Become a support family or a foster parent
As a support family, you will provide time and togetherness to a child with special support needs, e.g. by going outdoors, playing together or doing everyday things around the house. The child will spend one weekend per month with their support family, as agreed in advance.
As a foster parent, you will provide a full-time family for a child in need of a loving, safe home. Being a foster parent does not require any special educational skills. All you need to do is provide the child with a safe, regular daily routine, as well as affection, understanding and time together.
Having your own biological child is not a barrier to serving as a support family or a foster parent – on the contrary, having a peer for the child in the family is often a plus.
Read more about support family activities in Helsinki
Read more about becoming a foster parent
Adoption
You can also explore your options for adopting a child through either the international or domestic adoption process. Please note that the criteria for adoption are fairly strictly defined both in Finland and internationally, and the annual number of children in need of adoption is not very high.
If you are interested in intercountry adoption, you can find out more on the website of the international adoption organisation Interpedia. The best way to find information about domestic adoption is to contact the adoption counselling service of Helsinki.
Read about intercountry adoption on the Interpedia website(Link leads to external service)
