Public guardianship

If you, for example owing to old age or illness, lose your capacity to look after your interests or take care of your financial affairs, you may need a guardian. However, a guardian is appointed only when your affairs can not be managed properly otherwise. For more information about the appointment of a guardian see the Ministry of Justice brochure on guardianship services or contact the local register office.

By issuing a continuing power of attorney you can make sure that your affairs will be taken care of if you lose your capacity to see to them yourself. For more information about this see the Ministry of Justice brochure on continuing power of attorney.

A guardian can be appointed by a local register office or a district court. As a guardian can act a close relative, a friend or another person close to the ward. When this is not possible, a public guardian is appointed. As of the beginning of 2009 public legal aid offices have been providing public guardianship services.

In public legal aid offices these duties are carried out by public guardians and their assisting staff. Some of the offices have outsourced all or parts of these services to other service providers, such as municipalities, organisations or businesses. The local register offices supervise the activities of the guardians.

Contact information for guardianship services at the public legal aid offices
Contact information for the 41 legal aid offices with the obligation to arrange guardianship services is in Finnish. The competent legal aid office for each municipality has been identified in the Ministry of Justice decree on the guardianship districts of the legal aid offices.

Contact information for the district courts, in Finnish

Updated on 7 June 2010