This document summarizes statistics on child welfare in Finland from 1991-2017. Some key points: - The total number of children placed outside the home increased from around 10,000 in 1991 to over 18,000 in 2017. This includes children taken into care and those in emergency placement. - The number of children in emergency placement and those taken into care each year increased over this period, with over 10,000 children taken into care in 2017. - In 2017, 1% of the population aged 0-17 were in care, while 1.4% of those aged 0-20 were placed outside the home. The number of child welfare notifications and emergency placements grew 15% from 2016-2017.

1. CHILD WELFARE
2017
Tuula Kuoppala & Salla Säkkinen
25.5.2018 Statistical report 17/2018 1

2. THE TOTAL OF CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE PLACED OUTSIDE THE HOME, AND THE
INCLUDED NUMBERS OF CHILDREN TAKEN INTO CARE AND CHILDREN IN EMERGENCY
PLACEMENT , 1991–2017*
25.5.2018 Statistical report 17/2018 2
0
2 000
4 000
6 000
8 000
10 000
12 000
14 000
16 000
18 000
20 000
1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017
No.ofchildren
Children and
young people
placed
outside the
home
of which
children
taken into
care
of which
children in
emergency
placement
* The same child may be included both under children in emergency placement and
children taken into care.

3. CHILDREN IN EMERGENCY PLACEMENT AND CHILDREN PLACED IN CARE
DURING THE YEAR IN 1991-2017
25.5.2018 Statistical report 17/2018 3
* The same child may be included both under children in emergency placement and
children taken into care.
0
1 000
2 000
3 000
4 000
5 000
6 000
7 000
8 000
9 000
10 000
11 000
1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017
Children taken into care Children in emergency placement

4. CHILDREN IN EMERGENCY PLACEMENT, % OF THE POPULATION OF THE SAME AGE IN 2017,
(AGE AT 31.12.2017)
25.5.2018 Statistical report 17/2018 4
0,0
0,1
0,2
0,3
0,4
0,5
0,6
0,7
0,8
0,9
1,0
under1year
1yrs
2yrs
3yrs
4yrs
5yrs
6yrs
7yrs
8yrs
9yrs
10yrs
11yrs
12yrs
13yrs
14yrs
15yrs
16yrs
17yrs
18yrs
%

5. CHILDREN IN EMERGENCY PLACEMENT AND CHILDREN PLACED IN CARE AS A PERCENTAGE
OF THE POPULATION BY REGION, 2017, %
25.5.2018 Statistical report 17/2018 5
0,1
0,2
0,3
0,1
0,3
0,3
0,4
0,4
0,2
0,4
0,4
0,4
0,4
0,5
0,4
0,3
0,3
0,5
0,3
0,4
0,4
0,4
0,5
0,7
0,7
0,8
0,9
1,0
1,0
1,0
1,0
1,0
1,1
1,1
1,2
1,2
1,2
1,2
1,3
1,0
0,0 0,1 0,2 0,3 0,4 0,5 0,6 0,7 0,8 0,9 1,0 1,1 1,2 1,3 1,4 1,5
Ahvenanmaa
Pohjanmaa
Keski-Pohjanmaa
Etelä-Karjala
Pohjois-Pohjanmaa
Etelä-Pohjanmaa
Pirkanmaa
Lappi
Etelä-Savo
Keski-Suomi
Uusimaa
Varsinais-Suomi
Satakunta
Pohjois-Karjala
Kainuu
Päijät-Häme
Kymenlaakso
Kanta-Häme
Pohjois-Savo
Whole country
Children in care during the year as a percentage of the population of the same age (0-17 yrs)
Children in emergency placement as a percentage of the population of the same age (0-17 yrs)

6. CHILDREN PLACED IN CARE DURING THE YEAR AS A PERCENTAGE OF THE POPULATION OF
THE SAME AGE IN 1991–2017, %, AGE AT 31.12.
25.5.2018 Statistical report 17/2018 6
0,0
0,5
1,0
1,5
2,0
2,5
3,0
3,5
1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017
%
16–17 yrs
13–15 yrs
7–12 yrs
3–6 yrs
0–2 yrs

7. CHILDREN IN CARE 31.12.2017 (N=8 962)
25.5.2018 Statistical report 17/2018 7
0 %
10 %
20 %
30 %
40 %
50 %
60 %
70 %
80 %
90 %
100 %
Other
Residential care
Professional
family home
Foster care

8. TRENDS IN THE NUMBER OF NEW CASES OF PLACING OUTSIDE THE
HOME AND TAKING INTO CARE, 2000-2017
25.5.2018 Statistical report 17/2018 8
0
1 000
2 000
3 000
4 000
5 000
6 000
2000 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017
Numberofchildrenandyoungpeople
Child or young person with a new placement during the year
of which children whose placement started as taking into care

9. CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE PLACED OUTSIDE THE HOME BY
GENDER, 1991–2017
25.5.2018 Statistical report 17/2018 9
0
1 000
2 000
3 000
4 000
5 000
6 000
7 000
8 000
9 000
10 000
1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017
Numberofchildrenandyoungpeople
Boys Girls

10. CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE PLACED OUTSIDE THE HOME
ACCORDING TO THE LATEST REASON FOR THE PLACEMENT,
1991–2017, %
25.5.2018 Statistical report 17/2018 10
0 %
10 %
20 %
30 %
40 %
50 %
60 %
70 %
80 %
90 %
100 %
1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017
Other
Residential
care
Professional
family home
Foster care

11. OPEN CARE CLIENTS OF CHILD WELFARE SERVICES
IN 1996–2017
25.5.2018 Statistical report 17/2018 11
The definition of open welfare customer relationship has been modified as a result of the Social Welfare Act that entered into
force on 1 April 2015.

12. OPEN CARE CLIENTS OF CHILD WELFARE SERVICES AS % OF THE
POPULATION OF THE SAME AGE IN 2008–2017
25.5.2018 Statistical report 17/2018 12
The definition of open welfare customer relationship has been modified as a result of the Social Welfare Act that entered into
force on 1 April 2015.

13. NEW OPEN CARE CLIENTS OF CHILD WELFARE SERVICES AND
CHILDREN SUBJECT TO A CHILD WELFARE NOTIFICATION AS A
PERCENTAGE OF THE POPULATION OF THE SAME AGE (0-17 YRS)
25.5.2018 Statistical report 17/2018 13
9,5
8,6
8,3
7,7
7,6
7,6
7,5
7,2
7,1
6,8
6,8
6,6
6,4
6,4
6,3
6,2
6,0
5,4
4,7
7,1
2,4
1,5
1,3
1,8
1,5
1,3
1,2
1,6
0,4
3,0
3,8
1,3
1,5
1,2
1,3
1,2
0,7
2,7
0,9
1,4
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Etelä-Karjala
Pohjois-Savo
Kanta-Häme
Keski-Suomi
Etelä-Savo
Uusimaa
Varsinais-Suomi
Kymenlaakso
Keski-Pohjanmaa
Pohjois-Karjala
Lappi
Pohjois-Pohjanmaa
Kainuu
Satakunta
Etelä-Pohjanmaa
Pirkanmaa
Päijät-Häme
Ahvenanmaa
Pohjanmaa
Whole country
New open care clients
of child welfare
services as a
percentage of the
population of the
same age (0-17 yrs)
Children subject to a
child welfare
notification as a
percentage of the
population of the
same age (0-17 yrs)

14. THE NUMBERS OF CHILD WELFARE NOTIFICATIONS AND EMERGENCY
PLACEMENTS GREW IN 2017
25.5.2018 Statistical report 17/2018 14
• The number of child welfare notifications grew by 15 per cent in 2017.
• The number of children subject to emergency placements grew by 15 per cent since 2016
• In 2017, one per cent of the population's 0–17-year-olds were in care.
• 1.4 per cent of the population's 0–20-year-olds were placed outside the home.
• 4.5 per cent of the population's 0–20-year-olds were open care clients of child welfare services.
Statistical report 17/2018 [www.thl.fi/statistics/childmaintenance]