Kajaani: Execution of the Welfare Strategy - A description of an HuIA process

Need for Human Impact Assessment

Kajaani's welfare strategy was introduced in 2001. Since then, the working group promoting welfare and health thought about how to continue the work on the welfare strategy. At the same time, a plan for starting a regional administration was made in Kainuu region. The working group promoting welfare and health felt that it needed to be involved in realization of the regional administration experiment and to prepare itself for a change. The working group thought that in spite of the changes, the city anyhow needed to work on the issue of promoting welfare. In spring 2003, the group decided that HuIA would be applied in execution of the Kajaani welfare strategy.

The process and its participants

The diverse group working on promoting welfare and health included a director of Social and Health Services, a health promotion planner, a planner for the technical sector, a labour protection delegate and representatives from the Education and Cultural Services, the Sports Council, the Council for the Elderly, the Advisory Council for Children and Youth Affairs, the Kajaani Polytechnic and the Research and Development Centre of Kajaani. In executing the strategy, the Human Impact Assessment was started in March 2003, when a regional seminar on welfare policy was held. Later HuIA was discussed at the working group meetings and within the group members' organizations. The working group acted as a core collecting views from each organization represented by the members. A report was written on the execution of the welfare strategy and the Human Impact Assessment.

Models examined and their impacts

Several different execution proposals were produced for the welfare strategy. They were created by identifying threats and possibilities. The first models were dissimilar in their approaches to regionality, networking and sickness/family. Out of four optional models, three different models were created after combining similar models. The content of these models was described using critical success factors set by the city (impact, service supply, staff, processes and structures, and financing).

Model 0, a sectored legislation-based model, in which services required by law are offered in sectors divided into areas of expertise
Model 1, a sector-based combination model, in which services required by law are offered mainly in areas of expertise or on the basis of the community's needs
Model 2, a client-based model, in which special services required by law are offered on the basis of the community's needs

IIn the working group's work the impacts of the models on different groups were analysed within the members' own organizations (e.g. with the representatives of the Council for the Elderly and with the Advisory Council for Children and Youth Affairs). The group secretary compiled the results in the form of a table.

See the table

Use and benefits of HuIA

The goal was for analysis of the models and their impacts to:

• supplement the welfare strategy
• come into operation in the project for the elderly and in the update report on the welfare of children and youth, and in the welfare model
• support planning of the management model for Kainuu region

The welfare and health promotion working group discussed execution of the welfare strategy at its meetings in December 2003. The group decided to ask the committee working on the Kainuu region administration experiment model for an opportunity to present the models created for execution of the welfare strategy with an eye to their implementation in realization of the administration model experiment and preparations for change. It was also decided that the material would be sent to all the members of the steering group in Kajaani.

Further information

Annikki Aitoaho
Health promotion planner
Joint authority of Kainuu Region

Kalevi Yliniemi
Administrative manager
Joint authority of Kainuu Region

Kauppinen T, Nelimarkka K & Perttilä K (2006) A case study of the role of health impact assessment in implementing welfare strategy at local level. In: Ståhl T et al. (eds.) (2006) Health in All Policies. Prospects and potentials. Ministry of Social Affairs and Health: Helsinki. Pages 253-266.