Family care
Our comprehensive family care service includes expert services related to the different stages of family care, coaching for foster families, placement stage work, and family care support.
Our foster families offer the child a home either temporarily or for a longer period of time.
Family care – a child’s chance for home-like care
The family care provided by child welfare services means arranging the child’s care, upbringing, and upkeep outside their own home in a foster family when shortcomings in the child’s care, the conditions at home, or the child’s own behaviour seriously threaten to put the child’s health or development at risk. The objective of family care is to advance the child’s basic safety and social development as well as to give the child a change for home-like care and close relationships. As of 2012, family care has become a primary form of placement in the foster care of children.
For more information on legal and work processes of the family care provided by child welfare services, see the Handbook for Child Protection! When a family becomes a foster family, the child’s home municipality makes a mandate with the foster parents, defining the rights and duties of the families, the compensations paid for the families, etc.
For more information on the family care experiences of social workers, children and young people, parents, and foster parents, see our report “Terveisiä täältä kodista!” (‘Hello from home!’). The report is a summary of a survey we implemented for the aforementioned parties in our operations. The purpose of the survey was to compile the views and experiences of different parties regarding family care, the realisation of support during family care, the areas in need of development, and the overall prerequisites needed for family care to be realised in Finland in a way that serves the needs of the child as well as possible.
Save the Children as an organiser of family care
The basis of our work is the child’s need for safe, close relationships, and our premise is to find a foster family that meets the child’s needs and to support the child and the foster family during family care even in challenging situations. Save the Children Finland can organise the child’s placement in a family and the subsequent support of family care as commissioned by the municipality. Save the Children Finland is an expert in family care and we support about 200 children and young people being raised in family care and about 150 foster families every year.
According to a survey sent to our partners in cooperation in 2015, we are a professional, reliable, and valued family care operator for both social services and foster parents.
Save the Children has five regional offices implementing both temporary and long-term family care for child welfare services and commissions related to special family care expertise in different stages of family care. Our family care services include the recruitment, training, and evaluation of foster families, placement of the child in a foster family, and support provided during the family care period. We can provide family care support to different parties in various situations. See more!
Our family care service consists of:
- recruitment and training of foster families
- evaluating the child’s situation in the placement process or during family care
- placement process work
- support provided during family care (peer groups, mentors, camps)
- training and evaluation related to placement in the care of a person in the child’s close network or a relative
- supporting the interaction between the child and the parent (including MIM)
- supplementary training for foster parents
- parenthood support and guidance for foster parents
- evaluation of parenthood or the child’s life situation
- work guidance or consultancy for foster parents or professionals
- working with the child’s parents or other family or friends to support family care
- SILTA work to make the child’s life story more complete
- Child protection guardians in challenging placement situations
Functions in overall family care services are organised for both the families and children within the organisation’s family care support and for other family care operators. For more information on the contents and prices of our services, see the price list or contact our regional offices.
Save the Children Finland is a national operator. The development unit and experts at the head office support the work of regional offices and carry out development and influencing work in order to improve the status of children.