Finnish for health and social services

The language of health and social services refers to the written and spoken language used within the scope of social, nursing and health services. It is the language employed in decisions granting or withdrawing public services, when planning or providing such services, as well as reporting and providing information about them, and discussing and negotiating them.

Another term for these services is public welfare services. Very often, they are statutory services based on face-to-face interaction between people.

Researchers at the Institute have studied both oral and written interaction within public welfare services. They have studied client contacts at social insurance offices, various decisions on benefits and the reasons for them, texts and text-creation processes from day-care services, as well as home-care reports.

Our experts on the language of health and social services help authorities with language use, monitor the state of the language used in the field, participate in the public debate, issue statements and provide instructions.