Services for families - yhteiskuntaorientaatio.fi
Support for families begins before the child is born
In international comparisons, Finland is one of the best countries in the world for mothers and children. Mothers and children benefit from good health services for all pregnant women and small children in Finland.
Monitoring the pregnancy begins with a positive pregnancy test
When a woman suspects she is pregnant, she can do a pregnancy test at home. Pregnancy tests can be bought from a pharmacy or a grocery shop. This test can also be done at a health centre. If the test is positive, you should make an appointment to the maternity clinic in your wellbeing services county. At the maternity clinic, the nurse will evaluate the due date, meaning a prediction for when the baby will be born.
The maternity clinic supports the wellbeing of the pregnant mother, the foetus and the whole family
The maternity clinic is a health service where the mother and the whole family receives guidance and advice. The wellbeing of the pregnant woman and the foetus is monitored at the maternity clinic. The family receives support for preparing for the baby.
Once the baby is born, the child health clinic’s nurse monitors the child’s growth and development. The nurse also discusses the child’s matters with the family. The maternity clinic and child health clinic are free of charge and all families can use these services.
For parents expecting their first child, there is a family coaching course. During this, nurses talk about caring for the baby and life with a baby.
All mothers have the right to two ultrasound scans during pregnancy at the hospital – sometimes there may even be more scans. In these scans, a midwife inspects the baby’s development. The parents can also see the foetus on a monitor.
In some hospitals, it is possible to visit the maternity ward beforehand. This visit is toward the end of the pregnancy.
The maternity package contains clothes and care products for the baby
A mother who lives permanently in Finland can apply for a maternity grant (äitiysavustus) in Kela. This grant can be in the form of either a maternity package (äitiyspakkaus) or a cash benefit. The maternity package contains products that the baby needs during the first months of their life. The package contains clothes, a sleeping bag and care products. The products are packed in a large box that can be used as the baby’s first bed.
The maternity grant is applied for in Kela once the pregnancy has lasted 5 to 7 months. The mother needs a pregnancy certificate from the maternity clinic to get the grant.
The state first began to distribute maternity grants to poor mothers in the 1930s. This helped get mothers and babies into healthcare services and child mortality went down. From 1949, all mothers in Finland have received the grant.
Confirmation of parenthood can be done before the birth of the child
If the child’s mother is married to a man, the husband is automatically considered the father of the child. If the couple is not married, the situation is different. Then the man must confirm his parenthood. This means that the man officially acknowledges that he is the father of the child. Parenthood can be confirmed at the maternity clinic during pregnancy or with a child supervisor after the birth of the child. Only after the father’s parenthood has been confirmed, the father can become the child’s guardian and the child can take the father’s surname.
If the mother has moved to Finland from another country or has married or divorced somewhere other than Finland, they should check well before the child is born that their marital status has been marked correctly in the population information system. This ensures that the child’s father can be registered correctly immediately.
If the pregnant mother has become pregnant through fertility treatment and the mother’s female partner, meaning the future child’s other mother, has been with the mother during the treatment, the other mother’s parenthood can usually be confirmed in the maternity clinic before the child is born. The other mother’s parenthood has to be separately confirmed even if the mothers are married to each other.
More information about registering the child’s information: When a child is born in Finland (infofinland.fi)
The mother’s and the baby’s health are the focus during birth and the baby’s first days
Mothers in Finland usually give birth at a hospital
In Finland, almost all mothers give birth at a hospital. A midwife helps the mother with the birth. A midwife is a nurse who has specialised in birth. Typically the baby’s other parent is also present for the birth.
Most babies are born vaginally. If there are issues with vaginal birth, the doctor can perform a C-section. This means the baby is delivered through a cut in the womb and abdomen. Often the mother and the baby are in the hospital for a couple of days after the birth so that their health can be monitored. At the hospital, parents receive advice and guidance about taking care of a baby.
Midwives are trained to do deinfibulation if the mother has undergone female genital mutilation
If a mother has undergone female genital mutilation (FGM), this can complicate birth and increase pain. The effects on birth depend on the type of mutilation. Female genital mutilation or female circumcision means a procedure where a part of the external genital organs have been removed or they have been harmed in some other way. Sometimes the external genital organs have been completely removed and the vulva has been almost completely sewn closed.
More information about female genital mutilation in: Sexual health
There are relatively few mothers who give birth in Finland who have their genitals mutilated in such a way that the vulva has been closed. Midwives have, however, been trained to perform deinfibulation – a surgery to open up the vulva – when needed. This surgery should be done before birth because it makes the birth easier. The surgery can also be done in the delivery room. Often the birth goes well despite mutilation because healthcare workers are trained professionals.
Female genital mutilation is a crime in Finland. Closing the vulva again after birth is also forbidden by law.
Female genital mutilation is a crime in Finland
FGM is a serious crime in Finland which can lead to many years of imprisonment. A Finnish citizen or a girl who permanently lives in Finland cannot be mutilated in Finland or any other country. An adult is thus not allowed to take a child from Finland to another country to be mutilated.
Male circumcision is not forbidden in Finland, but this is not done without a medical reason in public healthcare. A circumcision can only be performed by a certified doctor.
More information on non-medical male circumcision: Non-medical male circumcision (thl.fi) (brochure in Finnish, Swedish, English, Arabic, Somali, Sorani, Dari)
The child health clinic supports and monitors the baby’s growth and development
The child health clinic supports the mother’s and the baby’s wellbeing. At the health clinic, the child receives vaccinations. These protect the child from infectious diseases throughout their life. Wellbeing services counties and many organisations support families with different services. The child health clinic provides information about these services according to the family’s needs.
More information about vaccinations: Vaccinations (infofinland.fi)
Breastfeeding is recommended if it is possible
In Finland, it is recommended to exclusively breastfeed the baby until they are 4 to 6 months old. Exclusive breastfeeding means that breastmilk is the baby’s only nutrition. Research shows that breastmilk is the healthiest food for a baby. Hospitals, maternity clinics and organisations help with getting started with breastfeeding.
There are many different reasons why many babies are breastfed in Finland for a shorter period than recommended or not at all. Instead of breastmilk or alongside it, these babies receive formula. Formula can be bought from grocery shops. Babies fed with formula usually grow into healthy children.
Parental leave and benefits make it possible to focus on the baby
Parents can take care of their child at home once the baby is born. Kela pays financial support to parents during this period. These benefits are not granted automatically and they must be applied for in Kela. The allowance compensates for some of the parents’ salary during the time that the parents are away from work.
Benefits for families have been developed so that babies can spend time close to their parents and so that the early stages of childhood would go as well as possible.
A baby needs a lot of care and intimacy. As a baby, a child’s brain develops quickly and that is why it is important for babies to have firm relationships with other people. It is beneficial to talk to a child a lot right from birth. This helps the child’s development and improves the relationship between the parent and the child.
Most children in Finland are cared for at home until they are 1.5–2 years old. After this, parents typically return to work and the child starts early childhood education and care. In most families, the mother is at home for most of the time with the baby. However, most fathers are also at home with the baby at least for a short time. In some families, the father stays home to take care of the child for many months after the mother has returned to work. Many parents also work shorter hours when they have a small child at home.
The mother receives pregnancy allowance during pregnancy leave
An expecting mother usually leaves work around a month before the baby is born. This starts pregnancy leave (raskausvapaa). Pregnancy leave is meant to ensure the mother’s and the baby’s wellbeing at the end of the pregnancy and after birth. Kela pays pregnancy allowance (raskausraha) for around 1.5 months. The mother must inform her employer of her pregnancy leave well before starting it.
Both parents have a quota for parental leave and parental allowance
Parental leave can start once the child is born. Both parents can take around half a year of parental leave. If the family so decides, one of the parents can give the other a maximum of two months of their own quota for the other parent to use.
Typically the mother who has given birth starts parental leave first, right after the pregnancy leave. The other parent can have three weeks of parental leave at the same time as the mother who is on pregnancy leave or parental leave. Parental leave can be used in segments until the child turns two.
During parental leave, Kela pays parental allowance. The amount depends on the parent’s income before the child is born. The parents can also work part time and take care of the child in turns. This means that both can receive parental allowance for the days they are at home with the baby.
More information about parental leave and parental allowance: Benefits for a family after a child is born (infofinland.fi)
You can have childcare leave and child home care allowance until the child is three
After the parental leave, one of the parents can remain home to care for the child on childcare leave (hoitovapaa). Childcare leave can be held until the child turns three.
If a child under the age of three is cared for at home, Kela pays the family child home care allowance (kotihoidontuki). The child home care allowance can be paid to the parent on childcare leave, but the child can also be cared for at home by someone else, for instance, a grandparent or a hired caretaker. The amount of child home care allowance depends on the municipality, but it is less than parental allowance. During the payment of child home care allowance, the child cannot attend municipal early childhood education and care.
A parent on childcare leave can participate part time in services included in their integration plan, and their integration time can be prolonged depending on the childcare leave’s duration with up to two years.
Child benefit is paid for all children under the age of 17
Kela pays child benefit (lapsilisä) for all children each month. The purpose of child benefit is to support the family’s finances. Kela pays child benefit until the end of the month when the child turns 17.
More information about Kela’s support for families: Families (kela.fi) (Finnish, Swedish, English)
Societal support helps family life
Parents are responsible for their child’s care and upbringing. However, they have the right to receive help from society if they need it. Authorities in Finland do a lot of preventative work with children and families. This means that society strives to support children, parents and families before problems worsen. Sometimes families need additional support in difficult life situations.
Social services for families support families in many ways
If the support of common services is not enough, help can be sought from social services for families with children. These services include guidance and advice, financial support, home services and a support person or support family. A child’s education and hobbies may also be supported. Clients of child welfare services (lastensuojelu) receive stronger support.
Home services mean that families receive a professional into their home to help with household activities, such as cleaning, shopping or taking care of children. Home services are available for families who need particular support. This may be the case, for instance, if one of the parents falls seriously ill.
A support person can help a child with their hobbies or homework. A support family is a regular family whom the child can visit once in a while, for example, for a weekend once a month.
The aim is to support children in a way that enables them to live at home with their own family. If the child’s or the family’s situation requires outside help, the lightest possible form of help is used. In child welfare, these services are called in-home services (avohuollon tukitoimi). These services are always voluntary and are based on cooperation with the family. Many services are available without being a client of child welfare.
Child welfare is based on the law and the child’s best interest
The Child Welfare Act in Finland dictates child welfare services. The aim of child welfare is to ensure that children grow up in a safe environment and have a balanced upbringing. The Child Welfare Act applies to all children living in Finland. Child welfare authorities are professionals in social work and their work is governed by the law.
The foundation for child welfare is always the child’s best interest. This means that in all decisions regarding the child, the workers must evaluate what the best solution is for the child in their situation.
More information on child welfare and services for families: Lastensuojelu.info (Finnish, easy Finnish, English, Swedish, French, Russian, Ukrainian, Estonian, Somali, Arabic, Farsi, Kurdish)