City of Helsinki Welfare Plan to focus on everyday mobility and narrowing welfare gaps

The Welfare Plan focuses, in particular, on narrowing welfare gaps among Helsinki residents and promoting everyday physical activity and active lifestyles. In addition to the guidelines of the City Strategy, statistical and research data, expert knowledge, the views of the Council on Disability and the Elderly Citizens Council, and the views of Helsinki residents and partners gathered through e.g. the annual statutory health and welfare promotion consultations have been used in the selection of the objectives.

Focus on functional capacity, healthy lifestyles, mental wellbeing and inclusion

The Welfare Plan has two priorities: functional capacity and healthy lifestyles, and mental wellbeing and inclusion. Targeting interventions within population groups, for example at children and young people with low mobility, will contribute to reducing welfare and health inequalities in the long term. Investing in improving the functional capacity and physical activity of different age groups will help prevent public health diseases and disability in later life.

For the current council period of office, there are six objectives targeting different population groups, which will be promoted through cross-governmental cooperation by employing measures to be selected annually:

• Decreasing the proportion of children and young people with low physical activity.
• Strengthening the confidence of children and young people to influence their own future.
• Reducing loneliness and feelings of exclusion among young adults at risk of social exclusion.
• Increasing the physical activity of working-age people.
• Increasing the physical activity of older people.
• Reducing loneliness and exclusion among older people.

Getting children and young people to adopt an active lifestyle has many effects on their health and mental wellbeing. A loss of confidence in one's own future can be reflected in mental health problems and become a risk factor for inequality. Strengthening confidence in the future is closely linked to a safe environment for growing up, e.g. in schools, at home, in public places and in the digital environment, as well as to support for parenting and children and young people's experience of safe adults.

Loneliness and feelings of exclusion among young adults at risk of exclusion will be reduced by focusing on empowering young people who do not work or study, in particular. Supporting young adults' educational pathways and integration into working life can help prevent social exclusion.

Physical activity among working-age people supports mental health and reduces anxiety. Adequate physical activity improves working capacity in a cost-effective way and strengthens brain health, the ability to learn and thinking.

Mobility among older people is promoted by strengthening functional capacity and physical activity and increasing opportunities for safe and accessible physical activity in everyday environments. Adequate physical activity helps sustain a good quality of life, health and functional capacity and maintains and improves muscle fitness, which is associated with better balance and a lower risk of falls. Loneliness and exclusion will be reduced through age-friendly solutions.

"Promoting the health and welfare of our residents is one of Helsinki's core tasks. By investing in fostering active lifestyles in all age groups, we create the conditions for the welfare and health of Helsinki residents. In particular, strengthening the welfare of children and young people is a priority," says Mayor Daniel Sazonov.

What is a welfare plan?

• The City of Helsinki's Welfare Plan is a document to be drawn up every council term in accordance with section 6 of the Act on Organising Healthcare and Social Welfare Services (612/2021). According to the law, the municipality has primary responsibility for promoting wellbeing and health to the extent that this task is linked to other statutory tasks of the municipality.
• The City of Helsinki Welfare Plan plays an important role in promoting sustainable development, especially with regard to the following UN goals: good health and wellbeing (SDG 3), reduced inequalities (SDG 10) and sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11).
• The Helsinki Welfare Plan includes welfare plans for children, young people and the elderly, as required by legislation. In addition to this, three separate plans are attached to the Welfare Plan package as required by legislation: the maternity and child health clinic plan, the regional student welfare plan and the education provider's student welfare plan.