemes where everyone is a
stakeholder. The fact that the social insurance
schemes work well and that people have a high
degree of confidence in the system provides a
fundamental bond in the Nordic social model.
This why other countries look up to the Nordic
region,” says Anna Hedborg.
She points out how important it is to protect the
social insurance system for the future.
“The insurance idea is absolutely crucial. I pay
for the certainty of knowing that I will have
money to live on if I fall ill one day or lose my
job. This is why it is important for the system
to be formulated clearly, so that I can know
how much I stand to receive. Social insurance
schemes are also a very powerful tool when it
comes to redistribution policy. High and low
income earners pay the same percentage of their
income through employer contributions and
receive the same proportion in compensation
should they need it. This may not sound all that
redistributive, but it benefits low income earners
a lot more frequently as they are affected by ill-
ness and unemployment more often,” says Anna
Hedborg.
“In practice, therefore, income-related social
insurance schemes even out the standard of
living more than most progressive taxes –
and in forms which combine the self-interest
MENTAL HEALTH AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE | 71
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which high earners also have in income secu-
rity in advance, with redistribution in arrears,”
explains Anna Hedborg.
NEW PROPOSALS
Health and medical services would also take on
greater responsibility for sick leave through a
special initiative.
Anna Hedborg is of the opinion that having
a broad parliamentary agreement is a positive
thing, but at the same time she perceives certain
risks.
“The fact that people have tried to agree on
long-term solutions is a good thing, but this
also means that we have to work to the lowest
common denominator. As a result, nobody is
really passionate about the proposals. We need
more proposals, specific ones, stating who is to
stand responsible for what,” says Anna Hed-
borg.
The Parliamentary social insurance committee
presented its findings recently. These findings
point out some of the most serious shortcom-
ings in the current social insurance system. Not
enough is being done to help people who have
been on sick leave to return to work; impaired
standard security means that individuals are
often severely affected in financial terms in the
event of illness and unemployment, and the
numbers of people taking time off sick vary
widely over time, but no one really knows
why. The committee is proposing a number of
changes, including dropping the sunset clause
in health insurance and making calculation of
sickness benefit more accurate and predictable
for employees, as well as gradually increasing
caps with regard to social insurance schemes.
Anna Hedborg, an investigator of social insurance schemes.
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CONFIDENCE REDUCED
The impairment of standard security has been
ongoing for a number of decades, but the pre-
vious conservative government’s enormous
changes to health insurance further increased
the gap between people who work and people
who are unemployed or on sick leave, reckons
Anna Hedborg.
“Time limits and checks are definitely needed in
health insurance, and most Western countries
have these. Being on sick leave for a long time
with no contact with the medical services is not
a good idea, but the changes were made far too
quickly, without proper investigation.”
“
Thetofact that people have
tried agree on long-term
solutions is a good thing,
but this also means that we
have to work to the lowest
common denominator.
”
Politics
4
Anna Hedborg points out that deterioration in
social insurance schemes has led to impairment
of confidence in the system over the past few
years. Since the 1990s, both health insurance
and unemployment insurance levels have fallen
enormously compared with wage development
on the labour market. The risk with the current
low sickness and unemployment benefits is that
these create divisions in society. People on low
incomes risk ending up in poverty if they are
unemployed or on long-term sick leave, while
people with high incomes find it easier to acquire
additional insurance via their employers.
“Taking money earmarked for social insurance
schemes in order to finance tax relief for people
in work via the earned income tax credit was a
massive cheek!”
The sunset clause in health insurance was a
change that attracted a lot of attention and
criticism when it was introduced in 2008. Many
people who had been on sick leave for a long
time suddenly saw their sickness benefit being
withdrawn, leaving them with no means of sup-
port. Anna Hedborg regrets the fact that the
reform was introduced in that way.
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“
It is important to uphold the best
features of the Nordic welfare model,
where standard security in the social
insurance system has a vital part to
play.
”
Anna Hedborg reckons that this was a shame,
as things were developing in the right direc-
tion at the time. She was Director General at
the Swedish National Social Insurance Board in
the early 2000s and saw the numbers of people
on sick leave dwindling. A good partnership had
been initiated with the medical profession, and
the National Board of Health and Welfare had
issued new guidelines on sick leave periods.
“It is important for doctors to help drive the
process forward and work with sick leave as
a treatment method as an element of rehabili-
tation, but this work came to a halt when this
drastic change in the rules was implemented in
such a short time. The new rules involved pit-
falls and an implacable boundary. Doctors were
downright furious when many of their patients
suddenly found themselves without sickness
benefit,” says Anna Hedborg.
SENSITIVE PROCESS
Anna Hedborg emphasises the fact that the sick
leave process is a sensitive matter for the indi-
vidual in question and requires respect from all
involved.
“It is important for patients to be able to have
confidence in their doctors. If I am on sick
leave, I want to have someone on my side in
an insecure situation. People may need profes-
sional support to be able to return to work after
a lengthy period of sick leave, not least if they
were off sick on account of stress or fatigue
syndrome, those increasingly common mental
problems.
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UPHOLDING THE MODEL
The number of people on sick leave varies
widely in Sweden, and we are currently seeing
an increase in the number of cases of sick leave
due to mental problems, not least among young
women. The problems are often found in the
workplace, in the form of poor working condi-
tions and lots of stress. Anna Hedborg is of the
opinion that occupational health services must
be improved and take greater responsibility.
Anna Hedborg recently chaired a committee
on equality in social insurance schemes for the
Delegation for Gender Equality. Committee
members are of the view that social insurance
schemes are and must remain gender neutral
in form, but that the outcomes differ for men
and women. This is largely due to the fact that
women, on average, earn less than men. The
committee points out the importance of taking
into account the weaker position of women
and people born abroad in terms of the labour
market so that they are not disadvantaged in the
social insurance system.
“Our ambition must be to get as many people
into work as possible, and for that we need a
successful labour market policy,” points out
Anna Hedborg.
“It is important to uphold the best features of
the Nordic welfare model, where standard secu-
rity in the social insurance system has a vital part
to play. Not to create a society where people are
either ‘in’ or ‘out’, but a society where everyone
is covered by a social insurance scheme funded
through solidarity. Making the redistributions
needed for this is no easy task, but this is what
we have to aim for,” says Anna Hedborg.
MENTAL HEALTH AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE | 75
Politics
4
“With the current system, it is common for the
Social Insurance Office to use the services of
doctors who do not meet the patients; decisions
on extending sick leave can be based on doctors’
certificates. A specialist assessment team meet-
ing patients at regular intervals could be a better
model. This method is used in countries such as
Germany,” explains Anna Hedborg.
Anna Hedborg emphasises just how important
it is to make it possible for everyone to provide
for themselves by working: to ensure that people
receive the support they need in order to find
suitable work, even if they have reduced work
capacity. This may involve offering more people
occupational training, more protected jobs and
important labour market projects in the fields
of culture and environmental conservation. As
a result, important tasks may be carried out
which would otherwise never happen.
“According to the labour movement, the ‘work-
first principle’ assumes that almost everyone
forms part of the workforce. You work and
pay loyally into a system which you know will
guarantee you financial security if you fall ill or
lose your job, or when you get old. This involves
serious work, work which is worth paying a rea-
sonable salary for,” says Anna Hedborg.
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RESEARCH AND
FUTURE KNOW-
LEDGE NEEDS
CHAPTER 5
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NORDIC NETWORK EMPHASISES YOUTH
PERSPECTIVE
Text:
Caroline Lagercrantz
Photo:
Terje Olsen
Research network Unga i Risiko – Young People at Risk – is a hub for researchers from all
over the Nordic region who are committed to sharing knowledge about young people who risk
ending up in vulnerable situations. This network aims to reinforce the youth perspective in
research by incorporating the young people’s own stories.
THE YOUTH GENERATION
in the Nordic
region has never been as big as it is today.
Almost five million people living in the Nordic
region are young people aged 16 to 29. At the
same time, research shows that between six and
12 per cent of people in each age group risk
exclusion. This is a serious matter, both for the
young people concerned and the Nordic welfare
model. What do we know about the situations
of these young people? How can research-based
knowledge be developed and converted for use
in practical work with young people and the
formulation of youth policy? Nordic research
network Unga i Risiko was formed in 2013 to
examine the answers to these questions. This
network is made up of Nordic social researchers
specialising in qualitatively-oriented research
into young people in the risk zone. One of the
initiators of the network is Professor Reidun
Follesø of the University of Nordland.
“As a result of the Youth in Flight project, for
which I was the research manager, I became
more and more aware of the importance of
hearing the stories young people themselves
have to tell. Agnete Neidel of the National
Board of Health and Welfare in Copenhagen
read one of our research reports and got in
touch. We discovered we shared a fervent com-
mitment to young people. We made the decision
to meet up together with Trine Wulf-Andersen
from Roskilde University. This turned out to be
a magical meeting, and after ten intensive hours
our plan was complete. We were aiming to
gather together Nordic researchers who shared
our commitment to qualitative research that
may be of significance to practical policy. Four
months later, 20 researchers met up for the first
time. Our network has grown since then, and
we have embarked upon an incredibly exciting
journey,” explains Reidun Follesø.
The aim of the network is to develop research
projects which increase knowledge of young
people on the basis of qualitative research. The
Unga i Risiko research network now includes
35 researchers from 19 Nordic universities, col-
leges, research institutes and knowledge envi-
MENTAL HEALTH AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE | 77
Research and future knowledge needs
5
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The research network Unga i Risiko – Young People at Risk.
ronments. The researchers are working together
to compile, communicate and initiate specific
research partnerships between the Nordic coun-
tries. The members of the network meet twice a
year in the various Nordic countries in order to
swap experiences and information. The Nordic
Centre for Welfare and Social Issues has hosted
the network’s meetings twice, providing infor-
mation on what is going on within the project
Young People in the Nordic Region. Project
manager Lidija Kolouh-Söderlund of the Nordic
Centre for Welfare and Social Issues explained
that this project has benefited greatly from the
knowledge of the network and its rich network
of contacts.
“For me as a project manager, it is fantastic
to have access to a professional network of
researchers with qualitative focus from all over
the Nordic region, all of whom share an interest
in young people and the risk zone. There is a
vast amount of knowledge within the network,
and for the project it provides a vital channel
out to the Nordic research environments,” says
Lidija Kolouh-Söderlund.
The research network will be publishing an
anthology in January 2016, emphasising the
living conditions of young people and the things
that – according to the young people themselves
– make a difference to their lives. This anthol-
ogy emphasises the youth perspective by provid-
ing scope for the young people to tell their own
stories. The Unga i Risiko research network is
responsible for the anthology, and the ambition
is to pass it on to universities and colleges in
the Nordic countries and to be able to use it as
teaching material there.
“The guiding principle is to show how qualita-
tive research can help ensure best practice in the
field of support and assistance for young people
in the risk zone. The various research articles
can be boiled down into specific policy pro-
posals, you could say,” explains Lidija Kolouh-
Söderlund.
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“
For me as a project manager, it is fantastic to have access
to a professional network of researchers with qualitative
”
focus from all over the Nordic region, all of whom share an
interest in young people and the risk zone.
MENTAL HEALTH AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE | 79
Research and future knowledge needs
5
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INTERNATIONAL
OVERVIEW
CHAPTER 6
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ESN BRINGS TOGETHER SOCIAL SERVICES
IN EUROPE
Text:
Caroline Jonsson
The European Social Network (ESN) enables local public social services in Europe to share best
practices. The ESN recently arranged a workshop that addressed how social services can work
across sectors to facilitate the inclusion of young people with mental health problems, young
people leaving care, and young people with a refugee background. As a member of the ESN,
The Nordic Centre for Welfare and Social Issues presented the project “Youth in the Nordic
Countries”.
THE EUROPEAN SOCIAL NETWORK (ESN)
BRIDGING THE GAP
Halloran continues describing the importance
of cross-sectoral cooperation to support young
persons who are at risk of marginalization:
– The increase in poor mental health among
young people is acknowledged by many of our
members who have identified the importance of
The ESN believes that social services must pro-
tect and support vulnerable people, uphold their
dignity and independence, listen to service users,
and promote solidarity between people and
their communities. Halloran gives a European
example of a best practice that focuses on cross-
sectoral cooperation:
– In the city of Offenbach in Germany, near
Frankfurt, there´s a project called “Bridging the
Gap” (Kein Abschluss ohne Anschluss) where
social services and employment agencies help
those from ethnic minority groups who are
early school leavers.
This project in Germany is integrated with edu-
cation, employment, and housing. Education
takes an early intervention approach to prevent
early school leaving and provides tutoring and
MENTAL HEALTH AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE | 81
Research and Future
International overview
6
Skills Needs
The European Social Network (ESN) is the pri-
mary network for local public social services in
Europe. The ESN enables its members to come
together to improve the quality of the services
they provide. The Nordic Centre for Welfare
and Social Issues is one of over a hundred ESN
member organizations in 34 countries. John
Halloran is the ESN´s Chief Executive:
– Today in Europe, young people face a number
of challenges, and society and our services need
to address these problems. Practically, we need
an approach that listens to young people and
seeks to understand their particular needs and
recognises that many of them feel alienated. We
(local public services) need to build support for
them as close as possible to where they live and
grow up.
working with other agencies, including educa-
tion, employment, housing, health, and social
services to see how we can help young people
to develop their skills and resilience to improve
their chances of leading a good life.
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vocational education for those having special
needs. The social services also connect with
ethnic minority communities and empower par-
ents and help them to find solutions.
– Employment services regard this as “transi-
tion management” that focuses on active labour
market policies to encourage young people to
find work, works with employers to promote
a demand-led approach, and monitors and
reports the ultimate results of the project. So it’s
really an integrated approach for young people
who have an ethnic minority background who
are either early school leavers or at risk of early
school leaving.
THE HAGUE WORKSHOP
tions. Workshops like this enable members to
learn from other European countries and to dis-
seminate best Nordic practices and knowledge.
EFFECTIVENESS OF THE YOUTH
GUARANTEE
Young persons at risk of marginalization or
early retirement are a diverse group. In recogni-
tion of these young person’s varying life circum-
stances, and as a way of letting the members of
ESN learn from each other’s work, the network
recently arranged a workshop in The Hague that
addressed how local public social services can
work across sectors to facilitate the social and
active inclusion of young people with mental
health problems, young people leaving care, and
young people with a refugee background.
– The ESN is indirectly involved in reducing
the school dropout rate by sharing good prac-
tices and bringing together those in education
and children’s services. The ESN’s Rome semi-
nar, which took place a few years ago, looked
specifically at this issue, and the ESN’s recent
workshop on Vulnerable Youth
Speakers from across Europe participated in
the workshop in The Hague, and among them
was Project Manager Dr. Kolouh-Söderlund
from The Nordic Centre for Welfare and Social
Issues, who presented the project ”Youth in
the Nordic Countries”, which addresses youth
and young adults in the age range from 16 to
29 years of age. The project analyses the transi-
tion from education into the labour market with
regard to risk factors such as neuropsychiatric
disorders, dyslexia, depression, substance abuse,
and problematic and destructive home condi-
The ESN believes that the Youth Guarantee
launched by the European Union has a lot of
potential to provide vulnerable youngsters with
opportunities in employment, education, and
training. For the program to be effective, it needs
to be adapted to the complex needs of young
people who are at risk or who have mental
health problems, for example, by involving
social workers and mental health professionals
in helping these young people find jobs and sup-
porting them in the early stages of employment.
– Young people who have been in care are par-
ticularly vulnerable because they might lack the
social relationship skills that many of us living
in families take for granted. They might need
additional help moving from an alternative
family or institutional care to becoming more
independent.
Halloran also addresses how social services need
to be sensitive to cultural differences and to build
into their policy and practice a working relation-
ship with minority communities to enable all
generations to become integrated and to become
creative and active members of society.
“CAPACITY BUILDING AT ITS BEST”
– Local authorities need to build relationships
with young people that continue beyond the
usual school leaving age and follow them into
their twenties to ensure they are properly settled
in adult life, continues Halloran. He mentions
the project “Right Here” as a good example of
empowering young people who are at risk of
marginalization. This project from Northern
Ireland addresses the 40% of young people who
are affected by mental illness as a direct result of
unemployment.
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John Halloran, Chief Executive, European Social
Network.
increase in poor
“
The is acknowledged mental health among young have
people
by many of our members who
identified the importance of working with other agecies,
including education, employment, housing, health, and
social services to see how we can help young people to
develop their skills and resilience to improve their chances
of leading a good life.
”
MENTAL HEALTH AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE | 83
Research and Future
International overview
6
Skills Needs
– In fact, one tenth of these young people have
been prescribed anti-depressants, and this rate
actually doubles to 25 % among those who
have been unemployed for over six months. This
project and its youth work component helps to
strengthen empowerment and resilience among
these young people who might be experiencing
a lack of confidence or who might have been
impacted by a troubled upbringing in a segre-
gated environment. This is capacity building at
its best.
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REFERENCE LIST
AND SUGGESTED
READING
CHAPTER 7
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REFERENCE LIST
CHAPTER 1
Borchorst A. & Siim B. (2008) “Woman-friendly policies and state feminism. Theorizing
Scandinavian gender equality” Feminist Theory SAGE Publications
Hollertz K. (2010)
Problemen förgår, lösningarna består. Organisering av kommunala
insatser för unga arbetslösa med försörjningsproblem
Lund Dissertation in Social Work 41
Hultqvist S. (2014)
Att göra aktivitetsersättning. Om målförskjutning och icke-kontakt vid
förtidspension för unga
Växjö: Linnaeus University Press
Julkunen I. (1992) “Ta missnöjet på allvar”Nordisk
Sosialt Arbeid,
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sitetsforlaget
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Socialpolitik i Norden.
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Nørup I. & Hultqvist S. (2015)
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paper presented at the Journal of Youth Studies Conference, Copenhagen March 2015
O’Connor J. S. “Gender, citizenship and welfare state regimes” in Kennett P.
A handbook
of comparative social policy Northampton,
MA: Edward Elgar Publishing
Olsen T. & Tägtström J. (2013)
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Disability Pensions and Youth in the Nordic Countries.
Nordic Centre for Welfare and
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12(1), 3-15
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Valkonen T. & Vihriälä V. (2014)
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MENTAL HEALTH AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE | 85
Research and Future
Suggested reading
7
Skills Needs
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SUGGESTED READING
PUBLICATIONS FROM THE PROJECT
Young People in the Nordic Region – Mental Health, Work, Education
Vi arbetar med unga i Norden.
An overview of the most important ministries, government agencies, research and civil society
organisations whose activities involve facilitating Nordic cooperation regarding young people, and
particularly those at risk of ending up in vulnerable situations.
Hagquist, C. (2015),
Skolelevers psykiska hälsa,
Nordic Centre for Welfare and Social Issues:
Stockholm.
Hultqvist, S. (2015),
Unga vuxna med nedsatt arbetsförmåga
- en beskrivning av
trygghetssystemen, Nordic Centre for Welfare and Social Issues: Stockholm.
During spring 2016 you will be able to download more reports, so follow the project:
http://www.nordicwelfare.org/Projekt/Unga-i-Norden/
PUBLICATIONS PUBLISHED AND FINANCED BY THE NORDIC COUNCIL OF MINISTERS’
(2013). Olsen, T. and Tägtström, J.
For That which Grows - Mental Health, Disability Pen-
sions and Youth in the Nordic Countries.
(2013).
Young people on the edge (summary): Labour market inclusion of vulnerable youths.
(2014).
The Nordic model – challenged but capable of reform.
(2014).
Nordiska samarbetet för barn och unga: -historien om hur samarbetet växte fram.
(2015).
Unge utenfor utdanning og arbeid i Norden: Utfordringer, innsatser og anbefalinger.
(2015).
Youth unemployment and inactivity: A comparison of school-to-work transitions
and labour market outcomes in four Nordic countries.
(2015).
Place, (In) Equality and Gender: A Mapping of Challenges and Best Practices in
Relation to Gender, Education and Population Flows in Nordic Peripheral Areas.
(2015).
New Policies to Promote Youth Inclusion: Accommodation of diversity in the
Nordic Welfare States.
Publications published and financed by the Nordic Council of Ministers’ can be found at
http://norden.diva-portal.org
DENMARK
Ankestyrelsen (2014),
Kommunernes anvendelse af rehabiliteringsteams,
Ankestyrelsen,
Köpenhamn.
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Bengtsson, S., Bengtsson, K. Kjær, A.A, Damgaard, M. og Kolding-Sørensen, C. (2014),
Hvilken forskel gøre en tilkendelse af førtidspension?
SFI – Det Nationale forskningscenter
for valefaerd, Köpenhamn.
Ejernæs, M., Hansen, H. og Larsen, J.E. (2010),
Levekår og coping. Ressourcer, tilpasning
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Sociologisk Institut, Roskilde
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L.G. Insight (2009), Undersøgelse af unge ledige i Jobcenter Høje Taastrup Ledighedsårsager
og afstande til arbejdsmarkedet blandt unge ledige på kontanthjælp og dagpenge,
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Arbejde og Sygdom - og om at være en del af fællesskabet.
En kritik af
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og handicappede. Aalborg Universitetsforlag.
Socialstyrelsen (2015),
Samarbejdsmodellen -Guide til implementering af Samarbejds-
modellen,
Socialstyrelsen, Köpenhamn.
SWEDEN
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Tio år med Aktivitetsersättning,
Socialförsäkringsrapport,
Försäkringskassan.
Hjern, A, Arat, A,Vinnerljung, B. & Nationellt kompetenscentrum anhöriga (2014),
Att växa
upp med föräldrar som har missbruksproblem eller psykisk sjukdom – hur ser livet ut i ung
vuxen ålder.
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universitet/Karolinska Institutet i samarbete med Institutionen för socialt arbete vid
Stockholms universitet.
Hultqvist, S. (2014), Att göra aktivitetsersättning:
Om målförskjutning och icke-kontakt vid
förtidspension för unga.
Doctoral Thesis. Växjö, Linné Universitet.
Myndigheten för ungdoms – och civilsamhällsfrågor (2015),
När livet känns fel – ungas
upplevelser kring psykisk ohälsa,
Stockholm.
Sveriges Kommuner och Landsting (2012),
Checklista för politiker och beslutsfattare.
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FINLAND
Aaltonen, S, Berg, P & Ikäheimo, S (2015),
Young people at the counter – three perspec-
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Gretschel,A, Paakkunainen, K, Souto, A-M & Suurpää, L (2014),.
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everyday life and politics in the Finnish context,
The Finnish Youth Research Network /
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Keränen, H (2012),
Young people within the services – best practices for the promotion
of the youth guarantee,
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entrepreneurship department.
Kiilakoski, T (2014),
School is More. Practices, Opportunities and Problems of Cooperation
Between Youth Work and School,
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NORWAY
Anvik, C.H. og Gustavsen, A. (2012).
Ikke slipp meg! Unge, psykisk helseproblemer,
utdanning og arbeid.
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Gi viljen mulighet!
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FHI-rapport 8/09. Oslo: Folkehelseinstituttet.
ISLAND
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landlæknis, Reykjavík: {Handbook about mental health promotion for students in upper
secondary schools]
Hannesdóttir, G. (2010),
Lífskjör og hagir öryrkja. Könnun meðal örorku- og endurhæfin-
garlífeyrisþega.
[Survey among disability pensioners in Iceland 2008/9]. Reykjavík:
Öryrkjabandalag Íslands og Þjóðmálastofnun.
ICSRA. (2010),
The Nordic youth research among 16 to 19 year olds in Aland Islands,
Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.
Reykjavík:
Icelandic Centre for Social Research and Analysis.
Ólafsson, S. (2012),
An overview of social inclusion developments in Iceland, from 2007 to
2012.
Working paper no. 2: 2012. Social Research Centre, University of Iceland, Reykjavik.
Red Cross. (2014),
Who are our vulnerable?
The main findings of a Red Cross study into
which groups in society are vulnerable and/or marginalized, and a proposal of reform.
http://www.raudikrossinn.is/doc/10417907
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INTERNATIONAL
Inspektionen för socialförsäkringen (2013),
Unga förtidspensionärer
– Studie av sju
europeiska länder. Inspektionen för socialförsäkringen, Stockholm.
Eurofound (2015),
Social Inclusion of Young people,
Publications Office of the European
Union, Luxenbourg.
Eurofound (forthcoming),
Exploring the diversity of Neets,
Publication Office of the
European Union, Luxenbourg.
European Commission (2014a), Assessment of progress towards the Europe 2020 social
inclusion objectives:
Main findings and suggestions on the way forward,
Publications Office
of the European Union, Luxenbourg.
United Nation (2019),
Young people in a globalizing world – in World youth report 2003:
The global situation of young people, United Nations, New York.
MENTAL HEALTH AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE | 89
Research and Future
Suggested reading
7
Skills Needs
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ABOUT THE PROJECT
YOUTH IN THE NORDIC REGION – MENTAL HEALTH, WORK, EDUCATION
The Nordic Centre for Welfare and Social Issues
project, Youth in the Nordic Region – Mental
Health, Work, Education, was commissioned by
the Nordic Council of Ministers for Health and
Social Affairs.
The main aim was to provide knowledge that
will be useful in developing initiatives for young
people at risk of mental ill-health and social
marginalisation. One objective of the Nordic
countries is sustainable welfare, and one area of
focus is the work to prevent mental ill-health,
early retirement and exclusion, and to promote
rehabilitation. One constant challenge is how to
ensure social security at a time when the labour
market is undergoing constant change.
The direct target group for the project is poli-
ticians, officials, practitioners and researchers
in the Nordic countries, and the indirect target
group comprises the young people aged 16-29
who are at risk of exclusion.
www.nordicwelfare.org/unga-in-i-norden
Editing
Lidija Kolouh-Söderlund,
Project Manager
Helena Lagercrantz,
Head of
Communications
Jessica Gustafsson,
Communications Adviser
Victoria Henriksson,
Communications Adviser
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NORDIC CENTRE FOR WELFARE AND SOCIAL ISSUES
– FUNDED BY THE NORDIC COUNCIL OF MINISTERS
We promote and strengthen the Nordic welfare model.
Knowledge
We compile experiences relating to welfare policy in the Nordic
region.
Sharing
We spread knowledge via our activities and networks.
Dialogue
We create dialogue between politicians, researchers and
practitioners.
Our focus areas are:
Welfare policy
Disability issues
Labour market inclusion
Alcohol and drug issues
Welfare technology