Shelters provide immediate crisis support, safe accommodation around the clock, and psychosocial support, counselling and guidance during acute situations. The service is primarily intended for individuals and families who have experienced domestic violence or the threat of it.
THL is responsible for organising and steering shelters for victims of domestic violence, coordinating them nationally, and developing and assessing the service network. The aim is to ensure high-quality and comprehensive shelters for victims of domestic violence across the nation.
The overall management and steering of shelter activities fall under the remit of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. Shelter activities are supervised by the Finnish Supervisory Agency.
At a shelter, a person who has experienced domestic violence or the threat of it receives protection from violence and help to put an end to the violence. You can access the service regardless of where you live.
A shelter is a crisis intervention unit free-of-charge for the client. Individuals or families experiencing domestic violence or the threat of it can go to the shelters on their own initiative or via referral from an authority or another party, also anonymously if necessary. Shelters for victims of domestic violence are available to everyone regardless of age, gender or other characteristics.
At the shelter
Safe accommodation is provided around the clock.
Guidance on arranging practical matters is available. Shelters cooperate with other services.
The client has a room of their own at the shelter. Each shelter has at least one accessible room.
Everyone’s right to self-determination regarding gender, sexual orientation, and family and close relationships is respected.
Interpreting is used if required by working with the client.
The staff have received training on working with adults and children who have experienced domestic violence. Shelter staff are professionals in social or health services, but healthcare services are not provided at the shelter.
Who is the service for
Shelters are intended for people who have been subjected to violence in a close relationship or are living under the threat of such violence. The shelter service may also be provided for individuals in need of assistance for reasons comparable to domestic violence, if the help meets the victim’s need for support and its provision does not put others staying at the shelter at risk.
National quality recommendations define the content of shelters for victims of domestic violence and describe the client work process as well as the objectives and quality criteria for client work. The National Quality Recommendations for Shelter Services, together with the Act on Shelters for Victims of Domestic Violence, guide service provision and define the quality criteria.
The Children in Shelters for Victims of Domestic Violence quality recommendation structures the key elements of shelter work used to take children into account and support them at the shelter. Work with children involves encountering them in everyday situations at the shelter and in separate meetings, and taking them into account in all work carried out at the shelter. The aim of the Children in Shelters for Victims of Domestic Violence quality recommendation is to ensure that work with children in shelters is as consistent and of as high-quality as possible.
Privacy notice for shelters for victims of domestic violence (link)
