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Teenagers form the largest group of child welfare clients

In 2025, 3.6% of all children were clients in child welfare open care. Open care clienthood was most common among 16–17-year-olds, with 4.8% of this age group being clients.  Among the youngest children (0–2 years), clienthood was least common (2.6%). However, this age group saw the largest increase between 2024 and 2025 (+10%). The number of clients aged 18 and over decreased due to a reduction in the upper age limit for child welfare from 24 to 22 years in 2024.

The number of open care clients has remained relatively stable

In 2025, there were 36,000 children as open care clients. The number has not changed significantly compared to 2024 (+3%). At the same time, a substantially larger number of children, parents and families received support through services under the Social Welfare Act. According to THL estimates, there were approximately 230,000 clients in these services at the end of 2025, of whom 150,000 were children—equivalent to about 15% of all children. 

Support for children and families is increasingly proposed to be provided under the Social Welfare Act. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health proposes that support for children and families should increasingly be provided through services under the Social Welfare Act.  Proposed amendments to the Social Welfare Act and the Child Welfare Act are currently under consultation.

“From the perspective of child welfare, services under the Social Welfare Act provide more preventive support. The proposal structures support into three levels: child welfare clients, children in need of special support, and children, young people and families in need of early support. In particular, early support services need strengthening to reduce the need for special support and child welfare,” says Hanne Kalmari, Development Manager at THL. 

Increasing number of clients in intensive family work

In 2025, 9,800 families received intensive family work within child welfare. This was an increase of 1,200 families (+14%) compared to the previous year. 

“It is important to reflect on this change together with the regions – has the availability of this service improved? At the same time, the range of services in open care may still be used relatively narrowly,” notes Johanna Hedman, Development Manager at THL.

More detailed data on client numbers will become available in the coming years

In the coming years, statistics will be based on register-based client data in child welfare. The new data base will cover all regions and will also include children placed in out-of-home care.

“At present, information from wellbeing services counties is not fully comparable, although it provides a good picture of trends in client numbers,” says Martta Forsell, Chief Specialist at THL.

“This year, we were able for the first time to examine, based on data from some regions, what services child welfare clients have received. In the future, we will be able to analyse more precisely what kind of support clients receive,” Forsell adds.

About the data in more detail

Taustatietoja

Source

Child welfare clients 2025
Statistical Report 12/2026, 19.5.2026.
Official Statistics of Finland, Child welfare clients. THL.

Description of the statistics

The statistics contain information on the number of clients in child welfare. The data are based on municipality-level information submitted annually by wellbeing services counties.

The statistics can be further developed in 2027, when detailed data on notifications will become available through the social welfare monitoring register and Kanta data, instead of aggregate-level figures.

Update schedule

The next release of statistics will be in April–May 2027. The more exact publication time can be found in the publication calendar.
Statistics publication calendar

Contact information

Martta Forsell

Chief Specialist
tel. 029 524 7974
[email protected]