Retiring Director Jorma Kuuluvainen: Remember the human perspective when discussing reception matters

A reception centre should not be considered as just accommodation, where the safety depends on the number of guards. The operation of reception centres is, above all, social and health care work where the safety depends on the well-being of the people, writes Director of Reception Unit, Jorma Kuuluvainen, who is about to retire.

In the autumn of 2015, reception centres were established at a rapid pace and there was an unprecedented public interest in their operations. Reception centres were viewed in the discussions as accommodation which offered food and had to be guarded in the name of safety.

During the autumn of 2015, I participated in discussion events for residents in several areas where a reception centre was going to be established. These discussions were characterised by a feeling of fear and concern for the future. I remember in particular one mother, who felt it was a disaster that a reception centre was going to be established in her area. It is understandable to be concerned when facing a new situation, but I have thought about how I could have supported the residents so that they would have been able to also see the other side of the matter and let go of their fears

The asylum seekers at the reception centres live in cramped spaces next to strangers from other cultures. Their future is unsure. Waiting is stressful and some people may also have tough experiences in their past.

The staff at the reception centres is well aware of the challenges the coexistence of different people with different backgrounds may bring. In some situations, the guards are a good support for the workers and there are also situations where the help of the police is needed. However, security as a whole cannot be solved with force.

The most important factor in making sure that reception centres are secure is the well-being of the clients. The interaction between the staff and the clients has to be open and fair since unfair bans, for example, only create rebelliousness. There will always be arguments and sometimes the reason for them can seem puzzlingly minor to outsiders. The reasons behind the minor disagreements are often bigger concerns, which can be solved only by talking and negotiating. The staff has to get people to engage with the community of the reception centre and to work things out together.

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The reception system for asylum seekers has undergone a great upheaval during the last year. When the number of reception centres increased tenfold in a matter of a few months, we were not able to transfer and use the well-tried methods at the new units. Previously, there were such a small number of operators that we all knew each other.

The new units needed a lot more guidance and support than we expected. At the beginning of autumn 2015, the Reception Unit of the Finnish Immigration Service that steers the work of the reception centres had six employees. Now we are 28 and it still feels that we do not have enough time for everything.

During the year, we have improved the guidance, education and support in the reception field. Our readiness plans are also on a completely different level than before. Now, we have a good basis for working with larger volumes and are ready to react in a speedy manner in case the number of asylum seekers suddenly increases like it did during the autumn of 2015.

We have done very good work here at the Finnish Immigration Service as well as at the reception centres. I want to thank everybody who has done their part in working to making this historic operation a success. It is frustrating that we now have to close down reception centres where people have worked very hard and got the operations up and running in a successful way. We cannot, however, keep centres open just in case. As the number of asylum seekers decreases, we have to close reception centres.

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In the future, the reception system should be developed so that the distribution of work between the transit centres and the waiting centres is even more efficient. In addition, reception centres should more often consist of flats. This would not only be the most financially beneficial model, but also the most human model from the asylum seeker’s point of view.

Between entering Finland and the asylum interview, the asylum seeker lives at a transit centre and then transfers to another reception centre to wait for the decision. During the autumn of 2015, the distribution of work between the reception centres was unstructured because of the time constraint, but now we have returned to normal for the most part. However, the distribution of work should be made even more effective so that the time spent at a transit centre is shortened to a few weeks. During this time, the asylum seeker should have his or her application registered, undergo an initial medical examination and take part in an asylum interview.

The most cost-effective reception centres are maintained by municipalities using a distributed model. In this model, the asylum seekers live in flats among the population and receive reception services at a service point. At these centres, the asylum seekers feel better as they can cook for themselves and have more personal space than at an institutional centre.

Municipalities are naturally more suitable for maintaining reception centres. As the new social welfare and health care model is being developed, we should look into the role of municipalities as producers of receptions services. If a municipality is maintaining a reception centre, will it buy the services from its social welfare and health care region as it no longer produces them itself? Asylum seekers do not need differentiated services, but services that can be produced as part of the general social welfare and health care system. This would guarantee high-quality and cost-effective reception services in the future as well.

Jorma Kuuluvainen

Director of Reception Unit at the Finnish Immigration Service
(retired from 1 October 2016)

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