Statistics Finland: Statistics on the activities of social services of municipalities/joint municipal boards
Statistics Finland gathers information on municipal finances and activities on a yearly basis. The statistics contain information on municipally-funded services, that is, services that the municipality provides itself to its inhabitants or purchases from other municipalities, municipal federations, the state or private providers. In this context, Statistics on Social Welfare and Health Care Activities have been compiled since 1994 by order of STAKES and, as of the beginning of 2009, by order of the National Institute for Health and Welfare (the result of a merger between STAKES and KTL). A predecessor to these statistics was a report system for social welfare and health care, maintained by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health until 1993.
Keywords
home help
home-help services
Classifications
Geographical classification
Municipality, sub-region, region, area for the regional state administrative agency, major region, Mainland Finland/Åland, hospital district, university hospital special responsibility area, whole country
Data content
The indicator gives the number of home-help visits to households during the year.
Home help refers to the performance of and assistance with functions and activities related to personal care and attendance, child care and other activities of daily life, and supporting the everyday life of families.
The data are available according to the following classification:
"Municipality's own services" refers to services produced in the municipality's own units.
"Services sold by the municipality" refers to the sale of services mentioned under item 1 to other municipalities, for instance.
"Services purchased from the state" refers to services purchased from state-owned units.
"Services purchased from municipalities" refers to services purchased from other municipalities.
"Services purchased from joint municipal boards" refers to all services purchased from joint municipal boards.
"Services purchased from others" mainly refers to services purchased from the private sector.
"Services funded by the municipality" refers to the volume of services (or income transfers) that the municipality has funded for its inhabitants. The volume is calculated by subtracting the services sold by the municipality from the municipality's own provision and then adding the purchases (= 1-2+3+4+5+6).
The definitions and classifications used in the statistics are presented in Kuntien ja kuntayhtymien talous- ja toimintatilaston luokitukset 2006 ('Classifications used in statistics on municipal finances and activities 2006'), a publication by the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities (in Finnish). The publication is available at the website of the Association (www.kunnat.net).
Interpretation
The indicator describes the number of home-help visits to families with children during the year. The service system should always be looked at as a whole; different municipalities arrange the services in different ways. In other words, comparisons of individual services between municipalities will not tell the whole truth as the municipality may have invested in other services, according to the needs and wishes of the clients.
Restrictions
The data cover the services funded by municipalities, that is, services that the municipality has produced or paid for. The services that clients fund themselves or acquire with other public funding are not included.
