Finland has a very supportive welfare system for families. Please explore all the benefits you may be eligible for at InfoFinland.

Save the Children Finland (Pelastakaa Lapset) has many options to for part-time care of children as well as adoption.

Guide for Birth Parents Considering Adoption

Translation of "Opas syntymä-vahemmalle adoptiota harkitaessa" from Save the Children Finland.

This guide is for you if you are considering giving your child up for adoption. The adoption decision is a significant one that affects all parties involved. It should not be rushed, and it is important that you receive all available support while considering it. The guide provides information about adoption, adoption counseling, the process, and issues related to contact after adoption.

What is Adoption?

Adoption aims to promote the best interests of the child by ensuring balanced development and well-being in a new family when the child cannot grow up with their birth parents. Adoption must be in the child’s best interest and based on the birth parents’ consent. Through adoption, the child legally receives new parents and a permanent home. A new parent-child relationship is formed, and the legal relationship with the birth parents ends. Adoption is irrevocable once confirmed. The adopted child’s status in the new family is legally the same as a biological child, including surname and inheritance rights.

How Does the Adoption Process Proceed in Infant Adoptions?

You can discuss adoption-related thoughts during pregnancy, for example, at a maternity clinic. Sometimes the issue arises after the baby is born, and you can talk to the hospital’s social worker or midwife. If you are considering adoption for your child, you need adoption counseling. During counseling, you can thoroughly consider different options with a social worker.

When and How to Contact Adoption Counseling?

You can contact adoption counseling during pregnancy or after birth. You may also ask a relative, your municipality’s social worker, a maternity clinic nurse, or a hospital midwife to contact adoption counseling on your behalf. You can contact them anonymously, and it does not commit you to anything. Starting counseling does not mean you must choose adoption; you genuinely have the opportunity to consider what is best for you and your child.

Where Can I Get Adoption Counseling?

You can get counseling from your municipality’s social services or an adoption office (Save the Children Finland). The counselor is a social worker specialized in adoption. Counseling is free for you. The municipality is responsible for organizing counseling; if it lacks its own adoption workers, it purchases the service from an adoption office.

What Happens After Birth?

If you want information about adoption after giving birth, the hospital’s midwife or social worker will contact the adoption counselor if you haven’t already. The counselor will meet you as soon as possible after birth. The child’s hospital stay varies from a few days to a week. If adoption remains an option, your child can be placed in short-term foster care for a minimum of eight weeks after birth. You will be asked for written consent for the placement and for sharing health information with the foster family and counselor. You can keep in touch with the foster family, visit, and care for your child as you wish. You may bring a relative for support. Contact is also possible through the social worker. Meeting the foster family when they pick up your child from the hospital can help. Foster families are specially trained and bound by confidentiality.

What Is Adoption Counseling?

Adoption counseling is statutory advice for birth parents, prospective adoptive parents, and possibly the child, covering all adoption-related matters. Its purpose is to safeguard the child’s interests and to advise, assist, and support the child, parents, prospective adoptive parents, and others involved.

In Adoption Counseling you receive

• information about options

• information about adoption, requirements, and legal effects

• information about social services and financial support

• help to make a well-considered decision about adoption

• assessment of requirements for adoption

• assistance for making agreements about contact between parents and child after adoption

• support in handling the crisis of making a lifelong decision

You can meet the social worker at the office, at home, or another suitable place. Discussions cover your life situation, options, and adoption. Topics also include pregnancy, birth, hospital stay, living arrangements, family and relationship matters, and your life stage. Basic information about your child (birth date, weight, health, development) is recorded for you, your child, and possible future adoptive parents. If the child is older, their life stages and important relationships are also discussed.

There are several meetings, scheduled as needed. Written consent for adoption can be given no earlier than eight weeks after birth. The reflection period may be longer; it is important to have enough time for a well-considered decision. During this time, the child is usually in short-term foster care, and you can visit, care for, or inquire about your child. If you are under 18, your parents are also met and heard during counseling. Your parent(s) can accompany you, and they may be met separately. Their opinion is sought, but their consent is not required, nor can they decide for you.

You have the opportunity to consider different options with the social worker and receive support in making your decision. Considering adoption is always a crisis, and it is important to calmly reflect on things from many perspectives. The adoption decision is always significant and difficult, and moods and feelings may vary greatly. Anxiety, guilt, shame, fear, and sadness are common. You may need to revisit issues with the worker, and your plans may change several times during counseling. Counseling is for discussing things repeatedly and gaining certainty about what is best for you. Bring up all concerns and feelings. The adoption office worker is there for you, offering support for finding the best solution for you and your child. Remember, counseling does not have to end in adoption. Considering adoption may also become relevant for an older child, and you will receive counseling for your decision. The process proceeds individually in such cases.

Reflection Period

The reflection period refers to the time after birth when you can calmly consider your decision regarding your child. It is at least eight weeks but can be longer if you need more time. You should consider your decision in counseling, possibly with support from relatives or professionals. Placement in short-term foster care during the reflection period does not mean an adoption decision; you can still choose another solution.

Child’s Paternity

It is important for the child to know who their father is. Many adopted children later want to learn about their background and birth parents. Even minimal information can be meaningful. Adult adoptees have emphasized the importance of paternity information. The father is always given counseling and has at least an eight-week reflection period. Written consent from the father is required for adoption. You can attend counseling separately or together. Information about both parents is collected and archived for possible future needs. If the child is born during marriage, no separate paternity confirmation is needed. If born outside marriage, paternity is confirmed by the registry office or court. If you are unmarried or cohabiting, contact your municipality’s child welfare officer for paternity matters. Paternity can also be acknowledged during pregnancy at the maternity clinic. If there is no information about the father or multiple candidates, the possible father can pursue paternity matters before adoption is confirmed. Adoption cannot be confirmed until paternity is resolved. If you do not know the father, the child welfare officer can decide to suspend paternity investigation. The officer and counselor assess whether paternity could be confirmed later; if so, adoption is not possible until then.

If You Decide on Adoption

A background information form is completed for your child, collecting information about both parents. It is important for the child to know who their birth parents are. It is helpful to describe your childhood, youth, life stages, education, jobs, personality, hobbies, health, and information about siblings. You can leave a photo or write a letter for your child, sharing things you hope they will know later. You can provide these later if you are not ready during the decision process. Information, messages, and photos from birth parents are valuable for the child to understand their origins. Adult adoptees have found information about their birth parents’ appearance and shared traits especially important.

You sign consent for adoption. Then, suitable adoptive parents are chosen for your child, considering your wishes. The transition to a permanent family is made as safely as possible. Prospective adoptive parents meet the child in short-term foster care, get information from the foster family, and learn to care for the child over several days. The counselor monitors the placement and supports adjustment. You are informed about this phase according to your wishes. Prospective adoptive parents have received counseling and must have a stable life situation. Adopted children are long-awaited and desired family members.

Confirming the Adoption

Once the counselor has confirmed a positive relationship between the child and adoptive parents during a home visit, adoption documents are prepared. Adoptive parents apply for confirmation from the district court. At this stage, the child has usually been with the adoptive family for about a month. Once confirmed, the counselor informs you of the decision. Most courts send the decision directly to birth parents. After confirmation, your custody and maintenance responsibilities end.

Can Consent Be Withdrawn?

Consent can be withdrawn before adoption is confirmed by notifying the counselor or the recipient of the consent. If the matter is already in court, you can notify the court directly. If withdrawal is reported to the counselor after the matter is in court, the counselor must immediately inform the court.

How to Appeal?

You must notify the court of dissatisfaction within seven days of the decision. Then, submit an appeal within 30 days of confirmation. Otherwise, the decision becomes final and irrevocable.

How Are Adoptive Parents Chosen?

It is important that adoption is in the child’s best interest and that the child receives good care and upbringing. Your wishes regarding the adoptive family and post-adoption contact are considered. You may express other wishes.

Let Your Loved Ones Support You!

Discussing with loved ones can help you decide and provide valuable perspectives. Their support may be important in later life stages. It is important to have someone besides the counselor to talk to about adoption. Counseling supports you in handling the crisis. Pregnancy may have been a late surprise, and parenthood may not feel possible. This can be a major life crisis needing help. The crisis may manifest in various ways, such as wishing for a quick solution or difficulty talking about it. Some may want to hide the birth from loved ones and forget the matter. In a crisis, it is understandable to protect oneself from excessive anxiety. Counseling helps you handle difficult feelings when making a lifelong decision.

Maternity Allowance and Benefits During Consideration

You are entitled to maternity benefits from Kela if you have attended a clinic or doctor’s appointment before the end of the fourth month of pregnancy. You are also entitled to maternity allowance for 105 weekdays. For hospital costs, you can apply for social assistance from your municipality. If you discovered the pregnancy late, the hospital social worker can help you apply for maternity allowance even if you did not attend a clinic during pregnancy.

After Adoption

Support from adoption counseling continues after confirmation. You receive help in processing the adoption and possible contact with your child. Meetings can revisit your thoughts and feelings about adoption and consider any new questions or needs for support. Meetings are offered at least until your child reaches school age. Thoughts about contact may arise immediately or after the decision, and these can be discussed together. You can also supplement information about your child’s background or leave photos.

Sometimes the adoption process may bring up memories of past experiences, and it may be helpful to discuss these with another professional. Adoption-related thoughts and feelings may resurface even years later. You can contact the counselor whenever you wish, regardless of how much time has passed.

Can My Child Know About Me and the Adoption?

The counselor shares information about birth parents with adoptive parents. Adoptive parents tell the child from an early age about you and how they became part of their family. It is important for the child to know about their adoption and have the right to information about their birth parents. Other parties also have the right to information about themselves and to access adoption documents under guidance. Social workers assist with contact between birth parents and child and help arrange meetings. It is common for adopted children to want to learn about their background and contact birth parents. Life transitions, adulthood, starting a family, illness, and health questions may spark interest in their background. The child may want to meet you and understand how and why they were adopted, supplement the adoptive parents’ story, or learn about other relatives. Prepare for these meetings during counseling. Adoptees usually understand and accept the reasons for adoption, and they seek information and reflection about it.

Contact After Adoption

Adoptive parents are guided to speak respectfully about the child’s background.

Can I Stay in Contact With My Child?

According to the Adoption Act, the child has the right to contact their previous parent if it is in the child’s best interest and agreed upon by the birth and adoptive parents. Contact possibilities are discussed in counseling, and all parties’ wishes are considered. Your wishes affect the choice of adoptive family.

What Can Contact Be Like?

Contact may include agreed meetings, exchanging photos and news directly or through the office. Direct contact between parents and the adoptive family is called open adoption. Your wishes are considered and discussed during counseling and after confirmation.

Is Contact Required?

Contact can help with feelings related to the adoption decision and reduce fears or prejudices about the adoptive family. Contact is the child’s right and can be agreed upon between families. Feelings, thoughts, and wishes about adoption and contact may change over time. Sometimes the adoption decision is so painful that contact does not feel possible during consideration.

Contact may initially feel difficult and evoke various emotions, including anxiety and uncertainty. You can get support from the counselor. It is important not to be alone with your thoughts; reach out to the social worker for help. Experiences with contact are usually positive when parties get to know each other.

Contact often has positive meanings for the child. The child wants to know who their birth parents are, what they look like, how they speak and gesture, to better understand themselves. Birth parents are in the child’s mind even without contact. Through contact, the child can supplement the adoptive parents’ story and their image of birth parents can become real. For example, finding similar physical traits can be important and bring joy. The child also needs to understand how and why they were adopted.

How and When Is Contact Agreed?

Contact can be agreed during counseling or at any stage after. If you wish for contact, the counselor helps explore possibilities. Contact must be in the child’s best interest. When agreeing on contact, consider how it best meets the child’s needs. Written agreements can be made, specifying when, how often, and where meetings occur. Agreements can be submitted to the court for legal binding. Agreements can be reviewed and updated as needed.

Can Relatives and Friends Stay in Contact?

Your loved ones can participate in meetings if agreed with the adoptive parents (and possibly your child). No formal agreement is made with relatives, though grandparents often wish to meet the child. As your child grows, they may want to contact relatives. Siblings are usually very important, and their contact should be supported.

Is Adoption Possible for Older Children?

Adoption can be considered after infancy. The process is legally the same as for infants. There is more discussion with the child, as their opinion and consent are important for older children.

From Foster Care to Adoption

For older children, adoption placement usually begins as foster care. Your child may already be placed outside the home. Adoption can proceed if it is in the child’s best interest and desired by all parties. Adoption in foster care requires a parent-child bond between the foster parents and child. Counseling is provided for the child, birth parents, and prospective adoptive parents.

Adoption must be desired by all parties. Birth parents and children aged 12 or older must give written consent. During placement, you may have kept in touch with your child. After adoption, this contact can continue. Counseling discusses experiences with contact during placement and wishes for contact after adoption. Written agreements can be made and confirmed by the court, making them legally binding.