Pandemic swells child welfare need, mental woes

The difficulties faced by families and the need for support required by child welfare clients have increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a municipal survey commissioned by the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) and the Central Union for Child Welfare.

The survey focused on the management level of child welfare units received responses from 85 municipalities and 18 joint municipal authorities, said the THL in a press release on Wednesday.

Of the municipalities that responded to the survey, 40% estimated that the number of child welfare clients had increased due to the epidemic and 47% reported a rise in the number of child welfare notifications.

The life situations of child welfare client families have clearly become more difficult in most of the municipalities. Up to 63% of the responding municipalities estimated that children’s mental health problems had increased compared to that before the epidemic. Similarly, 55% of the municipalities estimated that parents now experience more mental health problems than before.

“The increase in mental health problems is concerning. Pos- pandemic, we need to pay special attention to the availability of mental health services for children and adolescents," said THL Senior Researcher Pia Eriksson.

More than 70% of the municipalities and joint municipal authorities that responded to the survey estimated that child-welfare-client-families were experiencing an increased amount of problems in interaction, parents’ inability to cope, and children’s school attendance.

According to the survey findings, the availability of social-and healthcare services for child welfare clients deteriorated in the winter by the COVID-19 epidemic from that in the autumn of 2020.

“It seems, a particular challenge is that child welfare clients have poor access to psychiatry services for children and adolescents, and the services provided by the educational system and pupil welfare services. Schools need to invest in the wellbeing of children and adolescents by paying particular attention to the resources of pupil welfare services”, said Central Union for Child Welfare Senior Specialist Annukka Paasivirta.

Of the municipalities and joint municipal authorities that responded to the survey, 56% estimated that access to pupil welfare services and the services provided by the education system had become at least somewhat more difficult. As for psychiatry services for children and adolescents, it was estimated that access has become more difficult in winter, at least to some extent, in 62% of the municipalities and joint municipal authorities.

There have been shortcomings in child welfare services for a long time, even before the COVID-19 struck, making it difficult to assess the direct impact of the epidemic.

“Still, it’s clear that the epidemic has made the situation worse. It has also brought the existing shortcomings to the fore. In addition to strengthening other services, we also need to secure resources for municipal child welfare, so that we can meet the increased need for t6he services,” said Eriksson.