Other operations

Child and Family Work Coordination

The task of the Finnish Blue Ribbon’s child and family work coordination is to maintain a societal debate regarding the socio-cultural position of children and family members living in the shadow of alcohol and drug abuse, and the realization of their basic rights. This includes:

• Representing an inter-generational family perspective and stressing societal influences in ending and preventing a heritage of substance abuse.
• Supporting the development and establishment of child and family centered substance abuse work as a natural part of work in this field.
• Participating in public awareness campaigns, so that the significance and value of child and family centered substance abuse work become better understood.
• Producing information and materials.
• Steering the development of substance abuse work carried out by member organizations in a child and family centered direction.
• Developing various forms of networking across sector borders.

Recovery work and peer support group operations

Expert services related to strengthening skills in Christian peer group operation, using the following means:

• Training peer group directors.
• Supporting the development of new, especially substance abuse work related Christian peer support groups, as well as strengthening and supporting existing group operations.
• Enabling those who operate Christian peer support groups to network together and get further training and supervisory support.
• Producing new models for group work in Christian substance abuse work.
• Collecting a database of working Christian substance abuse and recovery work, as well as other relevant group work models accessible as an on-line reference.

Support services for substance abuse and mental health work with the handicapped

Support services for substance abuse and mental health work with the handicapped (abbreviated as “Vapa” in Finnish) promotes accessible and unrestricted services. Vapa coordinates a network involving a total of 20 different disabled persons’ organizations and actors in the field of substance abuse. The goal of this network is to increase cooperation and information sharing, and to work together to influence attitudes and service accessibility. Vapa produces, among other things, simplified language materials regarding substance abuse and mental health work, organizes training and maintains web pages.

Support services for substance abuse and mental health work with the handicapped

received the TERVE–SOS award for 2007 in recognition for outstanding developmental work. This award is given annually by the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).

For more information on the projects or for discussing possible partnership in projects please contact:

Ms Anneli Pienimäki

Head of Development

International Coordinator

gsm +358 50 345 45 88
e-mail: anneli.pienimaki (at) sininauhaliitto.fi
mail: Sininauhaliitto, Krämertintie 2. 00620 Helsinki, Finland