Quality of Service Provision in Child Protection: Comparison of Finland and Sierra Leone

Abstract

The wellbeing and protection of children from violence, abuse, sexual abuse, discrimination, child labor and exploitation are a global concern which needs concerted efforts from Governments, international organization, United Nations, and policy makers to put in place laws and legislation that will tackle some of the shortcomings in providing quality services for children. Even though the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child has been signed and ratified by member states, there are still problems in their implementation as stated in this thesis. In relation to the topic in question in this thesis is about quality of services provision in child protection in Sierra Leone and Finland. The aim is to compares the legislation and policies dealing with children in the respective countries. Also comparing the strength and weaknesses in child protection based on United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Data collection criteria for this thesis searched for articles and policies papers published 2015-2022 to capture the current trends in child protection. Documents found were on UN reports on current situation on children, reviewed articles, national recommendations, and national child strategy. After rigorous evaluation process, six articles met all the inclusion criteria and were used for analysis. Four themes were gathered for Analysis for this thesis namely, risks of children’s wellbeing and health in Sierra Leone and Finland, implementation of child protection in Finland and Sierra Leone, the role of the community in child protection, and funding of child protection in Sierra Leone and Finland.

The results show significant development and gaps in the provision of services for children in Sierra Leone and Finland. Recommendations in this review includes strengthening of legal system and the development of policies towards the health system that specifically relates to children. More funding and training of child mental health professionals and the provision of adequate services at the time of need. Further research is necessary to explore some of the loopholes in providing quality services for children.