Welfare report
The welfare report is used to monitor health and wellbeing as well as means to promote them in municipalities and wellbeing services counties.
Municipal welfare report
The welfare report has been a statutory task for municipalities since 2010 (Health Care Act 1326/2010 12 §). The welfare report is a concise description of health and wellbeing in a particular municipality and of the measures to promote them.
The municipality prepares an extensive welfare report once per parliamentary term, and the objectives and measures contained in it are updated annually as part of municipal planning.
The welfare report contains concise descriptions and conclusions for
- welfare policy implemented by the municipality
- population health and wellbeing
- disparities in health and wellbeing among different population groups
- changes to variables affecting health and wellbeing
- the functionality of the service system and its ability to respond to welfare needs
- costs and possible impacts of preventive work and
- objectives and measures.
Objectives and measures are further defined and focus areas selected on an annual basis.
99 % of Finnish municipalities prepare an extensive welfare report (TEAviisari 2021).
The welfare report is the basis for municipal policy
The welfare report is a tool for planning, monitoring, evaluating and reporting on health and wellbeing promotion within the municipality. It helps towards summarising the views and common objectives of experts in different fields. Furthermore, the preparation process supports competence in the promotion of health and wellbeing.
The welfare report guides the municipality's welfare policy. During the initial stages of the work, the current status of municipal wellbeing policy is mapped out, covering the objectives, focus areas and measures. In addition, work is done to compile together the documents and programmes which relate to the promotion of health and wellbeing and which guide municipal activities. This helps to identify areas which have not been given sufficient attention.
The objectives identified in the welfare report and the measures derived from them should guide the municipality’s welfare work. The welfare report also produces monitoring data on the impacts of programmes and measures taken, which thus indicates how successful the welfare policy has been.
Welfare reports are worth prioritising
The welfare report is a management tool. It is useful both for strategy work and annual municipal planning and monitoring work.
The welfare report helps decision-makers in many ways, by
- providing grounds for making decisions
- helping with the selection of priorities
- supporting the evaluation of municipal activities
- ensuring sufficient operational resources.
Regional welfare report
The regional welfare report
- brings together the strengths and areas of concern among the region’s municipalities
- presents regional and demographic disparities in health and wellbeing
- describes the structures for promoting health and wellbeing in the region
- sets and allocates objectives, resources and regional activities
- communicates information to the central government.
The regional welfare report specifies what regional actors, such as the Regional Council or the hospital district, are doing together with other actors to promote the health and wellbeing of residents and to reduce inequalities. The report and accompanying plan describes the cooperation carried out between municipalities and regions and supports strategic management.
The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare has prepared proposals for minimum content requirements for municipal and regional welfare reports.
