terms of support and rehabilitation. Consequently, these experts determine who is in need
of special care and education.
Depending on the nature of a child’s need for special care and education, the child may be
placed in an ordinary day-care centre without special support measures. Alternatively, he or
she may have an assistant, or the group size may be reduced by one or more children because
of the child. The child may also be in an integrated special group, where some of the
children are in need of special care and education, and the rest of the group consists of other
children (for example, five special care children and seven other children). In addition, a
child may in some rare cases be placed in a special group with all children in need of special
care and education. The two latter alternatives in particular can only be arranged in
major cities.
The Finnish Act on Children’s Day Care also allows for care to be arranged for schoolchildren.
Due to the economic recession, many local authorities have been forced to reduce the
provision of morning and afternoon care for schoolchildren, and resources have been focused
on the provision of day care for those children, who enjoy a subjective right to day care.
There is no specific mention of schoolchildren’s afternoon care in the Finnish Act on Children’s
Day Care. The Basic Education Act provides that it is possible to arrange club activities
for pupils in connection with basic education. With the aid of club activities, it is possible
to support pupils hobbies, to generate positive learning experiences and to create wellfunctioning
social relationships both with adults and with other children. Club activities
may be organised in co-operation between pupils’ homes, schools, various municipal administrations,
associations, organisations and companies operating in society as well as
with representatives of working life. Responsibility for co-ordination of the activities rests
with the local authority concerned.