30 new measures added to safeguard children’s rights

The government has finalised the implementation plan for the National Child Strategy, which included a total of 30 new measures to secure the wellbeing of children and young people and to strengthen their rights, said a government press release on Thursday.

The measures will complement the extensive work already underway and strengthen the structures and knowledge base for long-term and systematic child and family policies.

One of the key ideas of the Child Strategy is to secure the status of vulnerable children. This policy will be pursued through a number of measures included in the implementation plan.

The aim is, for example, to draw up a handbook for child welfare that is meant for children and young people and to carry out a pilot which experiments with outreach leisure activities in collaboration with youth workers and helps to reach those who would not necessarily participate in leisure activities otherwise.

In addition, measures will be taken to examine the realisation of the rights of Saami and Roma children and to compile up-to-date information on wellbeing in support of decision-making.

The measures set out in the implementation plan must be based on the best available information and the assessment of impacts on children.

Measures will also be taken to put together a training package on the rights of the child and to launch a participation campaign to compile the views of children and young people on how their rights should be promoted.

Finland’s first National Child Strategy was prepared through parliamentary cooperation and published on 23 February 2021.