Capital Area Prosperity Council Established

Prosperity Council of the Capital Area established

The Prosperity Council of the Capital Area was formally established on Friday, 14 November. The signing event took place at the annual meeting of the Association of Municipalities in the Capital Area in Garðaholt, Garðabær. The establishment of the council marks an important step toward a coordinated effort between municipalities and state institutions to provide integrated services supporting the prosperity of children. This is stated in a press release from the Association of Municipalities in the Capital Area.

The Prosperity Council serves as a platform for joint policy development and consultation in accordance with the law on integrated services in support of children’s prosperity. The establishment of the council formalises structured dialogue and increased cooperation between service providers of the state and municipalities. The goal of the council is to strengthen and coordinate services for children in the capital area through an integrated, early, and holistic approach.

Guðmundur Ingi Kristinsson, Minister of Education and Children, says that a significant milestone has been reached with the establishment of the council. “The Prosperity Council encompasses the country’s largest urban area, and we are moving a step closer to providing children with integrated services without barriers throughout the country,” he says.

Service providers are members of the council

The members of the council are the six municipalities—Reykjavík, Kópavogur, Hafnarfjörður, Garðabær, Mosfellsbær and Seltjarnarnes. Municipalities play a key role in services for children, as they are responsible for school services, preschool and after-school activities, social services and child protection. In addition to the municipalities, the Capital Area Health Service, the Capital Area Police, upper secondary schools in the capital area, and the organised sports movement of the capital area are also members.

The council will prioritise actions and develop a four-year action plan that all members approve. The actions will be based on cooperation between service providers and relate to all main aspects of prosperity: education, health and wellbeing, social circumstances and quality of life, safety and protection, participation, and social connections. Special emphasis will be placed on early intervention and community-level prevention.

“When service providers work together toward shared goals, the capacity to support children and families at the right time increases,” says Hanna Borg Jónsdóttir, project manager of the Prosperity Council of the Capital Area. “The collaboration now beginning is built on strong professional expertise and the conviction that children’s prosperity is a shared responsibility.”

The council’s work is based on data and consultation

The council will use existing data and draw, among other things, on the extensive consultations that have already taken place. This includes the results of the Icelandic Youth Survey, which will be used as a guide for prioritisation and measuring progress. The council will also benefit from the outcomes of workshops led by the police in the municipalities, where staff from the police, health service, municipalities, upper secondary schools and sports clubs have worked together on solutions for children in vulnerable situations.

They will also consider the action plan of the regional sports centres in the capital area, developed in collaboration with all sports clubs in the region and aimed at increasing sports participation among children and young people. In addition, the council will draw on analyses from the Association of Municipalities in the Capital Area regarding prevention, mental health promotion and school-based interventions. Cooperation with the prosperity-implementation managers in the capital area will also be important, as they have identified the main challenges related to integrating services for children and young people.

Prosperity councils in all regions

The Prosperity Councils across the country are based on an agreement between the Ministry of Education and Children and the seven regional associations of municipalities, signed in October 2024. With the agreement, all municipalities in the country committed to beginning the implementation of Article 5 of the law on integrated services in support of children’s prosperity. The goal is for children and parents to receive appropriate services without obstacles, and the establishment of the councils represents an important milestone in that implementation.

In the photo: Hansína Þóra Gunnarsdóttir, representative of the sports movement in the capital area; Valdimar Víðisson, Mayor of Hafnarfjörður; Sigríður Dóra Magnúsdóttir, Director of the Capital Area Health Service; Þór Sigurgeirsson, Mayor of Seltjarnarnes; Regína Ásvaldsdóttir, Mayor of Mosfellsbær; Heiða Björg Hilmisdóttir, Mayor of Reykjavík; Hanna Borg Jónsdóttir, project manager of the Prosperity Council of the Capital Area; Þorbjörg Gísladóttir, Municipal Director of Kjósarhreppur; Ásdís Kristjánsdóttir, Mayor of Kópavogur; Almar Guðmundsson, Mayor of Garðabær; Helga Sigríður Þórsdóttir, Principal of MS and representative of upper secondary schools in the capital area; and María Káradóttir, Deputy Chief of Police of the capital area, at the signing of the founding agreements in Garðaholt, Garðabær.