Social worker

What questions can I ask the Pro Centre Finland social worker?

Our social workers are very knowledgeable about sex work issues. However, the most common topics dealt with include accommodation, livelihood, benefits, immigration, employment, education, violence, family relations, bank issues, home care, and crime.

You can ask the social worker for advice and help in filling in forms, services available from the government, receiving social benefits, and legal issues.

The social worker can also offer help if you want to discuss personal or work-related issues in confidence. Here at Pro Centre Finland, the service user always dictates his/her needs and what he/she wants from his/her life or work.

If necessary the social worker and service user can consult the Pro Centre Finland lawyer.

Pro Centre Finland provides social services and advice in Finnish, Russian, Estonian, Thai and English. If necessary we will try to arrange for an interpreter.

We also carry out social work on location, for example outreach aimed at people working in Thai-speaking massage parlours through the Saphaan project.

How can I contact the social worker?

You can contact the Pro Centre Finland social workers either during drop-in opening hours without an appointment, or outside these times by making an appointment. You can also telephone or e-mail our social worker.

Some Pro Centre Finland social workers conduct outreach work and you can meet them online, at certain bars, on the street, or at “Mesta” in the Kallio area of Helsinki.

When should I make an appointment?

If you have an issue which you would like to discuss with the social worker in your own time, then it's better to make an appointment rather than come to the drop-in. At the drop-in you can get help and support quickly, less time is available than with an appointment.

Social workers as cultural interpreters

Some of the social workers at Pro Centre Finland have immigrant backgrounds, for example from Estonia, Russia and Thailand. In addition to language skills, an immigrant background is an advantage: the social workers have personal experience of moving and adapting to a new country and culture.

Many Pro Centre Finland service users originally came from outside Finland. Cultural interpretation is part of the Pro Centre Finland social workers' role. It means acting as an intermediary between two different cultures and also between sex workers and the other population.

With the benefit of cultural knowledge, Pro Centre Finland social workers can describe cultural customs, or the services offered nationally in Finland, by comparing them to their own experiences and knowledge of the other culture.