Peer-reviewed article
The Negative Impact of the Effects of Coronavirus on the Well-Being of Children and Families Who Are Clients of Child Protection Authorities in Finland
Julia Kuokkanen, Anna Tiili, Annukka Paasivirta ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examines how the COVID-19 pandemic and government restrictions affected the well-being of vulnerable children and families receiving support from child protection authorities in Finland during 2020. Researchers surveyed heads of child protection agencies in autumn 2020 to understand the pandemic's impact on this at-risk population. The study found that vulnerable populations, particularly children, experienced significant negative effects from the coronavirus and related restrictions.
Key points
- The Finnish government declared a state of emergency on March 16, 2020, with restrictive measures lasting until July 16, 2020
- The pandemic weakened the resilience of the Finnish welfare state and challenged its ability to support those most in need
- Vulnerable populations, especially children, were identified as most affected by pandemic effects in Finland and globally
- A large-scale survey of child protection authority heads was conducted in autumn 2020 (August-October) to assess pandemic impacts
- The study focused specifically on children and families who were already clients of child protection authorities
Limitations
The document provided is only the introduction and does not present the actual findings, results, or conclusions of the survey. Without the full report, we cannot determine the specific impacts identified or the magnitude of effects on child well-being.
Abstract
In the spring 2020, the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic quickly spread across Finland, having significant negative consequences for people’s living conditions. On March 16, 2020, the Finnish government declared a state of emergency and imposed several restrictive measures that were in effect until July 16, 2020 [13; 16]. The coronavirus and its aftermath have weakened the resilience of the Finnish welfare state, thereby challenging the welfare state’s ability to protect those most in need of its support. Recent studies have shown that the most vulnerable populations, such as children, are most affected by the negative effects of the pandemic in Finland and worldwide [5; 9; 11; 14; 18]. In autumn 2020, the Central Union for Child Welfare (CUCW) and the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) conducted a large-scale survey among the heads of child protection authorities (15.08.—13.10.2020), the aim of which was to find out how the consequences of the coronavirus and government restrictions have affected the well-being of children and their families who are clients of child protection authorities during the fall 2020. This article presents the main results and conclusions of the survey.