Frequently asked questions about child welfare notifications
On this page, we have compiled frequently asked questions and answers about child welfare notifications.
For the person making a child protection notification
A child welfare notification is made about a child when concern has arisen about the child’s situation and social services need to assess whether child welfare services may be needed.
Make a notification if you are concerned about a child’s situation. Concern about the child’s situation is sufficient when there is reason to assess whether the child may need child welfare services.
Submit the notification and enter the child’s date of birth, including the day, month and year, in the “Additional information” field. If you do not know the child’s date of birth, submit the notification anyway.
A child welfare notification can be made by anyone who notices or becomes aware of circumstances in a child’s situation that give reason to assess whether the child needs child welfare services.
In addition, many authorities and professionals who encounter children in their work have a statutory duty to make a child welfare notification when the situation requires it.
No. It is enough that you describe your concern.
A child welfare notification must be made without delay.
The more accurate the information you provide, the easier it is for social welfare professionals to assess the situation and process the matter smoothly. If you know the person’s personal identity code or date of birth, include it in the notification. This helps us identify and reach the right person.
The person who made the notification usually cannot be given information about how the matter is progressing.
If you are a public official or another person with a statutory duty to notify, you must provide your name. A private individual may submit the notification anonymously. In this case, do not enter your own details on the form.
A child welfare notification can be submitted anonymously. If you want to submit the notification anonymously, do not enter your own details on the form.
If you are a public official or another person with a duty to notify, you must always provide your name. If you are a public official and providing your details would put you at risk, you can describe the risk and the grounds for it in the notification. If necessary, the name of the person submitting the notification can be withheld in situations permitted by law.
Child welfare notifications are stored in the social welfare client information system and archived in the social welfare client data repository (Kanta Services).
Yes. The child’s guardians and any child aged 12 or over will be informed about the notification.
If there is reason to suspect that a person responsible for the child’s care has assaulted or sexually abused the child, the guardian will not be informed about the child welfare notification immediately. Information about the notification will only be provided once child welfare services have assessed that doing so is safe for the child. In these situations, a person with a duty to notify must also report the matter to the police.
If there is reason to suspect that a person responsible for the child’s care has assaulted or sexually abused the child, the guardian will not be told about the child welfare notification immediately. Information about the notification will only be provided once child welfare services have assessed that disclosing it is safe for the child. In these situations, a person with a duty to notify must also report the matter to the police.
In order for us to process the notification, we must be able to identify who it concerns.
If the notification does not contain enough identifying information, we may not be able to link it to the correct person or child. In that case, we cannot look into the situation or contact the person who may need help.
For this reason, it is important to provide as accurate information as possible about the person and the situation in the notification.
In life-threatening situations, call the emergency number 112.
In other emergency or crisis situations, you can find important phone numbers here: In an emergency or crisis situation | Western Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County
You can print out the form and send it by post to:
Western Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County
Social Services Guidance
Lintuvaarantie 2 A
02650 Espoo
You can also return the form to the child welfare mailbox next to the main entrance of the Espoo service unit at Lintuvaarantie 2 A. You can return the following forms there:
- Child welfare notification
- Contact with the authority responsible for social welfare services
- Notification to social welfare services for assessing the need for support.
You can contact Social Services Guidance via Lunna or by phone: Social Services Guidance – Support for Everyday Challenges | Western Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County
For persons with a duty to notify
The following authorities, professionals and healthcare professionals have a duty to make a child welfare notification without delay, regardless of confidentiality provisions.
A notification must be made if, in the course of their work, they learn about a child whose need for care or attention, living circumstances, or the child's own behaviour may require an assessment of the need for child welfare services.
The duty to notify applies to the following parties (Child Welfare Act, section 25):
1. social welfare and healthcare services or children’s day care
2. education services
3. youth services
4. the police
5. the Criminal Sanctions Agency
6. fire and rescue services
7. providers of social services, children’s day care services or healthcare services
8. providers of teaching or education
9. parishes or other religious communities
10. reception centres or registration centres referred to in section 3 of the Act on the Reception of Persons Applying for International Protection and on the Identification of and Assistance to Victims of Trafficking in Human Beings (746/2011)
11. units providing emergency response centre services
12. units providing morning or afternoon activities for schoolchildren
13. Finnish Customs
14. the Border Guard
15. enforcement authorities
16. the Social Insurance Institution of Finland, Kela
A person with a duty to notify or an authority cannot make a child welfare notification anonymously.
If you are a public official and providing your details would put you at risk, you can describe the risk and the grounds for it in the notification. The notifier’s details may be withheld if disclosing them to the person whom the notification concerns would be likely to put the notifier at risk. The information may also be withheld if disclosing it to the person whom the notification concerns would be contrary to a very important public interest, the best interests of the child or another very important private interest. If you are submitting the notification in your official capacity and believe that doing so could put you, your family members or other people close to you in likely danger, you may, in such a situation, submit the notification fully anonymously using the form Notification to social welfare services for assessing the need for support.
Yes. Under the Child Welfare Act, the duty to notify applies notwithstanding confidentiality provisions (Child Welfare Act, section 25).
Yes. Make a notification even if you suspect that someone else has already made one or even if the child is already a client of child welfare services.
Yes. The duty to notify is personal. You cannot delegate making the notification to anyone else, such as your supervisor or a subordinate.
The telephone number for authorities, such as the police or educational institutions, is 029 151 3530. This number is available on weekdays from Monday to Friday between 8.00 and 15.00. At other times, in urgent matters, contact the Social and Crisis Emergency Services.