Recipes for Systemic Change - Helsinki Design Lab

D4—Structure and Organization of the Welfare SystemAll Finnish citizens are entitled to equal access to the social welfaresystem. Adequate social and healthcare, along with income security, area basic right of each Finnish citizen. The robust social welfare system thatprovides for these entitlements is complex by nature, spanning every scaleof government, using significant finances and other resources, and interfacingwith many actors throughout the social fabric. Any attempt to reformsuch a complex system must first consider its existing form and modes ofoperation.D4.1 Welfare And Income SecurityThe Finnish welfare system is composed to two main components: welfareservices and income security. The welfare services division is generallydivided between health and social welfare services that are differentiatedthroughout the system and over time. The income security division managesboth the pension system and the insurance system.D4.2 The Ministry LevelOperation of the Finnish social welfare system is divided between twotiers: the administering ‘Ministry’ level and the secondary ‘Municipality’level.The administering tier, which is composed of The Ministry of SocialAffairs and Health and attendant Agencies such as STAKES and KTL, actswith parliament to define the overall political agenda concerning socialwelfare, which the agencies subsequently presents to the lower tier as socialwelfare provision principals and guidelines. This tier is also tasked withoutlining the agenda as social and healthcare policy, preparing the legislationand reforms required to implement the policy, guiding and monitoringcertain aspects of the development, funding, implementation, and coordinationactivities conducted by the lower tier.The Ministry is responsible for drafting statutory rules for each municipalagency; these guidelines have been “equalized” for each individualmunicipality by way of the Basic Services Budget System.D4.3 The Municipal LevelAs of 2009, the welfare system consisted of approximately 348 municipalitiesin various structural agreements and arrangements with eachother. The municipal tier is responsible for the actual delivery of social welfareservices. It is at this level that the recipients of social welfare directlyengage with the welfare system.297