Lapset ja nuoret

"The sun is the gem of the sky; a child is the gem of a home."
(Chinese saying)

There are many services available for children and young people. Information on education and pre-schooling of children can be found under Basic Education. Information on other forms of education is located on the Education page. The website Problems of Children and Young People contains information on problematic situations. Also visit pages Child Health, Children's Rights and When a Child Falls Ill.

Subsidies and Allowances 

Various forms of support are available for families with children. Information on maternity allowance and maternity grant is available on the When You Are Pregnant page.

Once you stop receiving maternity grant, either the mother or the father can apply for parental allowance. The application must be filed by latest one month before the parental allowance period is to start. Usually the right to receive parental allowance lasts until the child is approximately 9 months old. More information is available on the Kela website.

If the father of a newborn baby participates in the care of the child while not being in paid employment, he is entitled to paternity allowance from Kela. You are entitled to apply for paternity allowance if you have resided in Finland for at least 180 days before your child is due to be born. You must also live in the same household with the mother of the child, either in marriage or a common-law relationship. You need to apply for paternity allowance within two months after the parental allowance period has ended. More information is available on the Kela website.

Child benefit is paid for children who live in Finland until they turn 17. An application for child benefit is usually made in connection with maternity grant. More information is available on the Kela website.

Day Care

Children under school age are entitled to municipal day care. Day care is organised in day care centres, in family day care and in playgroups. The cost of day care depends on the parents' income. A day care place must be reserved in good time, well before the child is in need of it. General information about day care can be found on the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health website.

In addition to municipal day care centres, private kindergartens offer day care services. Some private kindergartens operate in a language other than Finnish. If a child under school age is in day care in a private kindergarten, financial support for the private care costs is available from Kela.

Children who are ill should not be taken into day care. See When a Child Falls Ill.

Day care services concentrate on the development of e.g. verbal skills of children.

A parent of a child of three years or under can take childcare leave and stay at home with the child. Home care allowance is available from Kela for this purpose. The Kela website contains information on these benefits and different forms of day care.

Bringing Up Children 

Ideas on how children should be brought up vary from one country to another. In Finland, physical disciplinary action on children, e.g. hitting a child or pulling by hair, is forbidden by law.

People who have turned 18 have legally come of age. People under 18 have limited rights to decide on certain matters by themselves.

Every child has the right to enjoy a good and safe childhood and be protected and looked after. If parents are unable to maintain their child's well-being, it is the duty of society to intervene in the situation.

Child welfare services (lastensuojelu) work to secure the well-being of children. Child welfare is recorded in law. Child Welfare Act protects all children residing in Finland.

Parents, neighbours and friends can contact child protection services, if they feel a child or a young person needs help. Children and young people can also contact a social worker themselves. Discussions with social workers are confidential.

The Lastensuojelu.info website contains information of child welfare services in the following services:

Finnish
English
Swedish
French
Russian
Somali
Arabic
Persian
Kurdish

Youth Activities 

Municipalities organise special services for young people. More information is available on the website of your municipality. The Nuoriso.fi website contains information for young people on hobbies, studying and many other issues related to the lives of the young. The Vaikuttajan reittikartta website contains a lot of information on how young people can get involved in society. The site is available in Finnish, Swedish, English, Russian, Somali, Chinese and Arabic. The Allianssi website contains information on different youth organisations.