Valvira is a central government agency in the administrative sector of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. Its duties are to enforce compliance with the legislation on social welfare, health care, early childhood education and care, industries involving alcohol and environmental health. We also manage related licensing activities, provide guidance and maintain a number of registers across our remit. Furthermore, we manage a range of tobacco-related activities. Our task is to improve the health and welfare of Finnish residents through supervision.

As at the start of 2020, Valvira has a staff of over 160 employees. We are an expert organisation and our staff come from a variety of different backgrounds, including law, medicine, nursing, social sciences, engineering, environmental health, finance, IT and administration. Many have assumed their posts at Valvira following distinguished careers in their chosen field.

Valvira greatly benefits from a multi-disciplinary working environment, which allows experts from a number of fields to work together effectively. Annual staff satisfaction surveys consistently rank us above the national average, while the results of stakeholder and client surveys show that we are seen as expert, reliable and impartial.

At Valvira, we enjoy a unique vantage point from which to view society and, on the invitation of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, proactively engage in legislative drafting work and represent Finland in the EU on a raft of matters. Our civil servants regularly travel to Brussels to discuss issues such as the regulation of healthcare professionals and alcohol policy.

As of 2026, we will form part of the new Finnish Supervisory Agency. This new authority will assume all the duties of Valvira, most of the duties of the Regional State Administrative Agencies and the majority of the duties of the Environment and Natural Resources area of responsibility of the Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment. The domain of the new authority will encompass areas such as health and social services, environment and education.

Valvira employees will migrate to the new authority along with their duties. The authority will have some 2,000 employees around Finland.

The new authority will unify licensing and supervisory practices and streamline licensing processes.