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Child welfare

The task of child welfare is to help families and to support parents or guardians in the care and upbringing of a child when the well-being of a child is threatened. When assessing the need for child welfare and when implementing child welfare, the best interests of the child are primarily taken into account. The goal is that the child can grow and develop in their own home.

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Child welfare notification

You can contact us if you are worried about your child or your own or your family’s situation and need help resolving the situation. Those who are in cooperation with children, adolescents and parents can also contact us when there is concern about the situation in a family or about a child’s situation and the support from other quarters is not sufficient on its own. Private citizens can contact if they are worried about a child’s or a family’s situation.

Open care in child welfare

Open care in child welfare supports a child, an adolescent or a family in situations where support is needed because of social or financial reasons, reasons related to coping or because of other similar reasons. Forms of support are, in addition to guidance and therapy, for example having a support person or support family, family work and family rehabilitation, peer groups and support for hobbies as well as for holiday and recreational activities.

Substitute care in child welfare

Substitute care means organizing the care and upbringing of a child who has been taken into care or emergency placement, outside of the home. Taking a child into care is the last resort when safeguarding a child’s growth and development.

Child welfare unit Saraste

Saraste offers, like a reception unit, short-term substitute care in child welfare for 12-17-year-old children. It can offer substitute care for seven children. Adolescents come to the child welfare unit Saraste after a decision by a social worker.

After-care in child welfare

After-care in child welfare means supporting an adolescent when it comes to housing, studies and livelihood. A child has a right to after-care when the substitute care ends or when the child has been continuously in placement in open care for at least six months. After-care can also be granted discretionarily on a case-by-case basis.

An experience richer

In the peer support forum for adolescents Kokemusta rikkaammat (An experience richer), a person who is expert in child welfare by experience, solves different problems together with adolescents.

Family care for children and adolescents

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