Frequently asked questions
The Ombudsman for Children has collected here frequently asked questions and answers concerning various problematic situations involving children and young people.
The Ombudsman for Children is sometimes contacted in matters concerning individual children and families. The Ombudsman for Children does not have the authority to comment on such matters.
You can file a child welfare notification with the social services of the wellbeing services county of the child’s municipality of residence. In urgent situations, call the emergency number 112 or the emergency social service helpline. You can also report the situation to the emergency number if the child’s home municipality is not known.
Child welfare notification (Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare)
If you suspect that your own child is not doing well with the other parent, but the situation is not urgent, you should first reconsider the child’s living and visitation arrangements. The parents can discuss changes to the agreement with the child welfare officer at the wellbeing county services. If an agreement cannot be reached, the parent applying for changes to the agreement should file an application with the district court.
If you are not satisfied with the actions of the child welfare authorities or a child welfare institution, you should first contact them directly and try to resolve the situation or disagreement. You can also contact the manager of the unit. In addition to these options, you have access to legal remedies such as an objection or complaint.
Additional information on legal remedies
You can also contact the social services ombudsperson of your wellbeing services county. Their task is to provide guidance and advice on the rights of clients. They can also help you draw up an objection and provide advice on filing a complaint.
You can usually appeal the decisions of child welfare authorities. For example, you can appeal to the Administrative Court against decisions concerning the taking of a child into care. A decision made by an administrative court is subject to appeal to the Supreme Administrative Court. The decisions of child welfare authorities should be made in writing. Appeal instructions will be included with the decision, including the deadline for submitting your appeal.
You can also contact the social services ombudsperson of your wellbeing services county. Their task is to provide guidance and advice on the rights of clients. They can also help you draw up an objection and provide advice on filing a complaint.
Further information:
If the parents separate, they should consider the child’s situation and think about how to organise the everyday life. The parents will agree on the arrangements for the child’s custody, residence and maintenance and on access to the child.
The child welfare officer at the wellbeing county services helps the parents reach an agreement and draws up an enforceable document on the matters agreed on by the parents. The contact information of the child welfare supervisor can be found on the wellbeing county’s website or telephone switchboard.
If the parents cannot reach an agreement on the child’s affairs, the child welfare supervisor cannot resolve the issue. Some wellbeing counties have a family mediation service that can provide support in such situations. If reaching an agreement is not possible, a parent can apply for legal aid and file an application with the district court if necessary.
It is important to determine the child’s opinion on matters that concern the child.
Further information:
You can find more information on your wellbeing services county’s website. For example, see the Frequently Asked Questions on Family Law Services on the City of Helsinki’s website
Arranging the affairs of a child after a divorce (Finnish courts)
The Ombudsman for Children does not have the authority to give orders or recommendations on the right of access to a child.
If one of the parents does not comply with the agreement made by the parents and confirmed by the social services or an order issued by a court of law, you can submit an application to the court on the enforcement of the agreement.
You can contact your local Legal Aid Office if you require legal aid. Contact information of Legal Aid Offices (oikeus.fi)
Under the Constitution of Finland, children shall be treated equally and as individuals and they shall be allowed to influence matters pertaining to themselves to a degree corresponding to their level of development (section 6, subsection 3).
According to the Local Government Act, a municipality’s residents have the right to participate in and influence the activities of the municipality (sections 22 and 26). According to the Youth Act, young people must be heard in issues that concern them (section 24).
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is in force in Finland as an act. According to it, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration of administrative authorities in all actions concerning children (Article 3). In addition, the views of the child must be discovered and taken into account in accordance with the age and maturity of the child (Article 12). No one shall, without an acceptable reason, be treated differently from other persons on the ground of sex, age, origin, language, religion, conviction, opinion, health, disability or other reason that concerns his or her person. (Article 2).
Municipalities and municipal authorities should take the rights of the child into account in their actions and decisions. This is not always the case.
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has issued General Comment No. 14 for the interpretation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. According to the comment, the impact of a decision on the children concerned must be assessed in order to determine the best interests of the children (child impact assessment). Efforts are being made to improve the realisation of the rights of the child in municipalities, for example with the UNICEF Child-Friendly Municipality model.
Further information:
Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities’ appeal instructions (in Finnish)
Preliminary child impact assessments in a nutshell (UNICEF, in Finnish)
Usually, the decision on school network reorganisation is made by the local council. A decision of the local council can be appealed to the Administrative Court.
Also read the answer to the previous question on this page concerning municipal decision-making.
The Basic Education Act (628/1998) does not include detailed provisions on the location of schools or the school network.
The Ombudsman for Children does not have the authority to intervene in municipal decision-making or comment on the actions of specific municipalities.
Further information:
Filing a municipal complaint (Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities, in Finnish)
According to the Basic Education Act (628/1998), the environment at school must be safe for the child.
The party arranging education has the primary responsibility to ensure that the pupils are safe.
If you have already discussed the bullying with the teacher and the pupil or student welfare personnel at school and there is no change, you can contact the principal or a higher municipal school authority (such as the head of the local education department or education and culture department).
You can also contact the police if necessary.
You can file a complaint with the Finnish Supervisory Agency or with the Parliamentary Ombudsman and ask them to investigate whether the rules and regulations have been followed in the matter. The child or young person can also file the complaint themselves.
Further information:
The Finnish Supervisory Agency
Filing a complaint with the Parliamentary Ombudsman
Filing a complaint with the Parliamentary Ombudsman, website for children and young people
Decisions on a child’s school transport or place at a school are often important to the child’s everyday life. Both decisions can be appealed, in which case the Administrative Court or a higher authority will reassess the issue.
The format of the appeal depends on the matter:
- Decisions on school transport can be appealed to the administrative court.
- You can file a claim for a revised decision on the determination of a child’s place at a school with the Finnish Supervisory Agency.
Further information:
According to the Basic Education Act (628/1998), the environment at school must be safe for the child.
If you suspect that the child’s right to a safe learning environment is not realised due to the poor condition of the school building, for example, you can contact a higher municipal authority, such as the head of the local education department or education and culture department.
Your municipality’s health authorities can also provide advice on the matter.
A complaint on the municipality’s actions in matters related to education can be filed with the Finnish Supervisory Agency.
Further information:
The Refugee Advice Centre can advise you in issues related to immigration and asylum. It is a non-governmental organisation that offers legal advice and guidance for asylum seekers, refugees and other foreigners in Finland. Refugee Advice Centre
You can find information on Finland and the services offered to immigrants in several different languages on the website infoFinland.fi. infoFinland.fi
Further information: Asylum in Finland (Finnish Immigration Service)
Recreational activities are an enjoyable way for many children to spend their free time. The Convention on the Rights of the Child recognises the right of the child to engage in play and recreational activities and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts. A child with a disability must receive assistance to ensure that they have effective access to recreational activities. The Convention guarantees children the right to receive protection against all forms of abuse. The organiser of recreational activities is primarily responsible for ensuring the safety of children during the activities.
It is important that the organisers of recreational activities take measures to prevent bullying and the inappropriate treatment of children in recreational activities, and to discuss any situations that have arisen together with the children, taking their views into consideration. Possible prevention methods should be discussed together with the children.
If you are a child or a young person and you are bullied or treated inappropriately by another child or an adult in recreational activities, do not hesitate to address the issue with a trustworthy adult (e.g. parent, activity leader, coach). You can also get support from friends and friends, but it is important to involve an adult in discussing the matter. The Family Federation of Finland’s You are not alone service (telephone and chat service) is also available for sporting activities.
If you are a child’s guardian, parent or other close person, carefully listen to what the child says about their experiences of bullying or inappropriate treatment. Stay calm, and encourage and support the child even if you have strong emotions related to the situation. If necessary, you can contact the activity leaders or coaches, the activity organiser (such as the chairperson of a club or association or an employee) or a designated harassment contact person. The Family Federation of Finland’s You are not alone service (telephone and chat service) is also available for sporting activities.
If necessary, you can also contact, for example, a national sports federation, a central federation or a central organisation. Many federations and associations that organise recreational activities for children have reporting channels that you can use for reporting inappropriate treatment.
You can report inappropriate treatment related to sporting activities to the Finnish Center for Integrity in Sports (FINCIS).
If the situation involves discrimination, you can contact the Non-Discrimination Ombudsman.
More information on sporting activities:
The Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority and the Advertising Ethics Council deal with matters related to advertising.
You can report inappropriate marketing to the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority. On the Authority’s website, you can also find instructions on how to give feedback directly to the company responsible for the marketing.
You can request the opinion of the Advertising Ethics Council on whether the marketing is against good marketing practice. For example, an advertisement that discriminatory or inappropriate for children can violate good marketing practice. A private individual can submit a request with an electronic form free of charge. Reasons for the request for an opinion must be provided.
Further information:
Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority
Advertising Ethics Council: Request a statement
The National Audiovisual Institute (KAVI) can advise you in issues concerning films and other audiovisual programmes. It promotes media education, monitors the offering of audiovisual programmers, trains classifiers of audiovisual programmers and monitors their activities.
You can find information on KAVI’s website on where to give feedback about media. You can find instructions on how to give feedback on the content of films, TV programmes and games, the broadcast times and age limits of TV programmes, the sales and distribution of recordings, the Internet, advertising, newspaper and magazine articles and journalism, as well as issues within the field of activity of the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority.
The age limits of video games are often determined internationally with the European PEGI label. On issues concerning such age limits, you can also contact the PEGI organisation directly in addition to the National Audiovisual Institute (KAVI). PEGI provides information on the age ratings of video games and their content.
Further information:
Children hear about and see news items involving war, violence and accidents on different media sources and also discuss the news with each other. It is not always possible or even appropriate to prevent children from seeing the news. Children may even develop anxiety about the fact that wars are taking place in the world or a violent situation has occurred in a school somewhere, and the parent does not seem to know anything about it.
You can ask the child if they have heard about the matter. If the child says yes, you can ask them what they think about it. You should not press the matter unless the child is worried about it. It is important that adults are there to listen and, if necessary, correct any interpretations the child has made that are causing them fear. Make sure you stay a safe adult and let the child react to the situation in their own way, even if in a slightly unusual manner, such as by laughing. Even when bombarded with disturbing news, it is a good idea you stick to normal everyday routines.
If you do not know something as an adult, you can look for information together with the child. Such discussions are also an opportunity to practise critical media literacy and to pay attention to how news reporting involves influencing and propaganda.
It is important for an adult to recognise their own emotions related to news coverage. If you have strong fears, you must deal with them with another adult to make sure you do not end up transferring them to the child. If you need someone to talk to, for example, you can contact:
- National crisis helpline of MIELI Mental Health Finland
- MLL’s telephone and chat services for parents
- Your local social service and crisis support centre
More instructions on how to talk to your child about news that may disturb them are available here:
Save the Children: Supporting children and young people during a crisis
A crisis is usually a sudden and unexpected event that may stir up various emotions and reactions in you. You may be thinking a lot about wars happening in other parts of the world or accidents or violent situations occurring in Finland and the related news coverage that you see. You may also encounter a crisis in your own life. In a crisis, it is usually beneficial to talk with an adult and seek help if necessary.
The Safe Haven for Youth provides support on Discord for children and young people who are or have been child welfare clients (in Finnish).
Early childhood education and care is monitored in cooperation between municipalities and the Finnish Supervisory Agency.
Based on the Act on Early Childhood Education and Care, the municipality is also responsible for monitoring private early childhood education and care in its area. The municipality must ensure that the service providers fulfil the requirements set on the activities. If the municipality discovers problems in the private service production in its area, it must initiate control measures without delay. The municipality can organise the monitoring in the manner it wishes.
The Finnish Supervisory Agency monitors the activities of municipalities and guides early childhood education and care. The Finnish Supervisory Agency monitors early childhood education and care based on reports and any problems that arise. The Finnish Supervisory Agency is also tasked with processing complaints.
A private early childhood education and care service provider must also draw up a self-supervision plan for itself. It must be kept publicly available, and the service provider must monitor its implementation.
Further information:
Act on Early Childhood Education and Care
The Finnish Supervisory Agency
Government Decree on Early Childhood Education (753/2018. in Finnish)
You should contact the Non-Discrimination Ombudsman, if you feel that you have experienced discrimination or if you have observed that another person is being discriminated against based on a personal characteristic. Such characteristics include, for example:
- ethnic origin
- citizenship
- religion
- conviction
- opinion
- political activity
- family relationships
- state of health
- disability
- sexual orientation.
The Non-Discrimination Ombudsman advises clients, investigates individual cases and assists in legal matters.
We are sorry for your loss. While dealing with their grief, a guardian has to take care of many practical matters related to their child. A guide available at the Suomi.fi service has been compiled on matters such as benefits, distribution of inheritance, the status of the child as a beneficiary of the estate, support, assistance and services, as well as how to address the death with the child.
The contact details of the services and sources of assistance are available at our Services and sources of assistance for children and families page.
If you are a child or a young person, you can talk about your parent’s death and related matters with both your loved ones as well as a school social worker, public health nurse, teacher or other adult you trust. They will also refer you to some other source of help or service if necessary. There are also various telephone services, websites and chats for children and young people that you can use if you would like someone to talk to. For their contact information, see our Services and sources of assistance for children and families page.
The Office of the Ombudsman for Children met with children and young people who had lost a parent. The children and young people reported that important sources of support had included their pets, family, home, friends and professionals, such as a school psychologist, teacher or peer group. They had also found spending time and engaging in activities and discussions together with others helpful. They felt that they had benefited from returning to school and other parts of normal everyday life soon after the loss, as well as from being taken into consideration by their teacher or other people in small, natural ways.