In Helsinki, consultative hospital education services are provided by Sophie Mannerheim School and Zacharias Topeliusskolan School. All comprehensive and pre-primary schools operating in the Helsinki area can request specialist support from them.
The service is intended for situations where teaching and educational staff require external consultation. Staff may request consultation in situations that require advanced multidisciplinary expertise in areas such as behavioural challenges or psychological or somatic symptoms in children or young people.
Specialist support for the unit's own work
The consultation aims to identify new methods and perspectives that will help the staff of comprehensive and pre-primary schools provide the support that children and young people need to participate in instruction at their own school. Teaching arrangements that support learning and timely support measures can prevent the accumulation of difficulties among children and young people and strengthen their learning and participation in instruction.
The consultation may focus on the development of the community's operating culture, pedagogical solutions, teaching arrangements, learning environments and/or the strengthening of staff skills. The consultation can be provided to the entire community, a working team, a group of teachers or staff, or an individual teacher or staff member.
If necessary, staff can also make use of the consultative hospital education service when assessing the support needs of a child or young person as part of the work of a multidisciplinary team of specialists. This always requires the written consent of the pupil and/or guardian.
The aim of the consultative hospital education service is to
- strengthen teachers' skills and support them in developing the learning environment
- promote preventive and early support in the operating culture of pre-primary and comprehensive schools
- strengthen the multidisciplinary structures needed to support children and young people.
For whom is the consultation intended?
The consultation is intended for the staff of comprehensive and pre-primary schools operating within the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa.
What does the consultation involve and how is it carried out?
The specialists provide the consultation in Finnish or Swedish. They can carry out the consultations either remotely or in person.
The consultation involves
- specialist support for analysing challenging situations and finding ways to provide support
- the monitoring of learning situations and everyday school life and related consultation discussions
- familiarisation with learning support materials, etc.
- the development of staff skills through training (lectures, workshops).
How much does the consultation cost?
The consultation is free of charge for comprehensive and pre-primary schools run by the City of Helsinki.
For other education providers, the service is subject to a fee. In 2026, the price of a consultation day is 375 EUR (VAT not included). One consultation day corresponds to approximately six hours. In addition to this, any travel expenses outside Helsinki will be charged for according to the actual costs incurred.
A consultation can run for half a day (three hours) or a full day (six hours), or it can be divided into shorter sessions; for example, two half-day consultations make up one full day. The consultation always includes the consulting teacher's travel time and the time spent on research and preparation.
How to request the consultation?
- Before submitting a consultation request, the unit requesting the consultation must structure the need for consultation and make use of any other expertise and consultation services available within the unit or school itself and within the municipality.
- The consultation process begins by filling out the consultation request form(Link leads to external service) (in Finnish or Swedish). The person submitting the form will receive a copy sent to their email address. Submitting a consultation request constitutes an invoicing criterion for the City of Helsinki. This does not apply to units for which the service is free of charge.
- After receiving a consultation request, the consulting teacher for hospital education contacts the person who made the request to further determine the consultation needs. Once the education provider and the consulting teacher have reached a common understanding of the support required, they can agree on how they will carry out the consultation.