FINLAND
LEGAL AND POLICY CONTEXT
More than 2,500 unaccompanied and sepa-
rated children sought asylum in Finland in
2015, and 370 in 2016. Of those who applied
for asylum in 2016, 34% were under the age of
14 and 69% were boys, most of them coming
from Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq. 1 All children
are entitled to protection and care in Finland.
However, unaccompanied and separated
children are not dealt with by national child
protection agencies, regardless whether they
are seeking asylum or have received a resident
permit.
Unaccompanied and separated children under
the age of 16 are placed in group homes. The
qualifications of the staff and the types of
services in these group homes are comparable
to those in Finnish child protection facilities.
Children over the age of 16 are accommodated
in supported living units. Children living in
group homes and supported living arrange-
ments receive social and financial support and
have access to healthcare services. All children
are enrolled in schools according to their age
and educational level. They have access to legal
aid and interpreting services if required. 2
All children without parental care in Finland
must have a guardian. For asylum-seeking
children, a legal representative is appointed
whose duties are similar to those of a guardian
and include accompanying the child throughout
asylum procedures and interviews with au-
thorities. 3 However, a considerable time often
elapses between the identification of an unac-
companied child and the actual appointment
of a legal representative. Legal representatives
are recruited by immigration authorities. There
are no requirements for any specific training for
them.
The national system is struggling to meet
the needs of unaccompanied and separated
children, and there are multiple challenges
associated with access to mental health services,
the continuity of education and exclusion and
discrimination in Finnish society – a combina-
tion of factors which hamper the protection and
integration of children. The main barriers to
integration for refugee and migrant children in
Finland include a lack of access to higher educa-
tion and employment, limited interaction with
peers and local communities and the effects of
untreated trauma.
When no reliable evidence of an asylum appli-
cant’s age is available, authorities much rely on
an applicant’ s stated age. However, when the
stated age is disputed by authorities, the person
must undergo an age assessment which includes
a clinical examination and x-rays. The informed
consent of the person and his or her parent,
guardian or other legally authorised representa-
tive is required. Those who refuse to undergo an
examination are often classified as adults.
1 _ “63 300 Unaccompanied Minors among Asylum Seekers Registered in the EU in 2016”, Eurostat, news release 80/2017, 11 May 2017,
http://www.europeanmigrationlaw.eu/documents/Asylum%20applicants%20considered%20to%20be%20unaccompanied%20minors.pdf.
2 _ “Unaccompanied Minors”, Finnish Immigration Service, 2017,
http://www.migri.fi/asylum_in_finland/reception_activities/reception_services/children_without_a_guardian.
3 _ Ibid.
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