An objection or a complaint in early childhood education and care

If you are dissatisfied with the safety or quality of an early childhood education and care service, you should first approach the service provider in question or the relevant department of your local authority. Often the quickest way to resolve the matter is to talk to the early childhood education and care staff or to contact the person in charge of the facility.

If the matter is not resolved through discussion, you can file a written objection. Write an explanation of the issue about which you are filing an objection. Be as clear as possible. An objection can be filed as a freeform letter. Send your objection to the director of the early childhood education and care unit responsible for the operations in question, to the person in charge of the facility in question or to the senior official in the early childhood education and care department of the local authority or joint municipal authority. Objections must be responded to within a reasonable amount of time, generally 1 to 4 weeks. The response must describe how the objection has been handled at the facility and what action may have been taken as a result. A response to an objection cannot be appealed.

Filing an objection does not prevent you from also pursuing the matter by other means or from complaining to the competent supervisory authority. Your local social ombudsman can help you to file an objection if necessary and advise you on the application of the Act on Early Childhood Education and Care.

If you have filed a written objection, please wait for the response before taking any other action. Sometimes the response will resolve the matter.

If you are not satisfied with the response to your written objection, you can file a formal complaint with the competent supervisory authority (Regional State Administrative Agency (avi.fi) or Valvira). If you file a formal complaint but have not filed a written objection first, the competent supervisory authority may decide to refer the matter to the facility in question as a written objection. You will be notified if this happens. Anyone can file a complaint about unlawful or negligent conduct by public authorities. An administrative complaint can also be filed concerning the delivery of a service for which a public authority is responsible, even if the service has been outsourced to a private service provider.

Complaints must be made in writing, except where the competent supervisory authority agrees to receive the complaint verbally. Instructions on how to file a complaint with the Regional State Administrative Agency can be found on their website (avi.fi). Valvira has an online complaints procedure. You need to first log into the complaints portal using your online banking credentials, a mobile certificate or a Katso ID. The questions on the online complaint form will guide you to fill in the information that is needed for processing your complaint. You may also submit a complaint as a freeform document. In your complaint, you must specify the time of the occurrence and explain why you believe that the service provider in question has failed in its obligations. Please note that cases that are more than two years old are not processed except for special reasons.