Processing times and caseloads in child welfare are largely in good shape – according to THL, monitoring of statutory time limits must continue to ensure equitable services
Service needs assessments in child welfare continue to be completed mainly within the statutory timeframe, and fewer and fewer social workers have too many clients. According to THL, monitoring of statutory time limits must not be discontinued, because it helps ensure that children and families receive the support they need in a timely and equitable manner throughout the country.
Service needs assessments in child welfare are mainly completed within the statutory period of three months. Of these assessments, 89 per cent were completed within the statutory time limits during the review period 1 October 2025–31 March 2026. The share was the same a year earlier.
The statutory maximum number of clients in child welfare is still exceeded in many wellbeing services counties. However, the exceedances concern an increasingly limited number of social workers. On the monitoring date of 14 April 2026, the statutory maximum number of clients was exceeded for 72 child welfare social workers. This corresponds to 5 per cent of staff resources. A year earlier, the share was 13 per cent.
This is a positive trend from the perspective of a child in need of help.
“We know how important it is for the social worker responsible for the child’s affairs to have the opportunity to focus on their clients,” says Johanna Hedman, Chief Specialist at THL.
“However, the caseload requirement must not lead to delays in access to support or to the formation of queues, so it is also important to examine the quality of services.”
Diverging trends in wellbeing services counties
In several wellbeing services counties, child welfare is organised within the framework set by legislation. In many counties, the statutory time limits or the statutory maximum number of clients are exceeded only rarely. In some places, however, the exceedances point to clear problems.
“The situation in Ostrobothnia has been difficult for years. Steps in the right direction have been taken, but the area still stands out clearly from the others. The situation deteriorated most in North Ostrobothnia. Pohde has made changes to its information systems, so it remains to be seen whether this is a temporary disruption,” says Martta Forsell, Leading Specialist at THL.
Monitoring helps safeguard the best interests of the child
Monitoring processing times and caseloads is an important way to ensure that children and families receive the support they need in time and that services are delivered as equitably as possible across the country.
A proposal to amend child welfare legislation that was circulated for comments in the spring suggested that the current form of the statutory time limits for service needs assessments in child welfare should be abolished. THL considers the proposed change problematic. Statutory time limits play a key role in ensuring that the assessment of support needs begins and is completed on time.
“Statutory time limits are essential to ensuring that children and families receive the support they need at the right time. It is important that the assessment of support needs begins and is completed on time,” says Jaana Tervo, Senior Specialist at THL.
According to THL, there are still regional differences in how services are delivered, and these may weaken equity for children and families. If wellbeing services counties can in future decide how quickly and in what way the assessment of support needs following a child welfare notification is carried out and documented, there is a risk that practices will diverge even further.
Thanks to the Social Welfare Monitoring Register and the data stored in the Kanta Services, THL will in future have even better opportunities to monitor what service events follow from child welfare notifications. The improving knowledge base will enable more detailed monitoring than before, but according to THL, statutory time limits must continue to be laid down in law.
“Regulation and data collection have been precisely the tools used to monitor whether children’s access to help is being realised,” Tervo says.
Further information
Statistics:
Contact details
Johanna Hedman
Chief Specialist
THL
tel. +358 29 524 7194
Jaana Tervo
Senior Specialist
THL
tel. +358 29 524 8111
Martta Forsell
Leading Specialist
THL
tel. +358 29 524 7974
Email addresses are in the format [email protected]