If your child becomes ill
Children under school age have many infections that cause not only significant symptoms for children, but also absences from work for parents. When a child becomes ill, it is important to treat the child as effectively as possible through the means of self-care.
According to 9 § of the KVTES agreement (General collective agreement for municipal personnel), an employee is entitled to a temporary care leave of no more than four (4) working days in case of sudden illness of a child under the age of 12 to arrange the child’s care or to take care of the child. According to most collective agreements, the mother or father of the child is entitled to compensation during a temporary care leave in accordance with regulations on sick pay. The maximum amount of compensation (three or four days) varies depending on the collective agreement.
If you need an account on caring for a sick child at home for your employer or place of study, call the centralized phone service for maternity and child health clinics, or the school nurse if the child is of school age. Accounts on care leave are not written based on e-mails or text messages, or retrospectively. An account on care leave is written retrospectively only if the child health clinic has been closed on the day of the illness in question.
When a child under the age of 12 falls ill and a guardian stays at home to take care of the child, an account on the care leave for the employer can be obtained either through the maternity and child health clinic’s telephone service or from the school nurse if the child is of school age.
For employees of the City of Kokkola and Soite, a self-declaration to one’s superior is sufficient when a child falls ill (1-3 days). The superior may approve an absence based on the employee’s self-declaration instead of requiring a doctor’s/public health nurse’s certificate. If necessary, the supervisor may require that the child is taken to the reception.
The special care allowance compensates parents for the loss of income during a child’s hospitalisation, and during care at home related to the hospitalisation.
More information and instructions on how to deal with infections can be found on the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare THL’s website and the Lastentalo (Children’s hub) website. But it is important to remember that a doctor’s assessment is necessary whenever parents are concerned about a child’s health status or if symptoms and/or findings suggest a medical condition that requires treatment.
If a baby under three months of age develops a fever, contact the Soite’s paediatric emergency clinic for a doctor’s assessment.
Soite’s paediatric emergency clinic is open 24/7, i.e. 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Soite’s paediatric emergency clinic can be accessed without a doctor’s referral. A child’s need of urgent care is assessed on the basis of contact or on the spot.
In case of a prolonged illness
If your child’s illness is prolonged or the child’s general health status deteriorates, you can contact your own health care station during office hours. In the evenings and on weekends, contact Soite paediatric emergency clinic or the joint emergency services. If necessary, health care stations and the joint emergency services direct the patient to Soites paediatric emergency clinic, where an assessment of the need for care is made.
The emergency clinic treats patients who cannot safely wait to the next weekday to receive treatment at their own health care station. If you feel that you need treatment for your injury or sudden illness within 24 hours, call the joint emergency services.