Man, Child, and Parenthood – MILAVA

The goal of the project is to strengthen the well-being, participation, and active agency of fathers, as well as promote equality between parents, considering the individual needs and situations of families.

In collaboration with professionals working with families, the project develops low-threshold family services. Tailored training is also provided to enhance professional expertise.

The project operates in the entire Northern Finland, with main implementation locations in Oulu, Kajaani, and Rovaniemi.

Through stakeholder collaboration, the project identifies fathers’ needs for parenting support from both professionals and fathers themselves. A series of coaching sessions, including both individual and group meetings, is planned and implemented with the project participants. Based on the assessment, a workbook and a digital low-threshold coaching program for fathers are created. The responsibility for the coaching and peer support activities for fathers is with Kajaani University of Applied Sciences.

Multidisciplinary workshops are organized in the project for professionals who encounter fathers and families in their work. These workshops aim to develop and pilot new working methods to support the engagement of fathers. Workshop series are conducted in Oulu, Kajaani, Rovaniemi, and online from 2024 to 2025. The implementation of the development workshops is managed by Lapland University of Applied Sciences and Diaconia University of Applied Sciences.

Theme-specific training sessions are organized for professionals who encounter fathers in their work to enhance their expertise. Training themes include, among other topics, the strengths and stress factors of fatherhood and strengthening parenthood. Training is delivered online and on-site in Oulu, Kajaani, and Rovaniemi from 2024 to 2025. Oulu University of Applied Sciences is responsible for organizing the training sessions.

Additionally, the project includes comprehensive and ongoing impact assessments, managed by the University of Oulu. Oulu University of Applied Sciences is responsible for project administration, coordination, and communication.

The project is a collaborative effort involving Diaconia University of Applied Sciences, Kajaani University of Applied Sciences, Lapland University of Applied Sciences, the University of Oulu, and Oulu University of Applied Sciences (main executor).

The project is funded by the European Social Fund. The funding has been granted by the Centre for Economic Development, Transport, and the Environment.

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