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When an unaccompanied minor or young person seeking asylum is separated from their family, relatives or other network, they will need a wide range of support in their new country of residence. In order for a child or young person living in a family group home to access services, close cooperation between the family group home, the municipality's social welfare and health services, educational services and, if necessary, child welfare authorities are required.

Some of the children and young people seeking asylum arrive in Finland unaccompanied by a custodian. Unaccompanied minors seeking asylum in Finland are placed in group homes or supported housing units for the duration of the asylum application process.

Information for those who are representing an unaccompanied minor The minor’s representative ensures that the child’s rights are realised in the asylum process. The representative helps and supports the underaged asylum seeker and exercises the ri...

The settling of an unaccompanied minor in a municipality requires close cooperation between the representative of the unaccompanied minor, the reception centre and the social workers of the host municipality as well as the ELY Centre.

The handbook on psychosocial support for unaccompanied minors in family group homes and support housing units is intended for persons working with unaccompanied minors in family group homes and support housing units.

A large proportion of unaccompanied minors are aged between 16 and 17 when they enter the country. They may live in a family group home or supported housing unit until they reach the age of 18. At this point, the duties of the representative assigned to them will also lapse.

Information for those who work as an official in the social and health care sector or in a wellbeing services county Health and well-being must be ensured at the different stages of immigration and integration. Wellbeing services counties play a s...

At the initiative of an authority, the initial assessment is always conducted on an immigrant who is an unemployed jobseeker and an immigrant who receives social assistance on a non-temporary basis.

The guidelines contain basic information on the duties of persons representing unaccompanied children during their reception and integration in Finland.

Information for those who work with refugees The reasons behind becoming a refugee may be diverse, and people moving to a country as refugees may need different support depending on their situation. The person’s possible trauma and different level...

Family is an important resource in integration The population with an immigrant background is young. Many of them are at the age of starting families. More than one in five of all those with a foreign background are minors and over 12 per cent of ...

On these pages you will find various form templates that you can use and adapt to suit your needs.

Refugees flee persecution and conflict According to the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR, there were more than 120 million people in the world in May 2024 who had had to flee from persecution and conflict. According to the UNHCR, a significant proportion o...

ELY Centres develop and support regional integration and settling-in efforts Under the Integration Act, the centres for economic development, transport and the environment (ELY Centres) are responsible for the following with regard to the promotio...

Key concepts related to integration, the Integration Act and the reception of refugees are collected on this page. The concepts are partly based on the Integration Glossary published in 2021.

Wellbeing services counties shall ensure that their services also suit the needs of immigrants.

A residence permit may also be granted on the basis of family ties.A person living in Finland whose family member living abroad intends to move to Finland to live with them is referred to as a “sponsor”. The sponsor may have moved to Finland to work, to study or they may have been granted asylum in Finland.

A residence permit may also be granted on the basis of family ties. A person living in Finland whose family member living abroad intends to move to Finland to live with them is referred to as a “sponsor”.

Advisory Board for Ethnic Relations (Etno) is an important actor promoting good relations between population groups at national level. Etno is appointed by the Government and its work is coordinated by the Ministry of Justice. In addition to the national advisory board, there are also seven regional advisory boards for ethnic relations in Finland.

18.2.2025 | New guidelines on the representation of unaccompanied minors have been published at the kotoutuminen.fi website. The guidelines contain basic information on the duties of persons representing unaccompanied children during their reception and integration in Finland.