Crime and dispute mediation in Western Uusimaa has ended after Kalliolan Setlementti, one of the organisations producing the service, filed for bankruptcy on Monday. Last year the region's mediation office received 700 mediation referrals, covering about 900 crime or dispute matters, according to Yle.
THL, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, is responsible for organising and supervising the service. It is trying to secure corresponding services for Western Uusimaa residents from the Helsinki and Vantaa mediation offices under temporary arrangements. Pending and new cases may be transferred to the neighbouring offices soon.
It is not certain that all eligible cases will get mediation during the break.
"There is a risk that the service will experience some kind of disruption or interruption," said development manager Henrik Elonheimo of THL. He promised that disruptions would be minimised, but said mediation could be missed in individual cases.
Elonheimo said the break would most likely mean delays. Finding a new producer of mediation services for Western Uusimaa could take months, he said. Finland has 17 regional mediation offices, and mediation services are produced by wellbeing services counties, municipalities and organisations.
THL is responsible for organising mediation until the end of this year, when responsibility transfers to Oikeuspalveluvirasto.