Voice of clients in child welfare services to be heard in legislative reform

The views of children, young people and parents on child welfare are examined by means of a questionnaire, workshops and interviews. The voice of clients plays an important role when child welfare legislation is being reformed.

Commissioned by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, the Central Union for Child Welfare and Kasper - Parenting and family counselling examine the views of children, young people and parents as part of the vision on child welfare and the related legislative reform. When reforming the child welfare legislation, it is important to take into account the views, needs for change and wishes of children and young people and their parents who are or have been clients of child welfare services. 

Consultation of children, young people and parents will be organised through multi-channel surveys, workshops and interviews. The report also makes use of the views on child welfare collected by experts by experience, which is part of the ongoing Kokemus tiedoksi project of the Central Union for Child Welfare. The purpose of the multi-channel examination is to strengthen the inclusion of child welfare clients and to interview children, young people and parents whose voices are normally not reached. This work will be financed with the assets of the National Child Strategy.

The professionals’ views have previously been asked, for example, through a questionnaire carried out in connection with national child welfare days.

What grade does child welfare receive from children and young people?

As part of the project, the Central Union for Child Welfare is conducting a survey among 10-25-year-old children and young people who have personal experience of child welfare services. The respondents are asked to grade six different areas in child welfare and to assess child welfare by answering six short questions. The survey will be open until 4 December 2022 
and it will be shared on social media and in cooperation with, for example, social workers on Tiktok. Answers from children and young people who have personal experience of child welfare will be used in the reform of the Child Welfare Act and in drawing up a national vision for child welfare.

• Reply to the consultation "What grade does child welfare receive?" 

Making the voices of parents heard

Kasper – parenting and family counselling is responsible for conducting workshops and interviews with parents who have experience of child welfare. The purpose of the interviews and workshops is to highlight the parents’ wishes for changes to current child welfare. In addition, the work will make use of an extensive survey previously carried out by Kasper, which was answered by over 200 parents who have experience of child welfare services through their children.

Parents have been interviewed and previously documented empirical knowledge has been collected as part of the Kokemus tiedoksi project of the Central Union for Child Welfare. 

An open survey by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, “A comprehensive reform of child welfare: a vision for the future and assessment of the current situation” can be accessed on the Ota kantaa website until 25 November 2022:  

• Survey: “A comprehensive reform of child welfare: a vision for the future and assessment of the current situation”

The overall reform of child welfare legislation is progressing in two stages. In the first phase, the vision for child welfare will be clarified and guidelines for the reform will be drawn up. This will be completed in spring 2023.

• For more information on the overall reform of child welfare, please see webinar on the overall reform of child welfare – Where are we now?

Inquiries:

Annukka Paasivirta, Senior Specialist, Central Union for Child Welfare, [email protected]

Sanna Välimäki, Executive Director, Kasper – parenting and family counselling, [email protected] 

Julia Rosberg, Specialist, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, [email protected]