Source: https://www.riigiteataja.ee/en/eli/506052015001/consolide
Timestamp: 2019-04-22 06:53:58+00:00

Document:
§ 42 Omitted from this translation.
(1) This Act provides for the obligations and functions of state and local government agencies and the officials thereof, legal persons in public and private law and natural persons upon ensuring the rights and well-being of children, the organisation of child protection, the prohibitions and restrictions established for persons working with children, the principles of treatment of children, the principles of treatment of children in need of assistance, children in danger and children separated from family, the state supervision over compliance with this Act and the liability for violation of the Act.
(2) The application of the principles for ensuring the rights and well-being of children and the application of child protection measures on the basis of a specific Act shall be based on the requirements provided for in the specific Act, complying with the provisions of Chapter 2 of this Act. In case of issues unregulated by a specific Act, the provisions of this Act shall apply.
This Act shall be established in order to form behaviour and way of life which value and promote the development of children in the society, to create a supporting environment for children, to set the best interests of children as primary consideration, to improve the quality of life of children, to support the comprehensive development of children and to ensure the necessary assistance and care in a timely manner for children whose health and well-being is in danger in conformity with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the optional protocols thereto (hereinafter the convention) and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and other relevant legislation.
(1) The provisions of this Act shall be applied to state and local government agencies and the officials thereof, legal persons in public and private law and natural persons who are in contact with children and child protection in their activities.
(2) For the purposes of this Act, a child means every human being below the age of eighteen years. If the age of a person is unknown and there is reason to believe that the person is below the age of eighteen years, the person shall be deemed to be a child until proven otherwise.
Child’s well-being means the condition supporting the development of the child in which the physical, medical, psychological, emotional, social, cognitive, educational and economic needs of the child are satisfied.
4) every child has the right to independent opinion in all matters affecting the child and the right to express his or her views.
(1) In order to ensure the rights and well-being of the child, the risks threatening the well-being and development of the child must be prevented. Prevention includes the perception of situations and events which threaten the child as early as possible and the reaction thereto, including the identification of the child’s development and behaviour problems, problems occurring in the family environment, identification of abuse and the increase of protective measures promoting the child’s well-being and development.
(2) State and local government agencies shall, according to their possibilities, develop measures in order to prevent the child’s need for assistance and to decrease the existing problems. The measures must be based on the child’s needs, support the relations between the child and the persons raising the child, support the social performance skills and they must be accessible, timely, effective and have a long-term positive effect.
(1) The natural environment for the development and growth of the child is the family. The primary liability for ensuring the child’s rights and well-being lies with the parent or with the person raising the child.
(2) State and local government agencies and the officials thereof, legal persons in public and private law shall, according to their competence, support the parent or the person raising the child upon ensuring the child’s rights and well-being.
(1) In order to ensure the child’s rights and well-being, state and local government agencies and the officials thereof, legal persons in public and private law shall cooperate with each other upon the planning, financing and application of all measures targeted to children by involving the children, parents, persons raising children, interest groups and the public therein.
(2) Based on an international agreement, EU legislation or other legislation, state and local government agencies and the officials thereof, legal persons in public and private law shall cooperate with each other in order to ensure the rights and well-being of children and involve a competent authority of another state or a person authorised therefor, if necessary.
State and local government agencies and the officials thereof, legal persons in public and private law shall ensure the notification of the public of child protection measures, paying special attention to the disclosure of information necessary for assisting children in need or in danger.
Child protection means the aggregate of activities, supports, services and other assistance following the principles provided for in this Act to ensure the rights and well-being of children (hereinafter the measures).
Child protection shall be organised by the Government of the Republic, child protection council, Ministry of Social Affairs, Social Insurance Board, county governors and local governments based on the functions provided for in this Act.
The function of the Government of the Republic upon the organisation of child protection shall be the development and approval of relevant draft legislation and national strategies and ensuring sustainable financing.
3) to give relevant recommendations for cross-sectoral preventive measures of child protection.
(2) The membership, number of members and the rules of procedure of the child protection council shall be established by an order of the Government of the Republic.
7) to organise the further training of child protection officials.
(2) The conditions of and procedure for the further training of child protection officials shall be established by a regulation of the minister responsible for the area.
(3) The performance of functions specified in clauses (1) 5)–7) of this section may be assigned to a person in private law with a contract under public law.
(1) The functions of the Social Insurance Board upon the organisation of child protection are the implementation of state child protection policy, application of national strategies and coordination of cross-sectoral cooperation and prevention concerning child protection.
4) supporting the local governments upon the establishment of suitable measures for children or families from amongst the existing state measures.
7) exercise of state and administrative supervision on the bases provided for in this Act.
(4) The performance of functions specified in clauses (3) 4)–6) of this section may be assigned to a person in private law with a contract under public law.
The function of a county governor upon the organisation of child protection in the county is to exercise state supervision on the bases provided for in this Act.
7) to exercise state supervision on the bases provided for in this Act.
(2) The local government shall create conditions for the performance of child protection work with the purpose of ensuring the performance of functions listed in subsection (1) of this section. The committee of children and families shall be established at local governments as an advisory body, if necessary.
(1) A child protection official is an official of the Social Insurance Board, county government or local government who performs the functions provided for in this Act or other legislation upon ensuring the rights and well-being of children.
(2) A person working with children is a person in direct contact with children in the course of his or her work or professional activities and also a person in direct contact with children in the course of voluntary activities, serving in alternative service, participating in employment services or practicing as a trainee.
(1) Child protection officials must have professional qualification and higher education.
(2) Child protection officials shall acquire the profession of a social worker with specialisation in child protection no later than within two years after starting service as a child protection official.
(3) The compliance of professional qualifications acquired abroad with the requirements of this Act shall be decided by the Social Insurance Board on the basis of the Recognition of Foreign Professional Qualifications Act, taking into account of the specifications arising from this Act.
(1) A person who has been punished or to whom coercive treatment has been imposed for a criminal offence provided for in §§ 113, 114, 116, 133–1333, 141–1451, 175, 1751 or 178–179 of the Penal Code, the information concerning punishment of which has not been deleted from the criminal records database according to the Criminal Records Database Act or the information concerning punishment of which has been deleted from the criminal records database and entered in the archives of the criminal records database, may not act as a child protection official or as a person working with children.
(2) A person who has been punished or to whom coercive treatment has been imposed for a criminal offence provided for in §§ 118, 121, 122, clause 134 (2) 2), subsection 135 (2), subsection 136 (2), clause 1381 (2) 2), subsection 140 (2) or §§ 172–174, 180, 182, 1821, 185, 187 or clause 200 (2) 4) or 5) of the Penal Code, the information concerning punishment of which has not been deleted from the criminal records database according to the Criminal Records Database Act, may not act as a child protection official or as a person working with children.
(3) In case an activity licence is required for working with children for the purposes of subsection 18 (2) of this Act, the person entitled to issue thereof shall observe compliance with the restrictions provided for in subsections (1) and (2) of this section.
(1) Upon the adoption of or deciding not to adopt decisions affecting a child and choosing between different options upon planning a decision (hereinafter deciding together), the best interests of the child shall be ascertained and they shall be based on as the primary consideration upon the making of decisions.
3) assessing all the relevant circumstances in aggregate, to form a reasoned opinion concerning the best interests of the child with regard to the planned decision.
(3) If the best interests of a child differ from the child’s opinion or if a decision which does not coincide with the child’s opinion is made on other grounds, the reasons for not taking the child’s opinion into account must be explained to the child.
(1) A person raising a child is the parent or a person actually raising the child.
3) to explain to the child how to look after his or her health, to develop his- or herself, to reduce risks and to prevent danger.
(3) Upon occurrence of the child’s need for assistance, the person raising a child and the person working with a child shall seek assistance and cooperate with child protection officials and other persons working with children, if necessary.
(4) Upon occurrence of the child’s need for assistance or receipt of a notification thereon, the person working with a child shall immediately notify the person raising the child thereof.
(1) It is prohibited for a minor under sixteen years of age to be in a public place from 23.00 to 06.00 without being accompanied by an adult. During the period from 1 June to 31 August, it is prohibited for a minor under sixteen years of age to be in a public place from 00.00 to 05.00 without being accompanied by an adult.
(2) Local governments have the right to temporarily shorten the night-time restriction of movement provided for in this section.
(1) Neglect of a child, mental, emotional, physical and sexual abuse of a child, including humiliation, frightening and physical punishment of a child, also punishment of a child in any other manner which endangers his or her mental, emotional or physical health is prohibited.
(2) In order to prevent child abuse, the legal representative of a child has the right to receive information on the punishment records of another person on the basis of the Criminal Records Database Act.
(3) It is not a case of child abuse for the purposes of this Act if the child’s behaviour poses a direct and immediate threat to the life or health of the child or to the life or health of other people and the threat cannot be prevented, including by way of conversation, convincing or verbal reassurance and due to that the person raising the child, the person working with the child and child protection official must apply physical strength to an extent which does not cause physical, mental or emotional damage to the child and inflicts the rights and freedoms of the child the least.
(4) Physical strength for the purposes of this Act may only be applied to restrict the child’s moving or movements to an extent proportional to and the least necessary for the elimination of the risk threatening the child or originating from the child. Physical strength may not be used for the purpose of punishment.
(1) It is prohibited to manufacture, show and disseminate to children printed matter, films, audio and video recordings and objects that promote violence or cruelty.
(2) It is prohibited to manufacture, show and disseminate to children objects, printed matter and films of pornographic content.
A child in need of assistance is a child whose well-being is threatened or in the case of whom doubt has arisen concerning his or her abuse, neglect or any other situation violating the rights of the child and a child whose behaviour threatens his or her well-being or the well-being of other persons.
(2) A child in need of assistance must be immediately notified of to the local government or to child helpline service 116 111.
(3) The authority or official having received the notice of a child in need of assistance, except for the local government of the child’s residence entered in the population register or the child protection official thereof, shall be required to forward the notice immediately to the local government of the child’s residence entered in the population register.
(4) If the local government of the child’s residence entered in the population register is unknown or it cannot be ascertained, the notice of a child in need of assistance shall be immediately forwarded to the local government where the child is staying.
(5) The identity of the person having notified of a child in need of assistance or the fact of notification shall not be disclosed, except for in proceedings of an offence. The person notifying of a child in need of assistance shall have the right not to disclose his or her data upon notification for his or her own protection or the protection of his or her family.
(1) Before the application of a suitable measure to a child in need of assistance, the child’s need for assistance must be assessed. The child’s need for assistance shall be assessed by a child protection official or a person working with a child, except for a person in direct contact with a child in the course of voluntary activity, serving in alternative service, participating in employment services or practicing as a trainee, by involving a relevant specialist therefor, if necessary.
2) the parenting skills of the person raising the child.
(3) A child protection official shall involve the child and the person raising the child or the child care institution where the child is staying in the assessment of the need for assistance.
(1) Provision of assistance for a child in need of assistance means the application of measures supporting the child’s well-being in a manner which improves the relations between the child and the person raising the child.
(2) Networking shall be applied upon the provision of assistance, following the principles of case management pursuant to the procedure provided for in the Social Welfare Act.
(3) The local government shall, within ten days after becoming aware of a child in need of assistance, make a decision on whether or not to commence case management or to forward the case to a competent official.
(4) Case management may not be commenced only in case the child’s need for assistance can be satisfied by a non-recurring measure.
(5) Upon assessing the child’s need for assistance and provision of assistance, the local government shall establish and document the opinion of the child and attach it to the mandatory case plan related with the child, unless provided otherwise by a specific Act.
A child in danger means a child who is in a situation which endangers his or her life or health and a child who endangers his or her life or health or that of the others through his or her behaviour.
(1) All persons who have knowledge of a child in danger shall be required to notify of the child in danger.
(2) A child in danger shall be immediately notified of through the emergency call number 112.
(1) A child in danger shall be assisted immediately and the situation having endangered the life or health of the child shall be eliminated. If necessary, a child in danger may be placed in safety until such a time as the danger passes, without request of the consent of the person exercising the right of custody over the child.
(2) If the child was not endangered due to the activity or inactivity of the person exercising the right of custody over child or the danger arising from him or her has ceased, the child in danger shall be delivered to the person exercising the right of custody over the child.
(3) A child in danger shall be placed in safety by the child protection official of the local government of the child’s location or by the police on the basis provided for in clause 46 (1) 8) of the Law Enforcement Act.
(4) A child in danger shall be placed in safety at a social, health care or educational institution or person providing such service (hereinafter service provider) or at a person who is safe for the child depending on the child’s needs and the situation.
3) with the decision of the child protection official of the Social Insurance Board if the person exercising the right of custody over the child cannot be accessed.
2) the person exercising the right of custody over the child refuses the temporary placement of a child with a service provider for the provision of a suitable service.
(2) With the decision specified in subsection (1) of this section, a child in danger shall be separated from family and his or her place of stay shall be determined and, if necessary, the procedure of communication of the parent and child shall be determined for up to 72 hours starting from separation of the child from family.
(3) The local government or the Social Insurance Board shall evaluate the situation of the child and his or her need for assistance and, taking into account of the term provided for in subsection (2) of this section, turn to court in order to restrict the right of custody and, if necessary, the right of access on the bases provided for in the Family Law Act.
(4) If a child in danger comes to the service provider by him- or herself or in another manner, the service provider shall immediately apply for a decision specified in subsection (1) of this section concerning the temporary separation of the child from family if it has become known to the service provider or he or she has reason to believe that the child has been endangered due to the person exercising the right of custody over the child.
(1) Upon choosing a guardian for a child separated from family, granting consent for adoption, evaluating the suitability of foster family and placement of a child in substitute care, the local government shall proceed from the continuity of raising the child, taking into account the ethnic, religious, cultural and linguistic origin of the child.
(2) The child protection official of a local government shall, in cooperation with the person raising the child or with the child care institution in which the child separated from family is staying, be required to provide information to the child concerning his or her origin, the reasons for separation from family and subsequent care issues regarding him or her and to maintain and support the relations between the child separated from family and his or her family, if possible.
(3) Siblings may be separated from each other after their separation from family only as an extreme measure in a situation where their staying together would considerably endanger their rights or well-being.
(4) The child protection official of a local government shall prepare a case plan specified in this Act for a child separated from family and shall ensure the periodic overview and amendment thereof, if necessary, in cooperation with the child and the person raising the child.
A child care institution is a state or local government agency, a legal person in public or private law or a natural person who provides social, educational or in-patient health services for children on the basis of the law or other legislation.
(1) A child staying in a child care institution shall have the right, independent of anyone, to contact the person raising the child, the child protection official of the local government of the child’s residence entered in the population register, and the Chancellor of Justice and to submit opinions and complaints thereto concerning the activity of the child care institution.
(2) A child care institution shall create conditions which help to ensure the right of the child provided for in subsection (1) of this section.
(3) A child care institution shall ensure the independent opportunity for the child to submit opinions and complaints concerning the activity of the child care institution. The child care institution shall record the opinions and complaints of the child and provide immediate feedback to the child thereon. If necessary, changes in the organisation of the everyday life of the child care institution or another important sphere of life of the child shall be prescribed.
(4) A child care institution shall not disclose the identity of the child having submitted an opinion or complaint about the child care institution or the fact of submission of complaint, except for in proceedings of an offence.
(1) The internal evaluation of a child care institution means the activity in the course of which the organisation of work and the working environment of the child care institution as well as the efficiency of activities upon ensuring the child’s rights and well-being are evaluated. The internal evaluation establishes the circumstances supporting and hindering the achievement of objectives of the child care institution and analyses the compliance of activities of the child care institution with legislation.
(2) The child care institution shall immediately eliminate the circumstances established upon the internal evaluation which hinder the ensuring of the child’s rights and well-being.
(3) The internal evaluation of a child care institution shall be organised by the head of the child care institution.
(1) State supervision over compliance with the requirements provided for in this Act and in the legislation established on the basis thereof shall be exercised by the Social Insurance Board, county governor, Consumer Protection Board and local government (hereinafter law enforcement agency).
3) the requirements established for child care institutions providing the social services provided for in §§ 36 and 37, except for substitute home service and child care service financed by the state.
(3) The county governor shall exercise state supervision over compliance with the requirements established for substitute home service and child care service financed by the state provided for in §§ 20 and 21, subsections 22 (2)–(4), subsection 24 (3), §§ 27 and 28, subsections 29 (2)–(5), subsections 34 (2) and (3) and §§ 36 and 37 of this Act.
(4) The Consumer Protection Board shall exercise state supervision over compliance with the requirements provided for in § 25 of this Act.
(5) The local government shall exercise state supervision over compliance with the requirements provided for in §§ 21 and 22, subsection 23 (1) and §§ 24, 27 and 31 of this Act.
(6) Administrative supervision over compliance with the requirements established for local governments provided for in § 17 of this Act and over compliance with the requirements established for child protection officials of local governments provided for in § 28, subsection 32 (3) and clause (5) 2), subsections 33 (1) and (4) and § 34 of this Act shall be exercised by the Social Insurance Board.
(1) For the exercise of state supervision provided for in this Act, the law enforcement agency may apply the special state supervision measures provided for in §§ 30–32 and 49–52 of the Law Enforcement Act on the basis of and pursuant to the procedure provided for in the Law Enforcement Act.
(2) In addition to the special measures specified in subsection (1) of this section, the local government may, for the exercise of state supervision provided for in this Act, apply the special state supervision measure provided for in clauses 46 (1) 6) and 8) of the Law Enforcement Act on the basis of and pursuant to the procedure provided for in the Law Enforcement Act.
(1) A child protection official of a local government or the Social Insurance Board shall have the right to enter a property in order to ascertain danger in case of suspicion of danger.
(2) A child protection official of a local government or other official appointed by a local government shall have the right to issue precepts to a person raising a child for the protection of a child in need of assistance and to require the person raising a child to cooperate with the child protection official.
(1) Child protection officials who have commenced employment before the entry into force of this Act shall comply with the requirements provided for in subsections 19 (1) and (2) of this Act no later than by 1 January 2022.
(2) Child protection officials and persons working with children who have commenced employment before the entry into force of this Act shall comply with the requirements provided for in subsections 20 (1)–(3) of this Act no later than by 1 January 2017.
§ 42. Omitted from this translation.
The Republic of Estonia Child Protection Act shall be repealed.
§ 44. – § 46.Omitted from this translation.
(1) This Act enters into force on 1 January 2016.
(2) Section 19 of this Act enters into force on 1 January 2020.

References: § 25
 § 17
 § 28
 § 34

§ 42

§ 44
 § 46