The professional practices concerning children's questions in the welfare clinic, the day care center, the school and the library in Finland are discussed in this paper. Each institution's historical background and the implicit and explicit concepts of children affecting professional behavior are analyzed. The research data include legal and statutory texts, previous research, and empirical observation. After a brief historical survey the study describes, with the help of 21 cases, encounters and interactions between adults and children. It is suggested that work development in the institutions is promoted or limited by the general objectives set in the form of laws and statutes as well as by historical factors concerning professional practice. Among institutions there is variation in attitudes towards children and in the working methods which define institutional relationships with them. It is suggested that creating an environment for children in which their own initiative is developed requires the adults to be willing to serve, to listen, and to be flexible enough to change their working habits to meet the immediate knowledge needs of the children. Of the four institutions, only the library has consistently developed practices which encourage children's initiatives. Contains 129 references. (AA)