North Finland welfare region loses court battles over free care for disabled children

The North Ostrobothnia Welfare Region (Pohde) has lost the majority of its legal disputes after refusing to provide free morning and afternoon care for children with disabilities, public broadcaster Yle reports.

An administrative court ruled that the welfare region must arrange free care for the children, rejecting Pohde’s argument that the service should be paid and organised by municipalities. The court found that disability-related care must not incur additional costs for families.

The dispute centres on whether welfare regions or municipalities are responsible for funding before- and after-school care for children with developmental disabilities. Pohde had argued that the service falls under basic education law—making it a municipal responsibility that can carry fees—rather than special welfare legislation, which mandates free provision.

The Regional State Administrative Agency (Avi) initially sided with families in dozens of cases, stating that disability-related needs must not create extra financial burdens. Pohde appealed these decisions to the Northern Finland Administrative Court, which upheld Avi’s rulings in 13 of the 15 cases reviewed so far. Two appeals succeeded in overturning or amending Avi’s original decisions.

Eleven additional cases remain pending. While hundreds of children previously received disability-based care, only a fraction of families have challenged Pohde’s negative decisions in court.