Authority investigates after toddler went missing on Helsinki outing

Finland’s Permit and Supervisory Authority is investigating after a child under three went missing during a daycare centre’s forest outing in Helsinki, Yle reports.

The incident happened on 8 October at Nuotti daycare centre in the Pukinmäki district. The child was found in the grounds of a school near the outing’s destination and returned to the daycare centre by a passer-by.

The authority said the case was serious because staff did not notice the child was missing before the passer-by brought the child back. The child was not physically harmed.

The investigation will assess whether the daycare operator met its legal safety responsibilities, how children’s safety was arranged during the outing and whether the centre followed its own safety procedures. The authority will also review what corrective measures the operator has taken since the incident.

The authority said it has handled several similar investigations this year involving children who have wandered away or gone missing from daycare centres.