Child welfare supervisor's services
We offer help to families undergoing changes. We can find information to confirm the child's other parent. We safeguard the child's wellbeing when the parents divorce, for exampl
The Child welfare supervisor's services include determining parenthood and securing child custody, visitation rights, and maintenance.
Explore the services
If a child does not have two legal parents, parenthood must be determined. The determination of parenthood takes place at a meeting at the child welfare supervisor's office. Parenthood is determined by the child welfare supervisor of the wellbeing services county by obtaining information. Parenthood is then confirmed by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV).
Parenthood is determined by obtaining information that makes it possible to verify or confirm the parenthood of a child in cases where parenthood is not automatically determined by either childbirth or a marriage between a woman and a man.
Parenthood can be acknowledged at a maternity and child health clinic before the child is born, in which case the other parent also becomes the child’s guardian. After the child is born, parenthood can only be acknowledged with the child welfare supervisor. If parenthood is unclear, parenthood will be confirmed through a forensic genetic examination at the appointment with the child welfare supervisor.
The child welfare supervisor plays an active role and has an extensive right to information in determining parenthood. If a parent does not wish to acknowledge their parenthood, or the parent who gave birth does not wish to determine the matter, parenthood can be determined in a district court.
If the pregnancy started through fertility treatments, a certificate of the fertility treatments must be presented to the child welfare supervisor during the parenthood determination process.
When meeting with the child welfare supervisor to determine parenthood, the parents can also agree on joint custody of the child.
The determination of parenthood is governed by the Parenthood Act that entered into force on 1 January 2023.
The purpose of the custody of a child is to safeguard the child's balanced development and wellbeing based on the child's individual needs and wishes. The purpose of the right of access (visiting rights) is to safeguard the child's right to establish and maintain a positive and close relationship with the parent with whom the child does not live.
A guardian has the right to decide on the child's care, upbringing, education, place of residence, hobbies and other personal matters. The parents must also agree on the child's housing.
The child welfare supervisor guides the parents in reaching an agreement. The parents decide on the content of their agreement on the child's custody and right of access among themselves. The child welfare supervisor cannot decide on the matters on behalf of the parents. The child welfare supervisor only ensures that the agreement is enforceable and in the best interests of the child. If this is not the case, the child welfare supervisor will not confirm the agreement between the parents.
If the parents are unable to agree on the child's affairs at the child welfare supervisor's meeting, the parents are directed to mediation services or to refer the matter to the district court for a decision.
Securing child custody and right of access is governed by the Act on Child Custody and Right of Access 190/2019.
Meeting with the child welfare supervisor
The parents should jointly agree on an appointment with the child welfare supervisor. The parent booking the appointment must ensure that the other parent is also ready to meet with the child welfare supervisor. Meeting with the child welfare supervisor is voluntary.
Please provide both parents' telephone numbers at the time of booking. The meetings will take place remotely or, if necessary, on-site at the office.
If there are no previously confirmed agreements or court decisions on the child's affairs, we will reserve a telephone consultation appointment for the parents. At the consultation, the child welfare supervisor describes the agreements made at the meetings with the child welfare supervisor, their legal effects and the child welfare supervisor's working process.
The purpose of the consultation is to ensure that both parents have received information on how to agree on the child's matters and what the legal effects of the agreements are. After the consultation, the parents will have time to reflect on the child's situation, so that the agreements made at later meetings stabilise the child's everyday life and are applicable in the long term, as far as possible.
Before the meeting, parents must submit the documents requested if the child welfare supervisor considers them necessary for processing the case.
Each parent must be able to prove their identity when meeting with the child welfare supervisor.
Parents can agree on child support at the child welfare supervisor's office. A child is entitled to sufficient support and maintenance. The parents are responsible for supporting the child to the best of their ability.
Parents' capacity for child support is assessed taking into account their age, ability to work and ability to participate in gainful employment, the amount of funds available and their other statutory maintenance responsibilities.
The child welfare supervisor is responsible for ensuring that the agreement between the parents is enforceable and in the best interests of the child. If this is not the case, the child welfare supervisor will not confirm the agreement between the parents. If the parents are unable to agree on child support at the child welfare supervisor's meeting, the parents are directed to refer the matter to the district court for a decision.
The parents are also responsible for the costs of the child's education after the child has turned 18, if this is considered reasonable. According to an established practice, an education grant agreement may be confirmed for the duration of upper secondary education if the parents have capacity for payment.
Child support is governed by the Act on Child Maintenance 704/1975.
Meeting with the child welfare supervisor
The parents should jointly agree on an appointment with the child welfare supervisor. The parent booking the appointment must ensure that the other parent is also ready to meet with the child welfare supervisor. Meeting with the child welfare supervisor is voluntary.
Please provide both parents' telephone numbers at the time of booking. The meetings will take place remotely or, if necessary, on-site at the office.
If there are no previously confirmed agreements or court decisions on the child's affairs, we will reserve a telephone consultation appointment for the parents. At the consultation, the child welfare supervisor describes the agreements made at the meetings with the child welfare supervisor, their legal effects and the child welfare supervisor's working process.
The purpose of the consultation is to ensure that both parents have received information on how to agree on the child's matters and what the legal effects of the agreements are. After the consultation, the parents will have time to reflect on the child's situation, so that the agreements made at later meetings stabilise the child's everyday life and are applicable in the long term, as far as possible.
Before the meeting, parents must submit the documents requested if the child welfare supervisor considers them necessary for processing the case.
Each parent must be able to prove their identity when meeting with the child welfare supervisor.
Attachments
You can send supplementary documents to the child welfare supervisors’ mailbox in Lunna.
Downloadable files
Child support calculator
You can use the child support calculator to see how much child support your child should receive. The calculator is suitable for situations where the child lives with the other parent. The calculator is available on the website of the Wellbeing Services County of Lapland (in Finnish).