Municipalities’ expenditure for social welfare in 1997 came to 4,4 billion euro.
As much as 87 per cent of this was expenditure for social services and 13 per cent was
expenditure for income security. Expenditure for social welfare services came to about
14 per cent of all social expenditure.
Of expenditure for social welfare, about 50 per cent was directed at children and
families with children, through day-care, child home care and private care allowance,
maintenance allowance, and child welfare for children and young persons. Older persons
accounted for nearly 25 per cent of expenditure and persons with disabilities for less
than 14 per cent. The remaining expenditure comprised income support, welfare for
intoxicant abusers and other expenditure.
In 1997 fees collected from clients covered about 12 per cent of expenditure for
social services, the remainder being distributed between the State and municipalities.
Client fees accounted for approximately 15 per cent of children’s day-care
expenditure. Among the social services provided without a fee are social work and child
guidance and family counselling. In the case of other social services, too, fees may be
left uncollected on the basis of the client’s maintenance liability or for reasons
related to income or welfare.
Social Welfare Expenditure of Municipalities by Function
in 1997 (Appendix 1)
| |
Million euro |
Percentage paid by client fees |
| Administration |
120 |
0.0 |
| Children’s day-care |
1,371 |
15.4 |
| Child care allowance and private care allowance1) |
353 |
— |
| Maintenance support 2) |
81 |
— |
| Institutional care for children and young people |
127 |
3.3 |
| Home help for families with children |
33 |
6.5 |
| Other services for families with children |
151 |
3.8 |
| Institutional care for older persons |
576 |
21.1 |
| Institutional care for persons with disabilities |
140 |
5.0 |
| Sheltered work and vocational rehabilitation |
95 |
5.8 |
| Home help for older persons and persons with disabilities |
320 |
16.3 |
| Other services for older persons and persons with disabilities |
497 |
10.6 |
| Services for intoxicant abusers |
71 |
8.1 |
| Income support (social assistance)3) |
511 |
— |
Total |
4,447
|
|
Social services, total |
3,854
|
12.1
|
| Municipal income security, total |
593 |
— |
Total |
4,447
|
|
1) Including municipal increments (36 million euro)
2) Gross expenditure for maintenance support (129 million euro) minus the maintenance
allowance payments collected from the parent liable for maintenance (48 million euro)
3) Gross expenditure for income support (548 million euro) minus the amount reclaimed
(37 million euro)
Social Welfare
Legislation (Appendix 2)
Social Welfare Act (710/1982 ); date of entry into force 1 January 1984
The Social Welfare Act contains provisions on the responsibility to provide social
welfare and its administration, on the procedures for implementing social welfare and
regulations on lodging an appeal against decisions made by municipalities in social
welfare. The Social Welfare Act defines the social services, which are social work, child
guidance and family planning, home help services, housing services, institutional care,
family care and support for informal care, as well as other tasks regulated in special
legislation and falling under the sphere of municipal social welfare. The Act also
contains provisions on the confidentiality of social welfare and on access to and handing
over of information. The Social Welfare Decree (607/1983, 1 January 1984) contains certain
provisions supplementing the Social Welfare Act.
Act on Planning and Government Grants for
Social Welfare and Health Care (733/1992) 1 January 1993
The Act on Planning and Government Grants for Social Welfare and Health Care contains
provisions on the setting of national social welfare and health care goals and
stipulations on how municipalities can arrange functions in the social welfare and health
care sector. In addition, the Act contains provisions on government grants for the
operational social welfare and health care costs of municipalities and joint municipal
boards and on government grants for the financing of investment projects. The Act also
contains provisions, among others, on the Basic Security Guarantee Board operating under
the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and on lodging an appeal against decisions
concerning government grants.
Act on the Monitoring of Private Social Services (603/1996) 1 January 1997
The Act on the Monitoring of Private Social Services is applied to private social
services generated for a fee by service-providers running a business or practising a
profession. It is not applied, for example, to family care based on a service agreement.
The Act contains provisions on the prerequisites both for operational units providing
social services and for the personnel working at such units, as well as provisions
pertaining to the licence required for having activities round the clock and to the
compulsory registration of activities other than those operating round the clock. The Act
also lays down provisions with regard to the monitoring authorities, the content of
monitoring and the means available for the monitoring authorities to intervene if
shortcomings are observed. In addition, the Act contains provisions on the registration of
service-providers. More detailed provisions on execution of the Act are contained in the
Decree on the Monitoring of Private Social Services (1208/1996).
Act on Children’s Day-care (36/1973) 1 April 1973
The Act on Children’s Day-care lays down provisions on the organisation of
children’s day-care at day-care centres, through family day-care providers, through
monitored play activities or as other day-care activities. The Act contains provisions on
the right of a child’s parents to receive for their child a place, arranged by the
municipality, in a day-care centre or with a family day-care provider, other stipulations
on day-care, and provision on the objectives and content of day-care. The Act also
contains provisions on the administration of day-care. More detailed provisions on
execution of the Act are contained in the Decree on Children’s Day-care (239/1973).
Act on the Child Home Care Allowance and
the Private Care Allowance (1128/1996) 1 August 1997
The Act on the Child Home Care Allowance and the Private Care Allowance stipulates, in
conformity with the Act on Children’s Day-care, that the parents of an under
school-aged child who opt not to place the child in municipal day-care have the right to
financial support for arranging the child’s day-care elsewhere. The Act contains
provisions, e.g. concerning the structure, size and payment of the allowances. The Act
also lays down provisions pertaining to reclaim, lodging of an appeal, and
confidentiality.
Child Welfare Act (683/1983) 1 January 1984
The Child Welfare Act contains provisions on the responsibility to organise child
welfare; on development of the growth environment and experimental activities; on support
for parents in the upbringing of children; and provisions on family-oriented and
individual-oriented modes of child welfare services, which include support functions in
case work, taking children into custody and their placement in substitute care, and
after-care. The Act lays down provisions on the preconditions for support functions in
case work and on the preconditions for taking a child into custody; on the content of
support functions in case work; on procedures in taking a child into custody; on the care
of a child taken into custody and the child’s position in substitute care; and
provisions on the operational prerequisites for child welfare institutions and on the
sanctions and limitations to be used in such institutions.
The Child Welfare Act also has, among others, provisions pertaining to the lodging of
an appeal and to monitoring the care of children placed with private care-givers.The Child
Welfare Decree (1010/1983) has supplementary provisions concerning execution and
application of the Child Welfare Act.
Act on Services and Assistance for the Disabled (380/1987) 1 January 1988
The aim of the Act on Services and Assistance for the Disabled is to promote the
prerequisites of a person with disability to live independently and to interact with
others as an equal member of society, and to prevent and remove obstacles and
disadvantages caused by disability. The Act contains provisions on the services and
financial support organised for persons with disability, and provisions on development of
their living conditions and services. More detailed grounds for receiving services and
supportive measures have been laid down in the Decree on Services and Assistance for the
Disabled (759/1987). The Act also contains provisions dealing, among others, with
co-operation in disability-related matters, with a municipal council for
disability-related affairs, and with lodging an appeal concerning matters referred to in
the Act.
Act on Special Care of Mentally Handicapped Persons (519/1977) 1 January 1978
The Act on Special Care of Mentally Handicapped Persons contains provisions on the
services included in special care and on the organisation of special care. More detailed
provisions on execution of the Act are contained in the Decree on Special Care of Mentally
Handicapped Persons (548/1997).
Family Carer Act (312/1992) 1.7.1992
Family care and a family home are defined in the Social Welfare Act. The Family Carer
Act lays down provisions pertaining to a family care-giver. The Act stipulates the family
care-giver’s qualifications, fees and compensation for costs as well as drawing up of
the agreement for family care. In addition, the Act contains provisions concerning the
family care-giver’s right to free time, work instruction and training. With regard to
the fee and compensation, the Decree on Fees and Compensation Paid to Family Carers
(240/1992) supplements the Family Carer Act.
Act on Welfare for Substance Abusers (41/1986) 1 January 1987
Welfare services for intoxicant abusers are given to people who have problems in their
use of intoxicants and to their families and close persons. The Act contains provisions
concerning the principles, content, and organisation of welfare services for intoxicant
abusers. The Act also lays down provisions on the involuntary care of intoxicant abusers,
and on the sanctions and limitations used during involuntary care. In addition, the Act
has provisions pertaining to the lodging of an appeal. More detailed provisions on
execution of the Act are contained in the Decree on Welfare for Substance Abusers
(653/1986).
Act on Maintenance Security (671/1998) 1 January 1999
The Act on Maintenance Security lays down provisions concerning the amount of
maintenance allowance paid to a child, application for and granting and payment of
maintenance allowance. If necessary, action to collect, confirm or alter maintenance
payments can also be taken by virtue of the Act. In addition, the Act contains provisions
on collection of maintenance payments from the parent liable for maintenance. The Decree
on Maintenance Security (672/1998) contains supplementing provisions.
Act on Social Assistance (1412/1997) 1 March 1998
The Act on Social Assistance contains provisions on income support, which is income
security as the last resort. The Act stipulates the objective of income support and who is
entitled to receive it. Also laid down in the Act are provisions pertaining to the
structure and amount of income support; these are supplemented in the Decree on Social
Assistance (66/1998). In addition, the Act on Social Assistance gives procedural
regulations concerning application for, and granting and payment of, income support as
well as procedural regulations concerning reclaim of income support.
Decree on the Professional Qualifications of Social Welfare Personnel
(804/1992) 1 January 1993
This Decree is applied with regard to the professional qualifications of social welfare
personnel working for municipalities or joint municipal boards to the extent that other
provisions concerning these professional qualifications are not stipulated elsewhere. The
Decree also contains provisions as to the grounds on which a person lacking the
professional qualifications laid down in Decree can be hired for social welfare tasks
temporarily.
Act on Client Fees in Social Welfare and Health Care (912/1992) 1 January 1993
A fee can be charged from clients using municipal social welfare and health care
services, unless otherwise stipulated by law. The fee can be collected from the person in
accordance with the ability to pay. The Act on Client Fees in Social Welfare and Health
Care contains provisions on the maximum fee and on which social welfare and health care
services are provided free of charge. The Act and the Decree on Client Fees in Social
Welfare and Health Care (912/1992), which supplements the Act, contains provisions
concerning, among others, the fees for child welfare, children’s day-care, home help
services and institutional care and the factors to be taken into account in determining
the fee, or in waiving or lowering the fee. In addition, the Act contains provisions
pertaining to the lodging of an appeal concerning fees, penalty interest and debt
recovery.
Under preparation: Act on the Status and Rights of Social Welfare Clients
The intention is for the Act on the Status and Rights of Social Welfare Clients to
contain the central provisions concerning the social welfare client’s legal
protection, the aim being to clarify the client’s status. The intention is also for
the Act to contain provisions dealing with the social welfare client’s treatment,
right of self-determination and participation. In addition, the Act will contain
provisions pertaining to confidentiality and the obligation to keep matters secret and to
both the client’s and the authorities’ right to receive information and
obligation to relinquish information. With entry into force of this Act, the corresponding
provisions of the Social Welfare Act will be repealed.