Children's Rights and Parents' Responsibilities: Child Maintenance Policies in Finland

Abstract

Child maintenance schemes differ substantially from each other in terms of underlying philosophy, structure, rules and organisation, and in particular, in their very different outcomes. In Finland the principle is that every child has the right to be adequately provided for and that child maintenance is the right of the child. The main policy focus is on shared parenting and the emphasis in the scheme on contact between the child and the non-resident parent emerged in the 1980s. Furthermore, supporting children is seen as a collective responsibility, and this means that at least part of the maintenance is normally guaranteed by the state if the non-resident parent does not pay maintenance. Guaranteed maintenance also covers children without non-resident parents. Calculations show that the maintenance determination guidelines operate on the basis of equality, as both parents are held to be responsible for the child's maintenance in accordance with their abilities, regardless of custody and residence arrangements. Still, the records on overdue maintenance payments and maintenance debts indicate that non-compliance remains a problem in Finland.