The Social Policy Association in Finland

The Social Policy Association in Finland was founded in the 1908. The Association arranges its annual National Meeting together with universities. The meeting is usually in the end of the October. It also organizes seminars on current topics of social policy. It publishes a quarterly journal Janus (in Finnish, with English abstracts). The number of members fluctuates from 350 to 450.

The association has the following objectives:

• It aims to develop social policies.
• It aims to promote the discussion in the field of social policy.
• It acts as a link between practitioners and research.

The Board is elected by the General Assembly of the Association as are the President and the Vice-president. Secretary and treasurer are appointed by the board. The board’s members represent universities, various social policy institutions, and nongovernmental organizations.

The association collaborates with national and international organizations. The Association is a member of the Federation of Finnish Learned Societies. The ESPAnet is one important international partner. The ESPAnet annual conference was held at the University of Helsinki in 2008. The conference was part of the celebrations marking the anniversary of the Association.

The contact member on international affairs is the president of the Association, Helena Hirvonen (University of Eastern Finland). The other members on the board of Association in 2023 are:

The president, Helena Hirvonen (University of Eastern Finland)The vice president, Maria Heiskanen (Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare)
Hanna-Mari Heinonen, Social Insurance Institution of Finland
Sanna Heinonen, North Karelian Society for Social Security
Liisa Hokkanen, University of Lapland
Marita Husso, University of Tampere
Anne Kouvonen, University of Helsinki
Jyri Liukko, Finnish Centre for Pensions
Anne Määttä, Diaconia University of Applied Sciences
Linnea Nevala (student representative), University of Tampere
Mikael Nygård, Åbo Akademi University
Elina Palola, Ministry for Social Affairs and Health
Juha A. Pantzar, Guarantee Foundation
Anne Perälahti, SOSTE Finnish Federation for Social Affairs and Health
Milla Salin, University of Turku
Tiina Silvasti, University of Jyväskylä
Riitta Särkelä, The Federation of Mother and Child Homes and Shelters
Minna van Gerven, University of Tampere