Contact with social services in matters concerning a child and a family with children
During a service need assessment for a family with children, social counsellors and social workers offer low-threshold guidance and counselling. Contact the service needs assessment unit when you are concerned about your own or your family's situation, or when you do not know what you should do and want instructions on how to manage your affairs.
An authority working with a child, adolescent or family may also make a contact, pursuant to the Social Welfare Act, together with the child or the family when the situation is not urgent. In these situations, the contact may compensate for the need to submit a child welfare notification. See the instructions on how to act in an urgent situation.
A contact, pursuant to the Social Welfare Act, and a notification, pursuant to the Child Welfare Act, can be made about a child or a family with children whose need for social welfare services is obvious.
Concerns may include:
- concern related to the child's development and well-being
- difficulties or neglect related to the care and upbringing of the child or adolescent
- violent incidents in close relationships and in the family or the child's violent behaviour
- problems related to the parents' substance abuse or mental health
- the child or adolescent using, or experimenting on, intoxicants
- conflicts in the family
- other crises
In urgent child welfare matters, do the following
In urgent child welfare matters, call the Social and Crisis Emergency Services at tel. 014 266 0149, or in emergencies you can call 112.
Contact the service need assessment unit when
- you need guidance and counselling from the services for families with children.
- you are concerned about a child's care, health or safety.
- you are concerned about a child's parent or the overall situation of the family.
- you want to make a contact or a child welfare notification pursuant to the Social Welfare Act.
This is how you make a contact pursuant to the Social Welfare Act
You can make a contact, pursuant to the Social Welfare Act, in writing using a form or in free-form. Deliver the contact to the nearest service point, whose contact information can be found under: Service points.
In a free-form contact, please tell us the following:
- The child’s name and personal identity code
- Contact details of the parents
- The subject of the contact
- Contact details of the author.
Who can make a contact?
- A guardian of the child and the child themself if they feel a need for support.
- An authority with the consent of the client/the child's guardian or together with the client. If the authority does not have the consent of the client/child's guardian, a child welfare notification is submitted about the child.
You can return the form to service points, whose contact information you can find here.
This is how you submit a child welfare notification
You can submit a child welfare notification in free-form.
In the free-form child welfare notification, please state the following:
- the child’s name and personal identity code
- contact details of guardians
- the subject of the child welfare notification, i.e. what the concern is about
- information on whether the guardians and/or the child have been informed of the notification
- contact details of the notifying person
- the notification shall be submitted by the employee who becomes aware of the matter.
A private person may submit a child welfare notification also anonymously.
If you are worried about a pregnant person or a couple about to have a child, you can submit a preliminary child welfare notification.
You can return the form to service points, whose contact information you can find here.
After a notification or contact
In urgent situations, the situation of the child or adolescent will be clarified immediately.
First 7 weekdays
- An employee of the service need assessment unit contacts the guardians of the child.
- The child and adolescent are contacted if this is possible considering the matter and the child's age.
- a phone call maps the family's overall situation, what kind of support the child and the family would like or need, and what services could help the family.
- Sometimes the situation of the child and the family is clarified during phone calls with the child and the parents, and no further measures are needed. Based on the phone call, the family can also be referred to preventive child and family services.
The child's and the family's need for support is investigated within 3 months
The assessment of a child's need for services is initiated whenever a more extensive assessment of the child's and the family's situation is needed. A social worker assesses whether the need for child welfare measures needs to be investigated in conjunction with the service need assessment.
A designated case worker will be appointed for the child for the duration of the investigation.
The investigation work may include meetings with the child and the guardians together and/or separately at home and/or at the office of the service need assessment unit.
During the investigation, also the child will generally be met with at the office, school/daycare or at home.
If necessary, we cooperate with other people close to the child and the family as well as the workers who are familiar with the child and the family.
The implementation of the investigation is considered in accordance with the family's situation and needs.