Finnish child welfare inspector Adolf von Bonsdorff wrote in 1915 that it is "society's absolute responsibility" to take care of the upbringing and schooling of the children in case the parents lack the capability or the morality. He argued among others that "the state needs all born citizens". This text is a good example of the debate engaged in by the Finnish professional and official circles at the beginning of the 20th century. The debate can be regarded as part of the creation of the nation and the nation-state where the citizenship and relationships between society and individual were defined in a new way.In my presentation I aim to point out why, what way and to what extent it was regarded as society's responsibility to take care of the upbringing and schooling of poor children. The question of poor childrens' upbringing and education was related to a bigger issue known as "the social question".My second focus is the citizenship and the discourses and definitions linked to it. I am going to deal with the contribution of poor relief and child welfare policies to the formation of meanings associated with "socially acceptable citizens". I would like to draw attention to how the concept of "a good citizen" had a different meaning in different contexts and what implications this had regarding the upbringing and education of poor children. For example the conception of "a socially acceptable good citizen" varied according to social class and gender.My study sets out to examine these questions through the official and professional debate engaged in mainly by poor relief and child welfare authorities. My material consists of contemporary literature by poor relief and child welfare authorities, articles from magazines and journals connected to poor relief, child welfare or education, other official documents - such as laws, statutes, parliamentary documents and committee memoranda.