Two welfare counties halt new Abnoy child placements

Pirkanmaa and South Ostrobothnia welfare services counties have suspended new child placements in Abnoy Oy’s child welfare units until the company’s operations have been verified, Yle’s MOT reports. The investigation found that violence and drug use had not been addressed sufficiently and that problems had been concealed from authorities.

Abnoy operates five child welfare units in Pirkanmaa, South Ostrobothnia and Kanta-Häme. Former employees told MOT that management had not responded adequately to violence or drug use and had hidden problems from officials.

In Pirkanmaa, the situation of children placed in Abnoy units will be assessed individually, and all the children will be contacted. Social workers were assigned the task on Friday. No new placements will be made in the units while the investigation is under way.

Titta Pelttari, service director responsible for child welfare matters in Pirkanmaa, said the welfare services county had not known about the problems described by Yle or their extent. She said contracts could be terminated with units where shortcomings were identified.

In South Ostrobothnia, no new placements will be made in Abnoy’s units for the time being. However, children already placed there may remain in the units, said Satu Mäki-Fossi, service area director responsible for child welfare.

“The social workers responsible for the affairs of the placed children have not reported anything that would give reason to assess the situation differently,” Mäki-Fossi said.

She said some of the issues described by MOT had already been known. However, the investigation had also brought up matters that had not emerged, at least in the units where monitoring had been carried out.

South Ostrobothnia currently has children placed by the welfare services county at Villa Kultala in Jalasjärvi, Kurikka, and Villa Junior Iittala in Hämeenlinna.

Monitoring responsibility is divided between several authorities

Mäki-Fossi said responsibility for monitoring child welfare units is divided among several parties. The social worker responsible for a child’s case conducts child-specific monitoring in an official capacity, while welfare services counties are responsible for monitoring units where they have placed children.

If a shortcoming is identified, authorities first determine whether it concerns one child or all the children in the unit. If it concerns an individual child, monitoring is carried out by the child’s social worker and the child welfare service area.

If it concerns all the children in a unit, the monitoring legislation requires the welfare services counties to cooperate. All counties that have placed children in the unit are then contacted, and a monitoring process is launched. This includes a monitoring visit and extensive document monitoring.

During the visit, staff and the social workers responsible for the children’s cases are heard. Contract monitoring, which oversees compliance with agreements, is also involved.

Mäki-Fossi said the social worker responsible for a child’s case has a key role in ensuring the child’s safety. If a child is in immediate danger, the child can be moved to another substitute care unit. The employer and occupational safety authorities are responsible for monitoring employees’ safety.

Kanta-Häme has no children in Abnoy units

Taija Ylätalo, director of the child welfare results area in the Kanta-Häme welfare services county, said by email that the county currently has no children placed in the five units covered by MOT’s investigation.

“If possible problems came to our attention, they would be addressed during the placement through child-specific monitoring and through unit-specific monitoring by the monitoring unit,” Ylätalo said.