CONSENSUS – Early multi-professional efforts for systematically supporting child and adolescent well-being in the school context: From research data to evidence-based collaboration

The CONSENSUS research and development project focuses on the promotion of childrens’ psychosocial health and well-being in the school context. The school learning
environments constitute an important arena for promoting the well-being of children and
adolescents, ideally employing a whole-of school approach encompassing both multi-professional
collaboration within schools as well as close cooperation between the schools and the pupils’
homes and other relevant parties. Previous research highlights the need to focus on promoting pupils’ psychosocial health and well-being already in the early stages of basic education and during the transitions from lower to upper basic education (grades six to seven).

The project will generate the following results:
– a holistic picture of interacting risk and protective factors affecting the psychososcial health of pupils over time (pupils in grades 4-8)
– new working methods and regional practice in systematically mapping and following up
pupils’ school-related and mental well-being (including an online tool)
– best practice-models and recommendations concerning new working and multiprofessional
collaboration models to systematically support pupils’ psychosocial wellbeing.
– new courses focusing on working models for supporting pupil well-being intended to be
integrated in the study program at the Faculty of Education and Welfare Studies, also
provided for professionals in the field

The regional project is coordinated at the Faculty of Education and Welfare Studies at Åbo
Akademi University in Vaasa, and constitutes an interdisciplinary project encompassing health
sciences, social sciences, and education sciences. The city of Vaasa is the main project funder, and
project activities are concentrated to schools in the city of Vaasa and Mustasaari municipality in
the Finnish Ostrobothnia region.

Project team members:

Senior University Lecturer Anna K. Forsman, Health Sciences (project leader)
University Lecturer Johanna Nordmyr, Health Sciences (project coordinator)
Associate Professor Johan Korhonen, Social Sciences
University Lecturer Anna Widlund, Education
Senior University Lecturer Christel Sundqvist, Education
Doctoral student Linda Österholm, Social Sciences
Doctoral student Sanna Tuomela, Health Sciences