Finland proposes Social Welfare Act reform to save 100 million euros annually

The Finnish government has released a proposal to reform the Social Welfare Act, aiming to achieve annual savings of up to 100 million euros starting from 2028. The reform includes deregulating social welfare services, increasing customer fees, and reducing administrative burdens.

Key changes involve transitioning rehabilitative work, social rehabilitation, and disability work to budget-based funding. The reform affects a wide range of citizens, including families with children, the elderly, individuals with mental health or substance abuse issues, people with disabilities, and the long-term unemployed.

Concerns have been raised regarding how the deregulation might impact the constitutional right to adequate social and health services. There are fears that varying interpretations of the law across different wellbeing services counties could lead to inequality in service accessibility and legal protection for clients.