In terms of developing social and health services for the Sámi, the Sámi Parliament has decided that for linguistic and cultural rights to be realised, social and health services are provided in Sámi; the services are planned around the Sámi cultural background, traditional values, form of life, and mindset, and are arranged based on the cultural self-government of the Sámi.

In 2002, the Finnish Parliament accepted, for the first time, a separate appropriation in the state budget for providing social and health services in the Sámi language. This separate appropriation is an important part of the constitutional self-government in the Sámi Homeland, through which the Sámi can essentially have an influence on the services which are aimed at them.  

According to the budget, the appropriation can be used for paying subsidies through the Sámi Parliament to the municipalities in the Sámi region for securing social and health services in all Sámi languages. Since 2004, the value of the appropriation has been 600,000 euros. The County Administrative Board of Lapland functions as a government subsidy authority.