Finland formally apologises to children abused in care

The family affairs minister has apologised on behalf of the government to generations of young people who were ill-treated while in state care. The ceremony took place at Finlandia Hall on UN Children's Day.

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Finnish child welfare: Child protection or "for profit" foster care?

High numbers of children in foster care, insufficient supervision of alternative care facilities, inadequate training of social workers – over the years, local and international bodies have flagged numerous shortcomings in Finland’s child protection and foster care system. One critic says the system is broken partly because of a whistle-blower culture, unfettered power given to social workers - and big bucks paid out for children placed in care.

More >> Finnish child welfare: Child protection or "for profit" foster care?

Monday's papers: Finns Party under scrutiny again, probe into foster home killing and shelters call for cash

Monday's papers: Finns Party under scrutiny again, probe into foster home killing and shelters call for cash

Finnish dailies engage in tortured navel-gazing Monday morning as a furore continues over an anti-multiculturalism Facebook post by Finns Party MP Olli Immonen. The spotlight also turns on the shocking murder of a foster care worker at the hands of some of his young charges, and the cash crunch facing foster homes and shelters.

Baltic States Say Norway, UK and Finland Have Stolen Their Children

Baltic States Say Norway, UK and Finland Have Stolen Their Children

Several Eastern European countries have declared war on child protection agencies in Norway, Finland and the UK, claiming that they are breaking up families based on little or no conclusive evidence.

Seizing Children From Families is Very Profitable Business, Expert Says

Seizing Children From Families is Very Profitable Business, Expert Says

The system of child protection, currently applied in many Western countries violates child’s rights and is used as an instrument of political terror, based on anti-family ideology, Finnish expert Dr. Johan Backman believes.

Russian Teen Likely Force-fed Drugs After Removal From Family: Ombudsman

Russian Teen Likely Force-fed Drugs After Removal From Family: Ombudsman

Russian Children's Ombudsman Pavel Astakhov stated that a boy, taken from his Russian family in Finland, is possibly being forced to take psychoactive drugs.

Workload of child welfare officials is a concern, admits Huovinen

Workload of child welfare officials is a concern, admits Huovinen

The workload of child welfare officials is bordering on the excessive, admits Susanna Huovinen (SDP), the Minister of Health and Social Services. “I by no means intend to turn a blind eye to feedback from child welfare officials,” she assures.

Grandparents' support linked to parents' willingness to have children and child welfare

Grandparents' support linked to parents' willingness to have children and child welfare

Grandparents can significantly influence parents' decisions to have additional children and the well-being of grandchildren, according to a recent study completed at the University of Eastern Finland.

Finnish child protection measures face heat over 8-year-old’s case

Finnish child protection measures face heat over 8-year-old’s case

Two social workers from Helsinki have criticised their office’s management for not allocating enough resources for legally bound child protection work. The workers say that executives and management should have their areas of responsibility scrutinised.

Charges for 11 officials in death of 8-year old girl

Charges for 11 officials in death of 8-year old girl

Prosecutors have filed charges of official misconduct against 11 social workers involved in the case of an eight-year old girl who died at the hands of her father and his girlfriend in 2012. The couple were convicted for their role in the child’s death. Social workers reportedly received 11 complaints about the child’s situation but failed to intervene.

Finland: child welfare services face lack of staff and funding

Finland: child welfare services face lack of staff and funding

There are serious concerns about the standard of local child welfare services in Finland, according to a recent survey. The survey, which was conducted by news publication YLE, shows that services are viewed as substandard, primarily because funding and the amount of qualified staff have not grown in accordance with the growing needs.

Few children in foster care ever return home

Few children in foster care ever return home Very few children who are taken into foster care by child welfare services ever return to their own homes. A new study by the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) found that just over 10% are returned to live with their parents, and of those almost a third end up in foster care again. Note: Perhaps the social wreckers should focus more on helping the parents rather than destroying families. Helping parents is cheaper and better for the kid in the long run. Foster care is destructive to the kid. The kid comes out of it all fucked up. There are multiple reasons for this, including being drugged out, bounced around, abused in care,

Over 50 Russian mothers have child custody problems in Finland

Over 50 Russian mothers have child custody problems in Finland


Russian children’s rights Ombudsman Pavel Astakhov wrote this in his Twitter account Wednesday after Finnish social services seized 6-year-old twins from the Russian national Svetlana Karelina, when she brought them to Finland for a meeting with their father, who is her former husband.

Russian media sources begin to correct false allegations concerning Finland

Russian media sources begin to correct false allegations concerning Finland


News agency Itar-Tass reported that Johan Bäckman was not dismissed from the University of Helsinki

Russian families not over-represented in child welfare cases in Finland

Russian families not over-represented in child welfare cases in Finland


Child welfare officials in Helsinki, Vantaa, Lappeenranta, and Kouvola say that children in families with a Russian background do not stand out in child welfare cases.

Finnish child welfare vs. Russian media misinformation (with some Finnish assistance)

Finnish child welfare vs. Russian media misinformation (with some Finnish assistance)


I received a message from Moscow from a Russian friend.

Over fifty children seized from Russian-Finnish families

Over fifty children seized from Russian-Finnish families


Over fifty children have been seized by the Finnish social services from mixed Russian-Finnish families, Russian and Finnish human rights activists said.

Russia fumes over child foster care case

Russia fumes over child foster care case


Russia’s children’s ombudsman Pavel Astahov protested on the country’s main TV channel on Saturday over a case in which welfare officials in Vantaa were said to have taken four children into custody from a Russian woman.

Russia fumes over child foster care case

Russia fumes over child foster care case

A row over taking four young Russian children into foster care is looming between Finland and Russia.

Four children, including newborn, 'falsely' taken from Russian mother in Finland

Four children, including newborn, 'falsely' taken from Russian mother in Finland


A Russian woman claimed Finnish authorities took her four children, including an infant, after falsely accusing her family of child abuse. The traumatized family will be apart for at least six months, while awaiting a court hearing.