Professional foster care in child welfare

Professional foster care is a foster care service provided by child welfare. This service is given in homes where foster parents live. The home must also have sufficient space for each child and to meet the requirements of foster home activities. Children who are in open care placement, in emergency placement, or who have been taken into care as well as young people who are in child welfare aftercare can live in professional foster homes. In addition, biological children of foster home parents can live in the professional foster homes. The professional foster home must have a permit granted by the Regional Administrative Agency in order to provide round-the-clock foster care in child welfare.

In a professional foster home, at least one foster parent is mainly at home taking care of the placed children and has an education in social care, education or health care. In professional foster homes, the aim is to give a child the opportunity to receive safe, home-like and rehabilitative care, have close relationships and restorative experiences.

A maximum of seven children or young people can be taken care of at the same time in a professional foster home.

During the placement, a social worker is responsible for the child's affairs, who must take extensive care of the realisation of the child's right and best interests, inclusion, the organisation of services as well as for the support provided to the child and family. The social worker also meets the child or young person on a regular basis. The social worker responsible for the child's affairs draws up a client plan for the child in cooperation with the child's network. The situation of a child living in professional foster care and the achievement of the goals set in the client plan and the care and education plan are monitored on a regular basis.

Restrictive measures as per the Child Welfare Act other than the restriction of contact may not be used in professional foster homes. As a rule, foster home activities take place in a conventional building intended for foster home living.

Children in housing services as per the Disability Services Act or the Act on Special Care for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities. Customer relationships often last for years.