Child and family specific child welfare

This area of action covers all aspects of child and family specific child welfare, from non-institutional care to aftercare. The purpose of this is to secure and improve the quality and operating potential of child welfare services and to strengthen expertise in the field.

The CUCW:

contributes to legislation concerning children
contributes to the resourcing under the Child Welfare Act, in child welfare development and in child welfare work
is working to shift the focus in alternative care from institutional care to family care
works to achieve sufficient high-quality child welfare services and monitoring of them
organises training
participates in development projects
publicises domestic and international quality criteria for alternative care (www.quality4children.info)

International cooperation

The CUCW contributes to child welfare work at the international level:

in EUROCHILD, a network of NGOs all over Europe. EUROCHILD works to improve the quality of life of children and adolescents, particularly to prevent and reduce poverty and social exclusion; it has more than 100 member organisations in 35 European countries
in the Fédération International des Communautés Educatives (FICE), an international alternative care organisation
in the International Foster Care Organisation (IFCO)

Information on child welfare in various languages

Lastensuojelu.info is an online service with information designed for immigrants concerning child welfare, how it works and what is the legislation behind it. The service is available in seven languages and in audio files, and it is particularly intended for immigrant parents and the professionals working with them. www.lastensuojelu.info

The work is coordinated by the Child Welfare Advisory Board, chaired by Tina Mäkelä Director of the Finnish Reconstituted Family Association.

Secretaries of the Advisory Board:

Martti Kemppainen, Senior Advisor
Piritta Timonen, Advisor