HOT – healthy, occupied, together – supporting parents with an immigrant background

Siluettikuva lapsista ja naisesta
The HOT ­– healthy, occupied, together – supporting parents with an immigrant background project strengthens the integration, education, employment, and daily life management of parents with an immigrant background taking care of their underage children at home. The families and other target groups' support networks also benefit from the project services.

The project is implemented in the Päijät-Häme and South Karelia regions and conducted by the LAB University of Applied Sciences and the Lahti Academy of Liberal and Fine Arts.



The HOT project aims to create an operating model to support parents with an immigrant background to find their path to employment and education. The project strives to realise its main goal via the following sub-goals:

1. To recruit participants and identify their needs.

2. To increase the target group's work-life skills and support their health and well-being.

3. To strengthen the participants' literacy skills, develop their Finnish language skills.

4. To develop and pilot different modules and to create an operating model.

5. To develop a model for guidance into professional and/or educational pathways.



The target number of participants is eighty parents with an immigrant background taking care of their underage children at home. Participants find their path to employment and training through the project activities. Their inclusion and language skills are strengthened, and their social and employment network is expanded.

The information gathered during the project increases the regional authorities’ understanding of the situation of the target group of immigrants. The HOT project creates an open and accessible model as a tool for the integration and employment of various groups of immigrants.



The HOT project starts with the recruitment and mapping of the target group. According to the needs and objectives identified, immigrant parents participate in the different modules. The activities for the participants include several consecutive modules of short duration, such as getting to know the environment, health and well-being, work-life skills and the Finnish language. The aim is to engage the participation of the target group and strengthen their inclusion.

The modules piloted in the project serve as a model for action. The policy and support materials are intended for representatives of the target group and those collaborating with them.

The project activities will be communicated throughout the project through various blogs and press releases, to the target group, regional authorities and the public.
Project period
-
Project state
On-going
Project area
National
Project funding
ESR 2021-2027
LAB role
Lead partner
Unit
Health Care and Social Services
Project focus area
Human well-being
Takes place in project

Project activity

The HOT project organizes education and workshops for immigrant parents who are caring for their children at home. The training is carried out in small groups and is free of charge for participants. Group activities are organized 2–3 days a week, 2–3 hours at a time. Language training and workshops on health, well-being, education and working life are organized for the small group.

Group activities in Lahti and Lappeenranta

The HOT project has organized group activities, in which 66 target group members have participated, in Lahti and Lappeenranta. They have been offered Finnish language instruction and information workshops on health, well-being, education and working life. The participants have also received personal support to help them find their paths.

Sample brochures for group activities (all in finnish):

Materials produced in the project

Below are 2 languaged materials produced in the project that will also be included in the operating model, which will be published in early 2026.

Erilaiset perheet, Perhe Suomessa – Different types of families, Families in Finland (pdf)
Arjessa jaksaminen ja mielen hyvinvointi – Coping in everyday life and mental well-being  (pdf)
Syöpäseulonnat Suomessa – Cancer screenings in Finland  (pdf)
Perhesuunnittelu​ – Family planning  (pdf)​
Perheen ja työn yhdistäminen – Combining family and work  (pdf)
Kansallinen rokotusohjelma Suomessa – Finnish national vaccination programme  (pdf)
Hyvinvointia arkeen: Suositukset lapsiperheille – Well-being in Everyday Life Recommendations for Families with Children  (pdf)

The material has been created and tested in the ESF+-funded HOT – healthy, occupied, together – supporting parents with an immigrant background -project.

Articles and blogs

In english:

Addressing the hard-to-reach target group | EPALE - Electronic Platform for Adult Learning in Europe 20.12.2024

In finnish:

Sustainable Development Goals
Project managers
Mariia Baliasina
RDI specialist
mariia [dot] baliasinaatlab [dot] fi