Sharing of social welfare client data

Social welfare services client data are shared between social welfare service providers via Kanta. A client can manage data sharing by granting their consent to data sharing or setting a denial of consent to data sharing.

The sharing of social welfare client data is governed by nationally harmonised operating practices. Learn about data sharing practices in our online course.

Kanta is not yet used to share social welfare services client data between service providers

Data sharing between social welfare service providers will begin as social welfare service providers make the necessary changes to their information systems. An appropriate information system must be in place by 1 September 2026 at the latest.

Consent to data sharing in social welfare services

When you retrieve information from Kanta that has been recorded by another wellbeing services county or another private social welfare service company, you are sharing data. Your client must give their consent to the sharing of their social welfare services client data in order for you to use that data.  

The client can give their consent to data sharing after having confirmed receipt of the information about the Kanta Services.

You must also always have a right of access to that data and grounds of legitimate interest for using it. Grounds of legitimate interest include things like a client relationship.

When is consent to data sharing not necessary?

In certain situations, it is possible to share social welfare services data with another service provider, even if the client has not given their consent to data sharing or has restricted the sharing of their data by setting denials of consent.

Social welfare service providers and public authorities have a statutory right to access information in some areas of their work. In such cases, information can be requested from Kanta without the client’s consent to data sharing, and any denials of consent to data sharing set by the client will not prevent the sharing of data.

When client data generated in the context of outsourced services are shared between the wellbeing services county providing the service and a private service provider, this is not considered to be data sharing. Therefore, no consent to data sharing is required from the client.

Wellbeing services county employees can therefore view the information recorded about the client in Kanta by the private service provider. The private service provider, on the other hand, can view the information about the client that is necessary to provide the service. 

Denials of consent to data sharing in social welfare services

Your client can also limit the extent of their consent to data sharing by setting separate denials of consent. If data are subject to a denial of consent to data sharing, they are in principle only available to the social welfare service provider in whose data file they are stored. 
A denial of consent to data sharing can be issued for

  • a specific social welfare services document 
  • all documents relating to a service event
  • all data stored by a specific controller.

How to record a client’s consent or denial of consent to data sharing

Your client can give their consent to data sharing or set denials of consent to data sharing when they manage their affairs in social welfare services.

Record the client’s declaration of intent in the client information system you use, from where it will be stored in Kanta.

Print out a copy of the consent to data sharing or a summary of the denials of consent to data sharing the client has set, if they so request. The printouts do not need to be signed or archived.

Clients can also give their consent to data sharing or set denials of consent to data sharing in MyKanta.

Frequently asked questions about data sharing in social welfare services

A client’s data can be utilised and used more extensively than before in social welfare services within the wellbeing services counties. Public service providers that previously operated in the area have merged under a single service provider, known as a wellbeing services county. Each wellbeing services county has its own data files for healthcare patient data and social welfare client data.

By giving their consent to data sharing, the patient can ensure that data is also shared between wellbeing services counties and between private and public service providers. Denials of consent to data sharing can be issued to restrict data sharing between service providers, for example between wellbeing services counties and also between public and private service providers.

Not yet. Data sharing between social welfare and healthcare services via Kanta will be possible by 1 March 2027 at the latest. Such data sharing will require separate consent to data sharing. Data sharing between operators is currently only possible at a local level, for example, within a wellbeing services county.  We will provide more information on the new types of consent between different sectors later on in kanta.fi.

Read more

  

Last updated 17.6.2025