- UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
- UN Committee on the Rights of the Child
- UN Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child
- General comments of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child
- Complaint to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child
- Services and legal protection: Where to find help
- Services and legal protection: FAQ
- Brochures on the rights of children
Services and legal protection: FAQ
On this page you can find information about parties that can help with issues related to the position of children and young people. Frequently asked questions of the Office of the Ombudsman for Children have been collected on the page with answers on who to contact with various problems related to children and young people. You can also find help with using public services from the Kansalaisneuvonta.fi (Public Service Info) service (tel. 0295 000).
The Ombudsman for Children promotes the realisation of the rights and best interest of children on a general societal level. This means that the Ombudsman for Children cannot resolve or investigate matters related to individual children or families or the activities of other authorities. The Ombudsman cannot provide detailed legal advice, either. However, the Ombudsman can raise issues that are important with regard to children’s rights that would be otherwise left unnoticed in social discussion and decision-making.
Duties of the Ombudsman for Children
Act on the Ombudsman for Children 1221/2004 (FINLEX)
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (SopS 59-60/1991)
A child is being treated badly in a certain family. What can I do?
If you believe that the child’s welfare should be investigated, file a child welfare report with the social services or emergency social services of the child’s home municipality. In urgent situations, call the emergency number 112. You can also report the situation to the emergency number if the child’s home municipality is not known.
Further information:
Handbook for Child Protection (in Finnish, the National Institute for Health and Welfare)
If you suspect that your own child is not doing well with the other parent, but the situation is not urgent, the child’s living and visitation arrangements should be primarily reviewed. Changes to the agreement can be negotiated with the child welfare supervisor. If the other parent does not consent to changing the agreement, an application should be submitted to the District Could.
Further information:
How are the custody and residence of the child determined in case of a separation?
I am not satisfied with the actions of the child welfare authorities. Who should I contact?
If you are not satisfied with the actions of the child welfare authorities or a child welfare institution, you can contact the municipal Social Ombudsman. The Ombudsman is tasked with providing guidance and advice about clients’ rights. The Ombudsman can also help with filing a complaint, for example.
If necessary, you can submit an objection on the activities of the municipality’s child welfare authorities or child welfare institution with the person responsible for the social welfare unit or the officeholder in charge of social welfare services.
An objection is the primary method, but you also have the right to file a complaint with the Regional State Administrative Agency or the Parliamentary Ombudsman. Submitting an objection or filing a complaint does not in itself affect any decisions concerning child welfare.
Further information:
The decisions of municipal child welfare authorities should be made in writing. You can usually appeal the decisions of municipal child welfare authorities. For example, you can appeal to the Administrative Court against decisions concerning the taking of a child into care. A decision made by an administrative court is subject to appeal to the Supreme Administrative Court.
Further information:
How are the custody and residence of the child determined if the parents are separated?
If the parents separate, they should consider the child’s situation and think about how to organise the everyday life. The parents can agree that they are both custodians of the child together or that one of them is the sole custodian of the child. In addition, the parents can agree on which parent the child will live with and how the child will stay in touch with the other parent. The parents can also agree on alternate residence of the child, but in that case the child can still only have one official address.
Further information on the position of the child:
Matters concerning child custody and right of access (the Finnish judicial system, oikeus.fi)
The parents can make an agreement with the child welfare supervisor at the municipal social services on the custody, residence and maintenance of the child, the right of access to the child as well as alternate residence. The contact information of the child welfare supervisor can be found on the municipality’s website or telephone switchboard.
If the parents cannot agree on matters related to the child, the child welfare supervisor cannot resolve the issue. In that case, a parent can submit an application to the District Court. Often people consult an advocate or other attorney at the District Court. You can contact the Legal Aid Office (oikeus.fi/en) of your own area to ask about legal aid.
State Legal Aid Offices (oikeus.fi)
Contact information of Legal Aid Offices (oikeus.fi)
The other parent does not comply with an order or agreement on visits with the child. Can the Ombudsman for Children help?
The Ombudsman for Children does not have the authority to give orders or recommendations on visiting the child. The Ombudsman cannot help, either.
If one of the parents does not comply with the agreement made by the parents and confirmed by the social services or an order issued by a court of law, you can submit an application to the court on the enforcement of the agreement (in Finnish, the National Institute for Health and Welfare). Often people consult an advocate or other attorney at the District Court. You can contact the Legal Aid Office (oikeus.fi) of your own area to ask about legal aid.
The child is bullied at school, but the adults at school are not doing anything about it. Can anything be done?
Basic education is arranged based on the Basic Education Act 628/1998 (FINLEX). The municipality has an obligation to arrange basic education for children of compulsory school age residing in its area (section 4). According to the Basic Education Act, the environment at school must be safe for the child.
The party arranging education has the primary responsibility to ensure that the pupils are safe. If you have already discussed the bullying with the teacher and the pupil or student welfare personnel at school and there is no change, you can contact the principal or a higher municipal school authority (such as the head of the local education department or education and culture department). If you suspect that a crime has been committed, you can also contact the police.
You can file a complaint with the Regional State Administrative Agency of your own area (AVI) and ask them to investigate if the rules and regulations have been followed in the matter. You can also file a complaint with the Parliamentary Ombudsman.
Further information:
Filing a complaint with the Parliamentary Ombudsman (oikeusasiamies.fi/en)
Where can I appeal against a decision on my child’s trips to the school? What about a decision on a place at a school?
Decisions on a child’s trips to the school or place at a school are often important to the child’s everyday life. Both decisions can be appealed, in which case the Administrative Court or a higher authority reassesses the issue.
The format of the appeal depends on the matter: You can lodge an appeal against a decision on trips to the school with the Administrative Court. You can file a claim for a revised decision on the determination of a child’s place at a school and special school with the Regional State Administrative Agency.
Appealing to the Administrative Court (oikeus.fi/en)
Filing a claim for a revised decision with the Regional State Administrative Agency (AVI)
My child has been exposed to indoor air problems at school, and nothing has been done about it. Who can help?
Basic education is arranged based on the Basic Education Act 628/1998 (FINLEX). The municipality has an obligation to arrange basic education for children of compulsory school age residing in its area (section 4). According to the Basic Education Act, the environment at school must be safe for the child.
If you suspect that the child’s right to a safe learning environment is not realised due to the poor condition of the school building, for example, you can contact a higher municipal authority, such as the head of the local education department or education and culture department. The municipal health authorities also give guidance in the issue.
A complaint on the municipality’s actions in matters related to education can be filed with the Regional State Administrative Agency.
Our municipality is planning a reorganisation of the school network and our child’s school is under threat of closure. How can we influence the reorganisation?
Basic education is arranged based on the Basic Education Act 628/1998 (FINLEX). The municipality has an obligation to arrange basic education for children of compulsory school age residing in its area (section 4). However, the Basic Education Act does not include detailed provisions on the location of schools or the school network.
Usually, the decision on school network reorganisation is made by the local council. A decision of the local council can be appealed to the Administrative Court. According to the Local Government Act (FINLEX), a municipality’s residents have the right to participate in and influence the activities of the municipality (section 22). According to the Youth Act (FINLEX), young people must be heard in issues that concern them (section 24(2)).
The Ombudsman for Children does not have the authority to intervene in municipal decision-making or comment on the actions of specific municipalities.
Further information:
Our municipality does not take the rights of children into account in the decision-making. What does the law say about this?
Under the Constitution of Finland (FINLEX), children shall be treated equally and as individuals and they shall be allowed to influence matters pertaining to themselves to a degree corresponding to their level of development (section 6(3)). Municipalities and municipal actors should take the rights of children into account in their activities and decision-making, but this is not always implemented in full.
However, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is in force in Finland as an act (FINLEX). According to it, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration of administrative authorities in all actions concerning children (Article 3(1)). In addition, the views of the child must be discovered and taken into account in accordance with the age and maturity of the child (Article 12(1)).
For the interpretation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has issued the General Comment No. 14 in 2013. According to the comment, the impact of a decision on the children concerned must be assessed in order to determine the best interests of the children (child impact assessment). In municipalities, the effective realisation of children’s rights is improved with the help of UNICEF’s Child Friendly Municipality (UNICEF) model.
Further information:
Who monitors the operation of early childhood education and care?
Early childhood education and care is monitored in cooperation between municipalities, the Regional State Administrative Agency and the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health.
Based on the Act on Early Childhood Education and Care (FINLEX), the municipality is responsible for monitoring private early childhood education and care in its area. The municipality must ensure that the service providers fulfil the requirements set on the activities. If the municipality discovers problems in the private service production in its area, it must initiate control measures without delay. The municipality can organise the monitoring in the manner it wishes.
The Regional State Administrative Agency monitors the activities of municipalities and guides the early childhood education and care in its region. The Regional State Administrative Agency monitors early childhood education and care in its area based on reports and any problems that arise. The Regional State Administrative Agencies are also tasked with processing complaints.
The supervisory responsibility of the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health includes cases that are national in scope or involve the regions of several Regional State Administrative Agencies.
A private early childhood education and care service provider must also draw up a self-supervision plan for itself. It must be kept publicly available, and the service provider must monitor its implementation (Act on Early Childhood Education and Care section 48, FINLEX)).
Further information:
Act on Early Childhood Education and Care (FINLEX)
My child is being discriminated against in early childhood education and care, because my child is a member of a linguistic minority. Which authority investigates suspicions of discrimination?
You should contact the Non-Discrimination Ombudsman (syrjinta.fi/en), if you feel that you have experienced discrimination or observed that another person is discriminated against based on a personal characteristic. Such characteristics include, for example:
- ethnic origin
- citizenship
- religion
- conviction
- opinion
- political activity
- family relationships
- state of health
- disability
- sexual orientation.
The Non-Discrimination Ombudsman advises clients, investigates individual cases and assists in legal matters.
Contact information of the Non-Discrimination Ombudsman (syrjinta.fi/en) (contact methods: contact form, e-mail, telephone, chat)
The decision of the Finnish Immigration Service in a child’s asylum case was unjust. Where can I get help?
The Refugee Advice Centre (pakolaisneuvonta.fi/en) can advise you in issues related to immigration and asylum. The Finnish Refugee Advice Centre is a non-governmental organisation that offers legal advice and guidance for asylum seekers, refugees and other foreigners in Finland.
You can find information on Finland and the services offered to immigrants in several different languages on the website infoFinland.fi.
Further information:
I think that the age limits for a film and a video game are too low. Who monitors the age limits?
The National Audiovisual Institute (KAVI) can advise you in issues concerning films and other audiovisual programmes. It promotes media education, monitors the offering of audiovisual programmers, trains classifiers of audiovisual programmers and monitors their activities.
You can find information on KAVI’s website on where to give feedback about media (KAVI). You can find instructions on how to give feedback on the content of films, TV programmes and games, the broadcast times and age limits of TV programmes, the sales and distribution of recordings, the Internet, advertising, newspaper and magazine articles and journalism, as well as issues within the field of activity of the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority.
The age limits of video games are often determined internationally with the European PEGI label (PEGI). On issues about age limits, you can also contact the PEGI organisation (PEGI) directly in addition to the National Audiovisual Institute (KAVI). PEGI provides information on the age ratings of video games and their content.
Further information:
National Media Education Policy (medialukutaitosuomessa.fi/en/)
Can I do something about inappropriate advertisements seen by my child?
The Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority (kkv.fi/en) as well as the Advertising Ethics Council (kauppakamari.fi) deal with matters related to advertising.
You can report (kkv.fi/en) inappropriate marketing to the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority. On the Authority’s website, you can find instructions on how to give feedback (kkv.fi/en) directly to the company doing the marketing, among other things.
You can request the opinion (kauppakamari.fi) of the Advertising Ethics Council on whether the marketing is against good marketing practice. For example, an advertisement that is against good marketing practice may be discriminatory or inappropriate for children. A private individual can submit a request with an electronic form free of charge. Reasons for the request for an opinion must be provided.
Report on inappropriate marketing (Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority, kkv.fi/en)
Feedback to a company on marketing (Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority, kkv.fi/en)
Request for an opinion (Advertising Ethics Council, kauppakamari.fi)