An Yle investigation has found that the threat of physical and mental violence at work is leading many child protection workers to take prolonged sick leave or quit their jobs.
An incident at a Kallio reception centre for urgently placed youth last week shocked several child protection workers to such an extent that they subsequently contacted Yle.
A 14-year-old boy was brought to the facility late at night by police due to aggressive behaviour, and he was met by a male employee working the night shift.
The boy hit the employee in the chest and berated him, before running to his room, where he had hidden a 30-centimetre bread knife. Pointing the knife outward, the boy ran toward the worker, shouting “I'll kill you.”
The police officers, who were still present at the facility, diffused the situation using a taser, with the boy stopping just short making contact with the worker.
The case was reported as violent resisting of an official, but as the suspect is under the age of 15, he is not criminally liable for the act.
"Police resources are limited because the matter concerns an under-15-year-old. His situation remains the responsibility of child protection services," said Inspector Juha-Matti Suominen, of the Helsinki Police Department.
"Does someone have to die before something is done?"
Although exceptionally serious, the case is not considered unique within child welfare.
Several Helsinki child welfare workers that Yle spoke to say they fear that someone will soon lose their life in the workplace. Mental and physical violence is commonplace for child protection workers.
A recent report by social workers' union Talentia found that almost 80 percent of employees in child welfare institutions experience physical violence at work.
This is why many are changing fields.
"Why would I go there and get beaten up and listen to the berating," said one women who had worked at a youth facility for several years.
She appears in this article anonymously because of the sensitivity of the matter. Among other things, the woman has been punched several times, been hit by a thrown glass and her life has been verbally threatened at the facility. Eventually, she decided to change jobs.
She said that some of the young people who come to the reception centre suffer from serious mental health and substance abuse problems that require a completely different kind of treatment than can be provided by them.
"It is no longer a safe place for workers nor for young people, because there are serious cases that are in need of institutional care. Does someone have to die before something will be done about the situation?"
Helsinki accepts youth from all over Finland
The youth reception facilities in Malminkartano, Herttoniemi and Kallio are places where young people arrive for a few months of evaluation. After that, social workers decide how to place the young person.
Helsinki Child Welfare uses an electronic Occupational Safety and Health Package system, in which a worker can report threats and dangers. Last year, a total of 138 reports were filed at the three youth reception sites, and this year 37 reports have been made to date. Police have been called to the scene four times.
The task of taking in young people in Helsinki is unique within Finland. In addition to young people from Helsinki in need or urgent placement, the unit annually receives about 180–200 young people who have run away from foster care elsewhere in Finland and been discovered by police. These young people wait to be picked up by their own foster care institutionat the youth facility.
According to the employees that Yle spoke with, the safety at these facilities is in bad shape.
"These are the places that present threats and dangers, because young people come there when they are in crisis. Some come reluctantly, brought in by the police or under the influence," confirms Director of Child Welfare in Helsinki, Saila Nummikoski.
"It’s like prison"
According to the findings of the Helsinki police, young people carry bladed weapons more often than before. The same observation has been made in child protection in the capital.
According to employees, young people at receptions centres are allowed to come and go freely, and their belongings are not usually inspected. The young person's room can be searched, if a separate decision is made based on justified cause. However, such a raid cannot be performed by a night shift worker alone, as it always requires two employees.
Young people are aware of their rights and know what counsellors are allowed to do. Often only jackets and bags are checked because young people are not allowed to be stripped of their clothing. According to the employees, drugs and sharp weapons are constantly hidden inside clothes.
"It's dangerous when young people arrive under the influence of drugs. The instructors are there without protective vests, despite the circumstances at times feeling like prison. The ward has a lot of young people involved with drugs and crime, who do not always respect others," said Kari Karjalainen, a police offer from the Helsinki Police Alarm and Surveillance Unit who has a side job working security in child welfare institutions.
Employees must act in accordance with the Child Protection Act. Complaints to the Ombudsman, regarding child protection in particular, have become more common in recent years.
"The situation seems to have gone so far that children are the ones ruling over the adults. The Child Protection Act should be changed to allow for decisions to be made quickly in regard to problematic children and young people, in order to ensure the safety of others," said Karjalainen.
Employees taking sick leave
The boy suspected of attempting to stab the worker at the Kallio facility was taken to the facility's isolation booth to calm down. It is a small room with a toilet bowl and a mattress on the floor. According to workers, the boy continued to rage in the isolation booth and raised the mattress upright so that he could punch it.
Several employees of the Kallio unit have taken sick leave due to the incident. They are concerned about returning to work because of the threat of violence.
Nummikoski confirmed to Yle that she is aware of the situation, and assistance has been provided for the Kallio unit with the number of workers at the facility increasing.
"It is important that the employees who care for these young people also feel that their sense of safety is guaranteed, and that we minimise the threat and danger of violence at work," she said.
Young people do not receive psychiatric help in time
While child welfare services are in need of a profound reform, the most important thing would be to address these problems at an early stage, employees told Yle.
"The biggest problem is that psychiatric services are clogged and clients do not get the help they need in time," said one man working at a youth reception centre.
He also appears in this article anonymously because talking about these problems can have consequences at work.
Employees want more room to act within the Child Welfare Act. For example, a young person who has run away from a facility may by law not be detained unless he or she is within the premises of said facility.
If a young person needs to be detained outside of the premises, official assistance from the police is needed. Police charge the child welfare agency for their assistance. The Ministry of the Interior has proposed abolishing the fee, and preparations for an amendment are still ongoing.
"The situation is incomprehensible. Young people who are part of the drug world do not come along voluntarily," Karjalainen pointed out.