Child welfare

National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) annually receives data from municipalities on children and young people in support interventions in community care and children and young people placed outside the home. The data collection only concerns the number of children and young people in support interventions in community care. As for children and young people placed outside the home, the data include personal identifiers. The data are updated in June.

Child welfare 2010

In 2010, children in care totalled 10 003. The number of children in emergency placement totalled 3 432. The total number of children in care fell by about 2 per cent on the previous year, but there were 21 per cent more emergency placements.

During the year, a total of 17 064 children and young people were placed outside the home. This number increased by about one per cent on the previous year. Nationwide annual collection of data on child welfare started in 1991, and 2009 was the first time since then that a drop was recorded in the number of children placed outside the home.

Half of the children taken into care are placed in families; relatives and other kin of the child concerned account for about 11 per cent. There were more boys placed outside the home than girls. A total of 16 municipalities had no placements outside the home in 2010.

In 2010, there were more than 78 500 children and young people as clients in child welfare and receiving support in community care. This was 11 per cent more than the previous year.

Figure 1. Children and young people placed outside the home and, out of that total, the children taken into care and the children in emergency placement, 1991-2010*

* _{^{The same child may be included both under the cases with an emergency placement order and under children in care.}}

Population data are from 31 December, 2010

Appendix table 1. Children and young people placed outside the home, by municipality and region, 2008-2010. (xls, 111 k)

Appendix table 2. Children and young people involved in community-care interventions, by municipality and region, 2008-2010. (xls, 106 k)

Whole Statistical Report (pdf, 885 k)

Statistical graphs (ppt)

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