Northern Ostrobothnia welfare area has failed to properly handle child protection cases according to Finnish authorities. The Regional State Administrative Agency found the area did not process service need assessments within legal timeframes.
Authorities say the welfare area must ensure assessments start and conclude according to law. Processing delays have continued since October 2023, making the situation long-standing.
Statistics from the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare show the welfare area knew about these delays. Their own monitoring systems failed to correct the violations.
Social workers in the child protection system also carried excessive caseloads. Finnish law limits each worker to maximum 30 child clients. Some Northern Ostrobothnia workers consistently handled more than 30 cases.
The welfare area reported in August that caseload numbers are now decreasing. Their current average stands at 25 children per social worker. Officials say they're taking measures to prevent future overloads.
Northern Ostrobothnia covers a large region in central Finland with approximately 400,000 residents. The area faces particular challenges in delivering social services across remote communities.
The administrative agency will continue monitoring the welfare area's self-correction efforts. They will track both processing times and social worker caseloads in coming months.
This case reveals systemic challenges in Finland's decentralized welfare system. Even when violations are identified, correction measures can take considerable time to implement.