The main aim of this presentation is to describe the improvements in the counselling and guidance given in Finnish Comprehensive schools (especially grades 6-9) from the perspective of study transitions and social exclusion. The national research and development project initiated by the National Board of Education (NBE) gives the context for the activities and their evaluation reported in this presentation.

The task of the school counsellor in Finland is to help pupils (Comprehensive school; especially grades 6-9) to plan their studies, to give psychosocial support and to help decision-making about vocational career. Various challenges of post-modern society mean that pupils’ studying paths become diverse and fragmented. Problems such as social exclusion and drop-out rates require hard thought and systematic work both at the local and national level. (Numminen & Kasurinen 2003.)

Study and student counsellors need both internal (with subject teachers and other educational institutions) and external (with social work, youth work & organisations, labour administration) cooperation in their tasks of helping young people (Edwards et al. 2009). They need flexible psychological qualifications to encounter pupils in constructive face-to-face meetings in their various life situations. They need also abilities and tools to monitor systematically study paths between educational institutions (D’Amour et al. 2003; Lumague et al. 2006). Regarding risks of social exclusion, pupils with special needs and immigrant pupils must be considered carefully.

Local professionals cannot survive alone with the new challenges but their working practices must be supported and enhanced. Various ways of in-service education is needed as well as extra financing for either innovative improvements or for recovering the worst flaws. In the case reported here, the NBE established a 2-3 year project to provide the practitioners with the kinds of supportive inputs.

The research questions were:

What kinds of changes took place in the local development projects during the two years of action especially in trying to

* monitor transition periods (from lower to upper stage of comprehensive school, from upper stage of comprehensive school to secondary education or working life) to avoid drop-outs?

* deal with risks of later social exclusion by means of inter- and multiprofessional cooperation of adults in educational and other sectors of society?

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