Child protection

The purpose of child protection is to ensure that a child has a safe and stimulating growing environment, balanced and diverse development and to guarantee special protection and care for the child. Positive and close relationships must be safeguarded, especially between the child and his/her parents.

Children, young people and their families have the opportunity to receive support when their resources are insufficient to cope with various life situations. The Child Welfare Act requires all people employed by social welfare and health, education, the police and parish, and people in positions of trust to report any children in need of child protection to the child protection authorities. Others, such as parents, neighbours, relatives, friends, the child, etc., who suspect that a child or young person needs child protection support, can contact a child protection social worker.

The main focus of child protection work is outpatient care. The working methods include discussions, guidance and counselling. When necessary, we work closely with daycare, education, home service providers as well as the police, the family counselling clinic and the psychiatric outpatient clinic for children and young people. Outpatient care can involve providing the child with a support family, assistance in attending school, finding a profession and home, or support for leisure time activities, for example. After negotiating with parents and guardians, we may also decide to provide a short period of institutional or family care.

If the outpatient care support measures to help the child are found to be insufficient or inappropriate and the child´s health and development are seriously threatened, the child may be taken into custody. Custody situations involve working closely with the child and his/her parents and guardians. The interaction and contact between children and their parents are supported in different ways during child custody cases. For example, the parents take part in negotiations concerning their child, visit the children as agreed, and the children can also visit their parents when such visits are mutually agreed.