Johanna in English

My story

As a child, it was already clear to me that I would become a lawyer when I grew up. My father, grandfather, and grandmother were lawyers, so I would be one too. During my teenage years, my career aspirations only strengthened. In high school, I was somewhat active, part of the student council, and wanted to make an impact. I thought that knowledge of the law would provide me with great tools to advocate for good causes.

I spent my childhood and youth in East Helsinki. My family consisted of my mother, father, and the little sister I had long wished for. In the late 1970s, our yard in Mellunmäki was bustling with activity. Many friendships formed on the sandbox’s edge back then have lasted to this day. In the third grade, my world expanded when I transferred from my local school to the language school in Itäkeskus. During those school years, I developed a close network of friends. I also found my husband in Itis. We started dating at the prom. The dearest hobbies from my childhood and youth were dance. I actively practiced modern dance until the birth of our first child.

After high school, I applied to law school. The university doors opened for me on my third attempt. During my studies, I realized that family and social law would be my fields. I interned at law firms, but business law felt perhaps too abstract for me; it didn’t provide the connection to ordinary people that I craved.

Our first child was born towards the end of our studies. In our friend group, we were among the first families with children. We had our second and third children while already in the workforce.

I worked as a lawyer for the city of Vantaa for a long time, for ten years, from 2008 to 2018. In my job, I answered legal questions from child welfare social workers, prepared responses, opinions, and applications. I also frequently attended oral hearings at the Helsinki Administrative Court regarding child welfare. In the most complex child welfare cases, I handled international child abductions, custody disputes, and cases of abuse and sexual crimes against children.

In child welfare work, I encountered the everyday realities of the field in various working groups and trainings. It became evident that often, families with children became clients of child welfare services because basic services were not functioning properly. Way too many Finnish families with children live in poverty. Social workers have very large caseloads. The quality of child welfare varies by municipality. At the same time, political decision-making has prioritized other issues over those affecting children, youth, and families.

As a mother of three, I have also noticed the budget cuts affecting children in various situations over the years. I got involved in advocacy work to save local schools in Helsinki when my eldest child was in preschool. When my firstborn started school in 2008, I joined the parent association of Hertsika Primary School, and as chair of the association, I wrote statements, attended meetings, called decision-makers, and created banners… In the Herttoniemi parish council, I defended the day and afternoon clubs for children threatened by budget cuts in 2011. All of this ignited my passion to get involved in municipal politics and raise awareness of issues concerning children, youth, and families.

I am currently on leave from my position as the lead expert for the child strategy. I have worked longest as a lawyer for Vantaa’s child welfare, for just over ten years. The common thread throughout my career and my positions of trust has always been the rights of children and youth, education, and culture. Currently, I serve as the Deputy Mayor for Education and Training in the city of Helsinki.