Research Group: Child Welfare Services

The study examined how municipalities’ economic resources are associated with the demand for child protection in Finland. The results show that in wealthier municipalities, child welfare notifications are more frequent, but children are less likely to end up in formal child protection measures. In contrast, in economically weaker municipalities, there are fewer notifications but more frequent use of more serious interventions. This suggests that a stronger economic situation enables a more preventive approach, whereas economic hardship leads to more reactive protection.

Zhu, N., Gawel, A., & Toikko, T. (2025). Association of municipalities’ economic context with the demand for child protection. Journal of Public Child Welfare, 1–24.

The study shows that as immigration increases, the number of child welfare notifications and child removals also rises, while the availability of family-supportive services declines. This indicates an internal imbalance within the system: early support mechanisms are not keeping pace with demographic changes, potentially accelerating the transition from notification to removal. Social risk factors such as divorce rates, income inequality, and government transfers partly explain the observed disparities. The findings highlight the need for culturally sensitive training and the development of a more equitable service system.

Zhu, N., Gawel, A., & Toikko, T. (2025). From Notifications to Removals: How Immigration Shapes Child Welfare Protection at Finland’s Municipality Level. Child Indicators Research, 1–20.

This study applies an innovative assessment framework to examine unmet basic needs—survival, protection, participation, and development—among children living in adversity in China. Surprisingly, the findings reveal that developmental and participation needs were more prominent than survival and protection needs, suggesting gaps in the child protection system’s structure and focus. The study also identifies key factors influencing need levels: lower unmet needs were linked to children’s strengths and social support, while family trauma, caregiver challenges, financial hardship, and intergenerational care difficulties were associated with higher unmet needs. The results offer critical insights for more holistic and responsive child welfare policies.

Zhu, N, Qiu, R,, Toikko, T. (2025). Complexity of unmet basic needs of children in adversity in China’s fragmented child protection system-Risk and protective factors from a bioecological perspective. Child Protection and Practice, 100193.