Banca dati dei progetti dei PSR

This two-year development project in mainland Finland was implemented by a child welfare association with EAFRD funds and used socio-pedagogical horse activities to strengthen children’s social skills.

After renovating the stables at a foster home in Koskenkorva, with a wish to optimise the use of the new environment in the activities of the foster home, a local expert in socio-pedagogical horse activities was contacted to combine this method with the interests of the foster home.

The objective was to develop child welfare and child protection services by using different horse activities to strengthen children’s social skills. The project aimed at developing a more functional and pleasant working environment and increase thereby customer well-being. The objective was also to increase and develop cooperation opportunities with different public institutions providing social care, e.g. by targeting the outpatient sector.

The development work focused on the creation of various service packages that reflected the needs of child protection institutions in the area. These activities were also used to prevent challenging situations from escalating and leading, for example, to the placement of children or youth outside the home. Other activities included networking with rural entrepreneurs, farmers and health care and social workers to develop more defined and additional local services.

The safety of the working environment was developed and improved, as well as the expertise of the trainers. The interaction with horses proved to be an excellent tool to develop emotional skills. Through taking care of animals and training them, social skills are strengthened. Moreover, local networks between rural actors with e.g. stables and other structures and the health care sector were built up.

The project holders want to offer their services to other target groups, too, in the future. The closer cooperation between different partners is, the more successful the implementation of the services becomes, and in this case, more stables and more health and social workers should work together in order to provide a variety of services in a community. A network of actors makes it also easier to provide its services to the public sector.

The stables involved in the project were located in Koskenkorva and Kurikka in Western Finland

Etelä-Pohjanmaa

Mainland

255 000

191 250

63 750

https://www.pegasoshanke.fi

Teea Ekola

teea.ekola@etappi.fi

+358 50 525 2922 / +358 40 547 2522

English, Finnish