School safety
Education laws stipulate that schools, nurseries and other educational institutions must be safe. There are also provisions on the safety of educational institutions in other laws and regulations, such as the Finnish Occupational Safety and Health Act.
The Finnish National Agency for Education publishes practical safety planning and management guidance on its website. The guides are designed for
- education and training providers,
- head teachers of children’s nurseries and schools, and
- owners and managers of nursery and school buildings.
School safety networks
Regional State Administrative Agencies coordinate school safety networks that help to ensure health and safety in
- children’s nurseries,
- primary and secondary schools, and
- sixth form colleges and vocational schools.
The role of regional school safety networks is to promote multidisciplinary cooperation and disseminate information and best practices. They help to keep local authorities and other education providers up to date on the latest local, regional and national developments in school safety. They also contribute to preparedness planning by analysing information and phenomena and preparing remedial actions in different areas.
More information about your regional school safety network:
Regional State Administrative Agency for Southern Finland
- Satu Kilpinen, Senior Officer, tel. +358 (0)29 501 6194
Regional State Administrative Agency for Eastern Finland
- Johanna Albert, Senior Education Officer, tel. +358(0)29 501 6889
Regional State Administrative Agency for Lapland
- Kaisa Post, Director, tel. +358 (0)29 501 7355
Regional State Administrative Agency for Southwestern Finland
- Ville Kouki, Senior Education Officer, tel. +358 (0)29 501 8390
Regional State Administrative Agency for Western and Inland Finland
- South Ostrobothnia, Central Ostrobothnia and Ostrobothnia: Thomas Sundell, Legal Counsel, tel. +358 (0)29 501 8620
- Swedish-speaking areas of Uusimaa and Southwest Finland: Michael Mäkelä, Senior Education Officer, tel. +358 (0)29 501 8616
Regional State Administrative Agency for Northern Finland
- Veijo Kosola, Director, tel. +358 (0)29 501 7570
- Jyri Ulvinen, Senior Education Officer, tel. +358 (0)29 501 7525