Social worker CPD Requirements in Finland

Social workers in Finland follow a CPD-based model rather than a fixed hour total. Social worker is a protected, licensed professional title (laillistettu ammattihenkilo) granted by the national supervisory authority (formerly Valvira, now Lupa- ja valvontavirasto) under the Act on Social Welfare Professionals (Laki sosiaalihuollon ammattihenkiloista 817/2015), requiring a Master's degree with social work as the major. The licence is granted for life with no periodic renewal and no fixed statutory CPD/CE hour requirement. Section 5 of Act 817/2015 imposes a general duty on the professional to maintain and develop the professional skills required by the work, with a parallel employer duty (reinforced by the Social Welfare Act 1301/2014) to enable and arrange necessary continuing/supplementary education. Competence is monitored through supervision, not a counted-hours mandate.

Finland does not mandate specific CE subjects for Social worker beyond the general requirement — any board-approved continuing education generally counts. Always confirm with the regulator.

Generally yes — Finland does not require live or interactive hours for Social worker, so approved online / home-study CE can typically satisfy the requirement. Home-study note: Not applicable - no statutory CPD hour requirement or format restrictions.

Lifelong licensure, no renewal cycle. The maintain-and-develop-competence duty (Act 817/2015, Section 5) is qualitative rather than a counted-hours requirement; employers must provide sufficient continuing education. Supervisory authority merger (Valvira -> Lupa- ja valvontavirasto) on 1 Jan 2026 did not change the substantive licensing rules.