Reception centres will be monitored more systematically

A new reception centre monitoring programme will be launched this week. The monitoring and steering of reception centres will become more systematic than before with the help of the programme that also helps to plan reception operations. The aim is also to improve the quality of reception centre operations and to put all reception centres on an equal footing.

Before the autumn of 2015, there were 20 reception centres for adults and families and eight units for minors in Finland. Now there are over 200 reception centres in total and a large number of new instances and employees are involved in reception. The work at reception centres is varied and challenging, and there is still a lot to be learned after reaching the basic level.

The Finnish Immigration Service has monitored and steered reception centre operations even before this. As circumstances have changed, it has become necessary to increase and develop the monitoring and guidance of the centres, since it is not possible to monitor and steer over 200 units in the same way as 30 units previously.

The monitoring programme applies to all reception centres. Provisions on reception services are laid down by law.

Guidance and monitoring visits to reception centres

The Reception Unit of the Finnish Immigration Service has employed new staff to help steer the reception centres. Employees have been taken on regionally as well.

During this year, a large number of monitoring and evaluation visits will be made to reception centres. The aim of the visits is to assess, among other things, functionality, accommodation premises, information systems and security at the reception centres. The areas that need to be improved will be recorded and the implementation of changes will be monitored.

Reception centre employees have already received more training than previously. The amount of training was already at the beginning of the year three times larger than previously during the whole year. From now on, reception centres must also create self-monitoring plans and begin to examine and improve their operations themselves.

In addition, the centres will begin to monitor the legality of their operations and provide a report on this on a yearly basis. Monitoring of legality applies to official decisions made at the centres that are subject to appeal, such as decisions on reception allowance.

High and equal level of service as a goal

The aim of the monitoring programme is to guarantee the legality of reception centre operations and services as well as their high and equal quality in a cost-effective way. This is to ensure equal treatment of asylum seekers in different reception centres.

Further information for the media

Olli Snellman, Head of Section, Reception Unit, tel. +358 295 430 431, e-mail: firstname.lastname@migri.fi