Child welfare social work
- Service
- 10 municipalities
- Public service
The customers of child welfare social work are children and young people whose growth or development is at risk, and other support services are not sufficient. Child welfare social work also works with the families and close ones of the client children and young people. The customer relationship with child welfare services can be initiated when the child’s growth conditions or the child’s own beha ...
Do the following
To whom and on what terms
The child welfare social work client relationship begins either acutely when the child’s situation requires urgent child welfare measures or after the service needs assessment.
In urgent situations, the client relationship begins when urgent measures are taken to safeguard the child’s health and development after the child welfare case has been initiated or
· when the child or their family is provided with the services or support referred to in the Child Welfare Act before the service needs assessment is completed.
The client relationship begins after the service needs assessment if it is determined on the basis of the assessment that
· the child’s growth conditions are jeopardising or failing to safeguard their health or development
· the child’s behaviour is jeopardising their health and development and
· the child needs services and support measures as per the Child Welfare Act.
In addition, the social worker drawing up the assessment must assess whether the child exactly needs the support guaranteed under the Child Welfare Act or whether adequate services can be provided as per the Social Welfare Act. It is also possible that the family is reluctant to accept the services as per the Social Welfare Act, in which case expertise in child welfare matters is needed. If the services provided as per the Social Welfare Act are adequate, a child welfare client relationship will not be initiated. In that case, the support will be provided through family social work.
The child’s guardian and the child must immediately be notified of the start of the child welfare client relationship. The start of the client relationship must also be recorded in the documents concerning the child. At the beginning of the client relationship, the child must be appointed a social worker responsible for the child’s affairs who will draw up a client plan.
The start of the child welfare client relationship is provided in Sections 26 and 27 of the Child Welfare Act (417/2007).