Kela reported mother to child welfare authorities over finances

Kela filed a child welfare report after an unemployed mother described her financial situation during a phone call, Yle reports. The mother had applied for support in June and was waiting for a decision when her electricity bill went unpaid.

Riina Kahari, 35, applied to Kela for general support in June. She is unemployed and cares for her child while receiving a home care allowance.

More than a month passed. Kahari paid her rent and bought food, but could not pay the electricity bill. She also applied for basic social assistance and called Kela.

Kahari recalls telling a Kela employee that she had six euros in cash and 26 euros in her bank account.

The next day, a social worker contacted her. After the call, a Kela employee filed a child welfare report because of concerns about whether Kahari had enough money to buy food and nappies for her child.

“It was quite shocking because I knew we were not in trouble when it came to food,” Kahari told Yle.

The Kela employee did not reach Kahari, so they could not check whether she agreed to the report being filed.

On July 30, two social workers arrived at Kahari’s home. She told them that the family had always had food and nappies.

“As a mother, the child welfare report felt heavy, but the visit itself went very well. I felt that I was listened to,” Kahari said.

Following the visit, Kahari received a 100 euro gift card from K Group. The social worker concluded that the meeting had not raised concerns about the family’s situation and that the child’s basic needs were being met. Based on the assessment, there was no need for social welfare services or a broader assessment of the family’s need for services.

Kela filed more than 700 reports last year

The number of child welfare reports has increased in recent years. Kela files hundreds of such reports annually, although a large share of all child welfare reports are made by schools.

Petri Hannula, head of Kela’s basic social assistance service unit, said the increase in reports filed by Kela may be explained by the growing number of applications for basic social assistance.

Hannula said that Kela, like other authorities, has a duty to notify the wellbeing services county if a child needs help.

“This is specifically about the child’s best interests when we are talking about child welfare reports. There are also situations where it is extremely important that someone intervenes and finds the services and means to protect the child,” Hannula said.

As a rule, customers are told during the phone call that a child welfare report will be filed. The guardian’s consent is not required.

Applications are processed within the target time

According to Hannula, Kela processes applications for basic social assistance within the target time, which is a few working days.

“For an individual customer, it matters whether all the necessary information has been included in the application and whether all the required attachments have been submitted,” he said.

In July, Kela announced that the processing times for the first applications for general support had been longer than usual.

Under the General Support Act, Kela must issue a decision on an unemployment benefit no later than the 30th calendar day after receiving an application for general support. The number of applications increased because of rising unemployment, students graduating and unemployed people applying for Kela’s general support after their earnings-related unemployment allowance period ended.

Families’ financial situations have worsened

Johanna Lehtola, a customer guidance manager at the wellbeing services county of Southwest Finland, said by email that child welfare reports filed by Kela are generally linked to people’s ability to cope financially, although there may also be other reasons.

“Generally speaking, the financial situation of customers and families has worsened in recent years according to the reports, and this may be one reason for a need for social welfare support, even if the actual reason for seeking services is something else,” Lehtola said.

Kahari receives a home care allowance, housing allowance, child benefit and general support from Kela. The benefits total just under 1,000 euros a month.

The rent for her three-room apartment, including a water charge and parking space, is 536 euros.

Her financial situation was different a year ago. She was receiving a parental allowance, followed by an earnings-related unemployment allowance, before moving on to the home care allowance.