Interpreter services supplied by others

Students with disabilities or other special needs have the right to get interpreter services at no cost to them.

Municipal authorities are responsible for supplying an interpreter

• for preschool
• for basic education
• for school camps
• during preparatory education for an upper secondary qualification (only TUVA offered in basic education).

Kela is responsible for supplying an interpreter

• for the basic education of persons who are past the age of compulsory education
• for before and after school activities.

Please contact the authorities of the municipality you live in if you want to learn more about interpretation in basic education.

The obligation of municipalities to supply an interpreter for basic education is based on the Basic Education Act.

Your child’s day care centre or family day care provider must make a personal early childhood education plan (varhaiskasvatussuunnitelma) for your child. The plan includes, for example, the following information:

• the situations and activities where the child needs support
• what kind of support the child is getting
• if the child needs an interpreter
• how the child is supplied with interpreter services.

The municipality is responsible for supplying an interpreter for the child if the child needs one to participate in the day-to-day activities of their day care centre. In exceptional cases, Kela can supply an interpreter in situations where the municipality cannot do it. Such situations can include

• discussions about the early childhood education plan
• spring and Christmas celebrations
• theatre visits and swimming lessons organised by the day care centre.

Please contact the authorities of the municipality you live in if you want to learn more about interpretation in early childhood education (day care).

The obligation of municipalities to supply an interpreter for early childhood education is based on the Early Childhood Education and Care Act.

Wellbeing services counties must supply, where possible, their customers with interpreter services for example at a hospital.

Wellbeing services counties must supply interpreter services when they send their customer an invitation, for example, to

• a medical procedure
• an examination
• a laboratory test
• an imaging test (X-ray).

In those situations, the healthcare provider that sends the invitation knows in advance that the customer needs an interpreter. This means that the healthcare provider, such as a health centre or hospital, has enough time to make sure an interpreter will be present.

Kela will supply an interpreter for the customer if

• the customer is the one who books an appointment with a doctor or some other healthcare professional
• the customer is taken to the hospital for emergency treatment (for example if they have a stroke).

If the customer has to stay in the hospital for a longer period of time, the wellbeing services county becomes responsible for supplying an interpreter. The wellbeing services county takes over the responsibility as soon as it is able to get an interpreter for the customer.

Wellbeing services counties’ obligation to supply interpreter services in healthcare is based on the Act on the Status and Rights of Patients.

Wellbeing services counties must, where possible, supply an interpreter when a customer uses social services. For example, if social services invite a customer to a meeting, social services are responsible for making sure an interpreter is present at the meeting.

Wellbeing services counties’ obligation to supply interpreter services when customers use social services is based on the Act on the Status and Rights of Social Welfare Clients.

Customers have the right to get interpreter services if their hearing impairment or speech impairment is caused by, for example, an accident at work or a traffic accident. In that case, the insurance company is responsible for supplying them with those services.

Insurance companies’ obligation to supply interpreter services is based on the Employment Accidents Insurance Act and the Motor Liability Insurance Act.

Customers have the right to use a language that they understand and speak well enough during a criminal investigation (esitutkinta). This applies to customers whose first language is not Finnish, Swedish or one of the Sámi languages. This applies also to persons using sign language. The police are responsible for supplying interpreter services during a criminal investigation.

This obligation is based on the Criminal Investigation Act.