Separations at the State Institution Board's special youth homes

Christian Carlsson (KD)

Madam Speaker! Secure children give a safer society. However, there are many children who do not have the privilege of growing up in a secure family or who, for one reason or another, need to be taken into care by the state. Some children are given the opportunity to be placed in a foster home, others in HVB homes. To Statens institutionsstyrelse, Sis, come, among other things, children and young people with serious problems with substance abuse and crime. But at Sis's special youth home, there are also children and teenagers who primarily have mental health problems.

It must be said that the situation at Sis is demanding from the very beginning, with aggressive and violent youths. Unfortunately, for several years now, serious deficiencies have also occurred within Sis's operations. Ivo recently criticized the operations for serious shortcomings and demanded measures at 19 of 21 supervised youth homes, and Ivo has actually found deficiencies at all youth homes where girls are cared for. This concerns, among other things, young girls who are subjected to violations and even sexual abuse by staff or others at the residence. The supervision has even shown cases where staff continue to work with children and young people despite ongoing investigations into sexual offenses. This must naturally not occur. Ivo has also stated that Sis uses so-called segregations that contravene the law.

A child cared for at a special youth home according to 3 § LVU may in certain cases be kept in isolation if it is particularly called for due to behaving violently or being intoxicated. The child's best interests shall, however, always be decisive. Isolation may only be used if the measure is in reasonable proportion to the purpose and if there are no less intrusive measures that can be taken which are sufficient. The special powers shall be used with the utmost restrictiveness, and the rights of the child or the young person shall always be taken into account.

It should be said that there has been heavy international criticism against Sweden for the use of isolation within psychiatric compulsory care, and as recently as November 2022, the Parliamentary Ombudsmen, JO, also directed criticism towards the application of today's provisions.

Against this background, it is important that Sis is now carrying out extensive work to reduce the number of separations, and the ambition shall be that the use of separations can cease in the long term.

Sis has been tasked by a previous government to develop its violence prevention work, and that assignment is to be finalized in March next year. But in order to strengthen the knowledge base, the new bourgeois government, in which the Christian Democrats are included, has tasked the Swedish Council for Medical and Social Evaluation, SBU, with carrying out a preliminary study to evaluate alternative methods and ways of working for coercive measures. This applies within Sis, within psychiatric compulsory care, and within forensic psychiatric care. This is an important step in the current government's work to reduce the number of separations at the special youth homes, and the assignment is to be reported back to the government by May this spring at the latest.

The government has also, in its regulatory letter to Sis for the current year, directed a number of reporting requirements concerning the safety and security of both children and young people as well as the staff at Sis. It also concerns reporting requirements regarding competence development and quality and follow-up. In that assignment, it is particularly important to analyze the development of the number of detentions and other special powers that have been applied over the last five years.

Madam Speaker! There is an important work of change underway at Sis, and the government is actively working on the issue. It is a priority issue for the government, but more needs to be done. Several examples are mentioned in the government's report. Several conclusions can be drawn from the report regarding what is required moving forward to ensure that the care of, in particular, placed girls shall be safe and secure. Firstly, more legal support is needed in Sis's operations, and the staff's knowledge of disabilities needs to be increased. Secondly, the authority needs a higher staff density and lower staff turnover, as fewer incidents of separation then occur. The young people also experience greater security in residences where there is experienced staff. Thirdly, smaller group sizes are needed. We have seen that this has been successful in order to be able to offer care and so that the number of separations shall decrease.

This is what is required to strengthen the safety for some of society's most vulnerable children and young people, and as chairman of the Committee on Social Affairs, I look forward to good cooperation to make this possible.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Gustaf Lantz (S)

Madam Speaker! I was recently at a flea market and saw an object that made my heart skip a beat. It was a red heart-shaped cushion with hands - I do not know if you have seen such a cushion.

It was when I worked at the district court in Falun that I saw such a pillow for the first time. I sat in several trials where we watched long video-recorded interrogations with children. These were children who had suffered very badly in life, who told about abuse and who had difficulty sitting still and expressing themselves. Skilled interrogators had created as safe an environment as possible for the children, among other things with just such a heart pillow. It became a lifeline in all the chaos. When the difficult questions came about horrific events, the children hid behind the pillow and hugged it tightly and for a long time.

During my time at the district court, I learned that there are no limits to what children can be forced to experience, not even in Sweden. Many of those living in Sis-homes have previously been subjected to abuse or other violence from adults. They need safety and calm, good care, and time to heal.

Madam Speaker! That is why it is so incredibly sad to read time and again about children suffering within Sis. When we discuss how society's most vulnerable should be treated, there is no room for political games, simplifications, or ideological deadlocks. It simply must be right.

The common denominator for those admitted to Sis is that they are children and young people whom society has judged must be cared for behind bars. Otherwise, they risk harming themselves or others. There are everyone from young girls who have cut their arms because they can no longer bear to live, to boys who have committed murder on behalf of gangs.

Madam Speaker! Seclusion is a legally regulated possibility for staff to take a client aside to provide care in seclusion. In some cases it is necessary, but if it is used too often, it is a clear sign that something is not right in the operation.

Segregation is a very intrusive measure against a person's freedom and bodily integrity - rights that are particularly important for children and young people. Segregation should only be a last resort to ensure that no one comes to serious harm, but between 2019 and 2021 the number of segregations for girls has almost doubled. Sis must now rectify this.

Madam Speaker! Ivo has stated in his review that there are fewer placements in special youth homes with high staffing density, experienced staff, and low staff turnover. The children and young people are also safer there. Not least, the staff's knowledge of disabilities is considered an important factor for placed children and young people to receive care and treatment according to their needs.

Madam Speaker! The conclusion must be that many of the separations could be avoided with correctly resourced staff. Those who wish to improve the situation for children and young people within Sis must therefore take an interest in the work environment. The work environment is also an important key for the recruitment of competent staff. Despite this, solitary work occurs to the utmost extent within Sis. This represents a great risk for both staff and children and young people.

Madam Speaker! Those who work with the country's most demanding children and young people should always have a colleague at hand. It should be a matter of course, and above all, children who are locked up deserve to receive that care and security. Therefore, we Social Democrats propose that solo work be stopped in the client-facing contacts within Sis. Solo work is a great strain both mentally and physically, especially at the special youth homes.

Madam Speaker! There is also an unsustainable security situation within Sis. There have been several spectacular escapes just this year, and this week reports came in of riots at the special youth home in Eksjö. Working alone is dangerous for both staff and residents. Unfortunately, we Social Democrats are not backed by a single other party here in the chamber today when it comes to this demand, even though the trade union Seko very clearly demands the same thing. I think it is sad.

Madam Speaker! Removing the regulatory framework surrounding segregations is not a solution in itself. The work must be concentrated on getting measures in place that can prevent serious incidents from occurring to ensure that clients and staff do not come to harm. When situations that justify a segregation nevertheless arise, it is important to have a regulatory framework that clearly states the parameters for the measure. It is also important that that regulatory framework is followed, which the review unfortunately shows has not been done in several cases.

In conclusion, I would like to move for approval of reservation 4 under point 2.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Johan Hultberg (M)

Madam Speaker! Today we have to debate a very important issue, namely the question of separations at Statens institutionsstyrelses särskilda ungdomshem. We in the Social Affairs Committee have for a long time noted the need for substantial improvements within Sis youth care.

The reports of not only quality deficiencies but also all too often pure abuses and violations have unfortunately been many over the years. It is something that we in the Committee on Social Affairs have taken most seriously. We have repeatedly called the Director General and the responsible minister to the committee to demand accountability and to push for a necessary work of change.

Unfortunately, we have previously not had a government that has done enough to address the shortcomings within Sis or to broadly develop and strengthen social child and youth care. But now, Madam Speaker, we finally have a government with great ambitions in this area. This is clearly expressed in the Tidö Agreement. Now we have in Camilla Waltersson Grönvall a Minister for Social Services who, with burning commitment, takes on the task of strengthening social services and preventing future social problems and thereby, in the long run, also the need for extensive interventions such as coercive care within Sis.

Madam Speaker! I can state that although the new government has only been working for half a year, much has already happened, not least when it comes to preventive work and work with early interventions. In this context, I want to highlight the government's commitment to strengthened access to parenting support as well as two of the news items in the spring budget, namely the commitment to school social teams and the commitment to strengthened foster home care with more places of good quality.

Perhaps the Speaker now thinks that I am about to sail away from today's specific topic, which is segregations within Sis's special youth homes, but I mean that the question of segregations is and needs to be part of a larger discussion. I am, in fact, firmly convinced that preventive work and work with early interventions of good quality are fundamental to long-term and lasting reduction of the need for compulsory care and, in the long run, also of the occurrence of segregations within compulsory care.

Madam Speaker! Let me now zoom in on the question of what needs to be done here and now to reduce the occurrence of separations within Sis, of course with the long-term goal that the separations shall cease completely. Perhaps the most important thing is to carry out a competence and quality lift within the authority.

The mission that Sis has to perform is very difficult and complex. By, as the government is now doing, investing in education and high competence, the employees within Sis become better equipped and the conditions for good and legally secure care are improved. Sis has received significantly increased appropriations - 140 million kronor annually - to enable the competence and quality lift that I am convinced all of us participating in today's debate are completely in agreement is needed.

What is also important for reducing the disparities within Sis is to change the agency's mandate as well as to give the agency better tools and conditions to create and maintain a safe and secure care environment. As Statskontoret noted in its agency report 2020, Sis has difficulty offering care that is adapted to all the target groups that come to the agency. Caring for both young girls with self-harming behaviors and heavily gang-criminal boys is no simple task.

We Moderates have long pointed out that Sis is not the right authority to take care of the latter group. The new government is now working intensively to establish special youth prisons under the auspices of Kriminalvården. It is an important step to give Sis a narrower and more reasonable mandate.

As I mentioned, Sis needs better tools and conditions to create and maintain a good and safe care environment. Specifically, it is about creating better premises but also about a long series of necessary legislative changes. How is Sis to be able to maintain a safe care environment, free from drugs and weapons, if, for example, one is not allowed to routinely carry out room or body searches?

To give Sis more adequate legal conditions, which also, not least, involves creating better opportunities to limit access to phones and the internet, is important to prevent such situations that sometimes, and all too often, end in isolation. It is also important to increase knowledge about alternative methods to isolation.

In this context, I want to highlight the assignment that the government has given to the State Board for Medical and Social Evaluation to carry out a preliminary study aimed at evaluating methods and approaches as alternatives to coercive measures within not only Sis but also the psychiatric and forensic psychiatric coercive care.

In conclusion, I want to express the impatience I feel regarding putting a stop to the recurring and completely unacceptable conditions that have been alerted to in report after report, most recently in the report *Who should believe me?* from Barnrättsbyrån and Childhood. There must be an end to the conditions and a significant improvement in the care.

Sis is an agency that is undergoing a significant journey of change. It is a journey that needs to be accelerated and followed up very carefully. The new government has therefore set very clear reporting requirements for Sis to analyze and assess the results of the measures that the agency has taken.

I can state that the measures the authority has taken have yielded positive results, including in the form of fewer separations. The pace needs to be increased, but the development is still moving in the right direction. I know that Sis is an authority with very many highly competent and committed employees who do everything in their power so that the authority as a whole will become better at carrying out its mission. That mission, Madam Speaker, is one of the very hardest but also most important in our society.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Martina Johansson (C)

Madam Speaker! I thank Johan Hultberg for his speech.

I cannot help but wonder what a seclusion means. When is a seclusion used? Well, it may be used when a child or a youth behaves violently or is under the influence of intoxicants and cannot maintain order.

As long as we allow distinctions to be made, they will be used. Even if we lift up and increase the competence, the possibility still exists.

During the previous parliamentary term, the Moderaterna did not vote for proposals that distinctions should cease. It is nothing new that the Moderaterna will also not vote for today's proposal.

My question to the member is: Does the member think it is reasonable that employees with legal support are allowed to subdue and lock up a girl of eleven or twelve years old in a cold room because of an aggressive behavior and that she does not behave in the way that is desired? Is it reasonable that it is legal to do so?

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Johan Hultberg (M)

Madam Speaker! The simple answer to the member's question would be "no", but I think the question is too complex and difficult to give a simple answer. That is why the Moderaterna in this report and previously have rejected proposals to introduce a ban on exemptions.

We think it is an extreme possibility that must be used extremely restrictively. We are very concerned that detentions are used in far too many cases today, sometimes actually in conflict with current legislation. I know that Member Johansson is well aware of this. Among other things, Ivos supervision report has shown that the authority uses detentions in too many cases and in some cases also in conflict with current legislation. The detentions last, for example, for far too long.

I and the Moderaterna have long pushed for that the fundamental problems which cause detentions and other far-reaching coercive measures to be used to such a large extent as they are today should be addressed. It is about the fact that Sis is not an authority that is equipped to handle the difficult mission it has.

The lack of space means that young people with very different needs are mixed to an all too high degree. We have seen that, for example, the work with special departments for young girls with destructive and often self-harming behavior has been successful. But the authority has had to move away from this work when there has been a lack of space and one simultaneously has an obligation to immediately provide a placement when the social services have made a decision.

This is a long-term task. The pace has not been sufficient, but now, thanks to the new government, it has accelerated.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Martina Johansson (C)

Madam Speaker! We can agree that it is a long-term task. There are very many different parts within the social services and the work there that need to be improved in different ways. That is the first thing I will sign on to. It is not always that I agree with the Moderaterna on how this work should be done, but yes, that it should be done.

I am still concerned. As long as something is permitted, it will be used. The member highlights the fact that the measure is currently being used in violation of the law. It may concern both the reasons and the duration of the separation. But even if we work with exactly what the member suggests, something that I also of course think should be done, it does not help. If one allows employees to use separation in situations where they might not be at their best, it means that it will continue even in the future. It is a breach of norms when we, in the legislation, say that something is not accepted.

Many of those who are in institutions may also actually not need to be there. They may have the kind of diagnosis for which they could have received support and help much earlier in life.

If one looks at how many and who are being separated, one sees in the statistics that more girls than boys are separated. It is not quite those that the member took up in his speech; he spoke about gang-criminal boys. Here it is about girls, who probably are not as physically strong as we can imagine that some boys are.

I return to the question of whether it is truly reasonable that it should be legal for employees within the State Institution Board to beat a young girl of eleven or twelve years old and lock her in a cold room.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Johan Hultberg (M)

Madam Speaker! It is completely unreasonable that society today does not offer, or has not offered, better support and better care and treatment to very fragile and socially vulnerable young people with great needs. Society has failed these children year after year, and all of us here in the chamber feel a great commitment to rectify this.

Extensive work is currently underway, and as I have said, I am impatient and want the work to proceed faster. But I still perceive that acute measures and long-term reforms are being taken to address the problems that exist, and the work is being carried out both within the agency, driven by the agency itself, and by the government.

If I had felt secure, Madam Speaker, that it would always have been possible to manage the situations where it is currently permitted to use isolation in another way, I would have immediately voted to ban this possibility. But I am not secure with that today, and therefore the assignment that SBU has been given is important. One must look at what possibilities can be used instead if one does not use isolation.

The best interests of the child must be in focus. How can we ensure the safety and security for the individual child who may be the subject of separation? Sometimes one may have to protect the child from themselves. But naturally, one must also look out for the other children and young people cared for at the institution, as well as the staff working there.

I am, however, just as upset as Member Johansson about how often the tool of separation is used, that it is used incorrectly, that the authority has failed to prevent the situations from arising, and that one all too often obviously resorts to what can be perceived as a simple measure to handle an acute situation.

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Gustaf Lantz (S)

Madam Speaker! My simple question is why the Moderaterna choose to vote against putting a stop to the solitary work within Sis.

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Johan Hultberg (M)

Madam Speaker! One answer could be that I believe we should be careful about precisely regulating how the staffing of an agency should be in this chamber, in the same way as I believe we should be careful about making precise decisions regarding staffing within elderly care or health and medical care. I believe it is important that we have an overarching legislation that governs what quality an operation should have and what one has a right to as a patient or as a young person cared for at, for example, a Sis-home.

I am concerned about the extensive loneliness that exists within Sis. It is also a symptom of the more fundamental problem that the authority has with a lack of competence supply. There are not enough well-educated and skilled colleagues. They need to become more numerous. The employees at Sis need to receive better training. Therefore, it is good that the authority has, for example, finally established an internal training that ensures a basic education that is equal for everyone regardless of which institution one works at within Sis.

But I do not quite believe, Madam Speaker, in this type of simple solution – that we here in the chamber should make decisions on bans on solo work or, for that matter, quick bans on detachments. Member Lantz pointed out in his main submission that the question of detachments might be a bit too complex for one to introduce a simple ban. I believe that approximately the same logic and reasoning can be argued in the questions regarding solo work. In the vast majority of cases, solo work is absolutely not appropriate. But this must be ensured by every head of institution and ultimately by the Director General of Sis. I do not believe that it is a question that we should handle here in the chamber.

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Gustaf Lantz (S)

Madam Speaker! I feel a responsibility to draw red lines for the activities that we in the Riksdag are responsible for. For me, it is not particularly complicated or strange if we politicians say that one should always have a colleague by one's side when performing tasks within Sis and working with youths and children who are sometimes very difficult to manage. But above all, it is about the youths and children feeling that security.

Member of the Board Hultberg expressed in a very good way the seriousness of the deficiencies that exist within Sis. But I note that it is only one party in this debate that has presented a concrete proposal concerning improving the situation at Sis and not just saying no to certain measures. This is something that would make a difference.

For me, it is important that Seko, which organizes those who work within Sis, has clearly set this requirement. I have also spent time talking to people who work within Sis and who say that this is very important, also in order to be able to recruit new colleagues. As Hultberg points out, there are problems with finding competent and trained staff. If it is to be attractive to work within Sis, one must know that one does not end up in dangerous situations and that one has a colleague at hand when needed.

I hope that we can continue this discussion. Hultberg began his main speech by talking about the previous term and described it as if nothing had happened. We can have a cup of coffee and talk about all the assignments that have been given and the money that has been added, but I think we should focus on the future and try to do as much good as possible together.

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Johan Hultberg (M)

Madam Speaker! Things happened during the previous parliamentary term with the previous government, but far too few. The pace was too low. Now the pace has been increased. Not least, I think an important difference is that the new government constantly has its finger on the pulse of the authority. Now there is a very clear reporting requirement on the authority so that the government can ensure that the measures taken from the government's side and from the authority's side yield results. That makes me feel much more secure. We now have a government that is passionate and determined when it comes to addressing the problems that exist within Sis. But unfortunately, the problems will likely not be fully resolved in the short term; rather, it is a long-term task.

When it comes to solitary work, the question is also whether a ban could have any other negative effects, for example that one would work more with young people in large groups when they perhaps rather need care and interventions in smaller groups or even individually. That type of trade-off must be made in the practical work. They are very difficult to make in this chamber.

I and Member Lantz fully and completely share the ambition and the goal. The cooperation close to the individual youth should cease. But I do not think that this type of simple decision here in the chamber is the way forward. The way forward is to work on giving the authority increased resources, not least increased resources for competence enhancement, which I highlighted in my main submission, because that is what is needed to raise the quality and to prevent and reduce the risk of dangerous and threatening situations. One should be able to handle the problems early, before they escalate. I am pleased with Member Lantz's engagement in the matter and look forward to many continued discussions.

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Carita Boulwén (SD)

Madam Speaker! We are now debating the Social Committee's report 24 Separations at the State Institution Board's special youth homes. I want to begin by moving for the approval of the Sweden Democrats' reservation number 5.

Madam Speaker! All children have the right to grow up under safe conditions and receive good and loving care. Not a single child and not a single young person should have to grow up in a home with violence, crime, or substance abuse, or end up in such a situation themselves.

But unfortunately, that is not how reality looks. Even though the vast majority are doing well and grow up under safe conditions, there are far too many children and young people who suffer, and the number is steadily increasing. Sometimes society needs to step in and take over parental responsibility for a shorter or longer period to break an unfavorable and harmful behavior or to ensure that they get away from a seriously harmful environment.

Taking a child into care and moving them from their own home is one of the most far-reaching measures society can take. For these children and young people who are in the care of society, we also have a special responsibility. The children and young people who are in the care of society have the right to a safe and secure care of good quality, regardless of the form or basis for placement.

Madam Speaker! The Social Affairs Committee has repeatedly received reports showing extremely serious conditions prevailing at various Sis institutions around the country, with violence, violations, and abuse. Year after year, these conditions have been highlighted. Various initiatives and measures have been taken. Despite this, the conditions have persisted.

At Sis, the most vulnerable are placed. These are young individuals who, for various reasons, need to be protected from themselves, from their own behavior, from others, or from serious deficiencies in their home environment. Already vulnerable children and young people who, under the care of society, should be protected and cared for, are subjected to serious abuse, violence, and violations, including sexual abuse. Young girls are particularly affected.

It is not enough that these children and young people are subjected to horrific abuse – reports also show that many experience that they are not being listened to and that people do not believe them when they tell about the abuse, which can be just as horrific as the abuse itself. It simply cannot continue like this, Mr. Speaker. The reports that authorities and various organizations such as Barnrättsbyrån and Childhood have presented, with stories from those who have been placed in various Sis homes, make me both sad, angry, and desperate.

It is truly painful to read, and completely unacceptable. Many testify to abuse of power and systematic harassment and violence, often in connection with dismissals.

Several announcements have been directed from the Riksdag to the government in previous years in an attempt to address the serious deficiencies existing within Sis's operations.

It is actually we in politics who have the ultimate responsibility to ensure that the state's interventions are effective, maintain good quality, and are rewarding. In that regard, all of us who are members of the Committee on Social Affairs have an important mission. I am pleased with the great commitment that exists in the committee regarding precisely these issues.

Due to an announcement that the Riksdag directed to the government in April 2022 regarding the State Institution Board's measures to reduce separations at special youth homes, the government submitted a report in January 2023, which is the reason why we have this debate in the chamber today. In that report, the government accounts for the efforts and measures that have been taken to reduce the number of separations and what measures need to be taken so that the separations can eventually cease.

We can observe that a number of measures have been taken previously, but that they are far from having yielded the desired results. The disparities have not decreased significantly in the operations, but a decrease has been seen in the particularly reinforced departments and within the girls' initiative. There, they have also reinforced with more staff and better training, which seems to have yielded results. It is an important step in the right direction.

The disparities tend to increase at lower staffing levels and when the staff do not have the right competence and education. It is therefore of paramount importance that Sis staff have the right education and the right competence to meet these children and young people based on their needs.

Madam Speaker! I am pleased that we now have a government where the Sweden Democrats have a leading position in the government. With the Tidö Agreement as the basis for the government cooperation, there is both the will and the capacity to actually take responsibility to ensure that a change now takes place.

For us in the Sweden Democrats, these issues are of the utmost importance. We will closely monitor that measures are actually taken to achieve the goals. We in the Sweden Democrats have in our reservation and in its position a motion.

We believe that the authority to separate youth expeditiously should be phased out and that Sis shall work intensively to build up methods and ways of working within its activities to significantly reduce the number of separations and prepare for separations to be abolished. It is of importance that other methods have been established within the authority by then.

At the same time, it is important that the authority has the resources and tools that enable the staff to protect young people who exhibit destructive behavior in a safe and ethical manner. This is primarily needed to protect the young person, but also so that the staff can have a safe working environment. The Government should take appropriate measures to achieve this as soon as possible.

Madam Speaker! Many of the children and young people who are placed have a broken background and need safe, stable adults around them who can provide them with support and good care. Safety, stability, and predictability are incredibly important for everyone, not least for these children, and can be decisive in breaking a destructive behavior. In that case, an institution is rarely the right placement.

We in the Sweden Democrats work to ensure that more young people, where possible, are placed in foster homes, especially in reinforced foster homes and therapeutic families, instead of in institutions.

It is important that foster homes receive the support needed to be able to remain and hold on to avoid breakdowns with relocations as a consequence. Many placements at Sis could have been avoided if there had been other alternatives.

These are issues that we have repeatedly highlighted here in the chamber. It is therefore extra pleasing that the government is now commissioning Socialstyrelsen to develop the support to the municipalities in order to achieve much of just this. The government also intends to strengthen the subsidy of foster care placements with 100 million kronor for 2023.

In conclusion, I would like, like the previous speaker, to be clear that we have many incredibly competent employees out in Sis' operations. They do a fantastic job. I really want to extend a big thank you to them for the work they do.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Gustaf Lantz (S)

Madam Speaker! Thank you very much, Carita Boulwén!

Much wisdom was expressed in the post. What I cannot quite reconcile, however, is when the Sweden Democrats speak about how important it is to address the irregularities and how important the staff is. Yet, one chooses to vote against our proposal to stop the solo work in client-facing contacts within Sis. Could Carita Boulwén elaborate on that reasoning a bit?

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Carita Boulwén (SD)

Madam Speaker! For us Sweden Democrats, safety and security are of the utmost importance. It is, of course, something that one must look at to ensure that it is safe both for the employees and for those who are placed in the homes.

If I remember correctly, Sis has changed its guidelines regarding specifically solitary work. I hope that we really see that work being strengthened. Where there are doubts and a risk that one could be exposed to something, it should not be permitted.

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Gustaf Lantz (S)

Madam Speaker! I hope and believe that other parties will change their minds on this issue. It is, just as the member was touching upon, important that we have the responsibility for the operations and that we feel the responsibility and the commitment.

I believe that the employees within Sis expect us to be able to be clear about one thing, namely that they shall not be alone in this difficult environment. They shall always have a colleague at their back, close at hand.

It is not in many instances that unilateral action occurs. But it is far too many. It should be possible to rectify that. My view is that we must point with the whole hand and be clear so as not to leave anyone in the lurch, regardless of whether it concerns children or staff.

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Carita Boulwén (SD)

Madam Speaker! I agree with what the member says. It is extremely important. We have pointed out several times that precisely safety and security is an extremely important issue for us.

When it comes to how we can manage to deal with that and how we are to dictate the terms from here, I am doubtful. But I truly hope that ways are found.

As a previous speaker has pointed out, we naturally continue to work with that, because it is not sustainable. We have a shortage of staff. Something must also be done about that if we are to be able to achieve this. It is something that one needs to work with.

There are several measures that I absolutely intend to look further into in order to be able to enable a safe and secure workplace.

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Juno Blom (L)

Madam Speaker! I want to begin the speech by expressing my full support for Minister Camilla Waltersson Grönvall. During the previous parliamentary term, several of us had the opportunity to work side by side with Camilla Waltersson Grönvall and see the genuine commitment. There was also a commitment among everyone in the Social Affairs Committee to strengthen children's rights in different ways and try to achieve an increased focus on the best interests of children.

When it comes to the state's locked facilities, the government inherited an enormous challenge. It concerns children who have been subjected to [conditions] within the state's locked facilities for a long period. It is now important that we try to find other ways for the placement of children. It is extremely important that we now get the initiative to strengthen the existing foster homes so that they truly receive support in the important work.

I think that if we have foster homes that receive better support, perhaps many of the children that we have been forced to place in Sis instead can also be placed in foster homes. Therefore, it is important that Socialstyrelsen has been tasked to try to find more foster homes. I believe that this is connected, because I believe there are many who want to make an important contribution but who may also feel that they are afraid of being alone in this incredibly important mission.

However, I stand by the position I have held throughout the entire previous term. The state's locked wards are in many different ways a totally dysfunctional operation. I also believe that it is very difficult to repair and patch up something that fundamentally does not work.

The proposal that we had – and which we called a disaster commission – was actually about an external review to examine the entire operation and come up with how we are to gain access to the differentiated care that we are talking about. How are we to ensure that children who are placed in the state's locked facilities also get access to conversations with BUP? How are we to ensure that they truly have a schooling that equips them as well as possible for the future?

Today, there is no regulation regarding at what age one can place a child. Perhaps we need to consider that. Is it appropriate to have eight-year-old girls placed at Sis? I definitely do not think so.

But making small adjustments and believing that it would solve the problem, I believe unfortunately will lead to children suffering even in the future. We will have to read these alarm reports over and over again.

When I take in what is happening, I actually find it difficult to feel confidence in the management. When it comes to segregations, which we are debating here, they have increased under the current management. As we have touched upon, we know that the children who are most exposed to segregations are the youngest children - the girls with autism spectrum conditions. I say again: We perhaps should ask ourselves whether they should be in a locked facility at all. It feels completely foreign to me.

If anyone here wishes to request a reply, I can say that the Liberals have not joined the motion that exists. On the other hand, I absolutely think that the separation must cease. But I can also understand that it is not possible to achieve this tomorrow, given that the staff at the state's locked facilities must receive a completely different education. It is about an important cultural change. But I am still of the opinion that a preferred date should have been set.

I can never ever think that it is okay for the state to legitimize violence against children. It hurts my whole body when I think about it. I am absolutely completely against this, but I am part of a government constellation - just as we did during the last mandate period. I thought so then, and I think so now. But I still see that there are many other things that we also must do.

When it comes to sexual abuse, five suspicions are reported per month of such abuses against placed children committed by Sis personnel. Every year, approximately 350 girls are placed at Sis. This corresponds in size to a small upper secondary school or a lower secondary school. If one imagines that a lower secondary school would receive five reports of sexual abuse per month from students concerning staff who are perpetrators—would one then have let the principal remain in their position?

It is important to see that the criticism against Sis has also come from many other authorities. A report from Ivo regarding extensive violence and violations, primarily against girls at Sis, is forthcoming. Ivo has also been forced to shut down several departments due to these conditions. JO directs sharp criticism at the authority in a number of respects. Perhaps the most serious is that JO considers that the authority is unable to use the special powers, physical coercive measures, in a legal manner.

JO also reacts strongly to the lack of knowledge and legality and notes that the management is unable to rectify the inaccuracies. The Institute for Human Rights is also concerned that the children placed by compulsion are not guaranteed their basic human rights.

What perhaps primarily makes me feel that I do not have confidence in the current management is that the reporting that reaches us does not come from the management. I truly understand the difficulty for a director general who is to take responsibility for the state's locked facilities - a mission and an operation where there are seven- and eight-year-old girls with autism spectrum conditions and additionally a 17-year-old who has murdered someone. This mission must be as difficult as anything to carry out. But I still believe that if one has taken on that task, one also has a responsibility to tell what is happening within the operation one is responsible for.

It seems strange to me that it is the children's rights organizations that have to highlight the enormous vulnerability that exists within Sis. That is what makes me feel this way. I can understand that there are enormous challenges and enormous difficulties, but I cannot understand that one is not open, transparent, and clear about what is actually happening.

From the Liberals' side, we understand, once again, that Camilla Waltersson Grönvall as responsible minister cannot perform magic, even though she certainly would have wished it. I know that intensive work is underway at the ministry to address the enormous deficiencies that exist today.

But what I really wish for now is that we promptly establish an external complaint mechanism or support line for the children placed at Sis. After the reports of the sexual abuse at Sis came out, the management said they would appoint an internal such function.

Many of the children I have met who have been subjected to [abuse/mistreatment] at Sis have told about their vulnerability, but no change has occurred. I believe therefore that it is important that we take responsibility for having an external complaints function and that the people responsible there are also out at the residences to truly create relationships and make unannounced visits to see what is happening.

One thing is certain: work is underway, and it is a lot. But for the children who are being subjected to it just today, it is a very small consolation that we now understand that we must take further measures.

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Martina Johansson (C)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Juno Blom, for the speech! Both you and I know that we are both driven by children's rights and children's participation and that it is an important and honest commitment in the work.

But it is still the case that there is a proposal in the report to eventually ban separations, that is, within three years. The member said in her statement that she wants separations to be abolished in the long run but that methods and so on need to be developed. That proposal exists! Our proposal is not about banning the separations next year but in three years, precisely because it is so important that we cannot continue to lock up these young girls because the staff cannot handle the situation.

It is a combination of work. But, as I have said before, as long as it is permitted to use seclusion, it will occur. And it is not a small adjustment to remove this right for the employees in the legislation. It is the right for children and young people that is important – that they have a right to safe care and treatment where they do not risk being locked up on unreasonable grounds.

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Juno Blom (L)

Madam Speaker! Absolutely! It would have been very easy to join that reservation if it had actually turned out that this was carried out.

One thing I learned during the last parliamentary term. The first time I was involved and got a motion passed, where there was a majority for a proposal, I realized that it became one of all those papers that were piled up. Now we are entering a government cooperation. It is not that I do not fight for this every day, but it is about getting the government on board. That is exactly how it was during the last parliamentary term. I fought just as much then for the divisions to cease. A date must be set and active measures must be taken, otherwise this will never happen.

For me, politics is not the game of who joins which reservation. I learned that quite early after believing that it actually could have an effect. This is about a much greater sense of responsibility.

It is the same thing there: Throughout the entire last parliamentary term, the Liberals motioned for an accident investigation commission to be appointed. Had an accident investigation commission been appointed initially, perhaps we also would have received a larger picture and a better basis to truly be able to carry out an operation that does not expose children in the appalling way that occurs within the framework of Sis.

It is not that I do not share Member Johansson's view. But it is also the case that we are one of four parties involved in a government cooperation. I could absolutely sign the reservation, but the most important thing is to work internally to achieve a real change. I promise that I will do that today, tomorrow, and every day I am in this Riksdag.

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Martina Johansson (C)

Madam Speaker! It is true that the Liberals are one of four parties in a government base. But we can look at how the four parties voted during the last parliamentary term when it came to the separations. It was the Moderates who did not stand behind the idea that the separations should cease. Thus, three of the four parties believe that the separations should cease - not just in the long run, but that it should be done. Then, suddenly, the number of parties and mandates is greater to be able to make decisions on this.

I like the idea of having a holistic perspective. I have started to ask the question: When will the government take a holistic approach and really sit down with all the pieces of the puzzle at the same time, and also invite us others, to take the issues further? This concerns the entire social service - today we are talking about separations, but it could also involve something similar to the inquiry commission that Juno Blom proposes. It will be needed.

In another report where I was a driving person for improving the situation regarding the division of property, it suddenly became very important that the government also stood behind this, so we received an announcement yesterday. If one can get the government to set a date—in our proposal, it is January 1, 2026, when the separations shall be prohibited—the government will also deliver on that. That is at least my conclusion. If all four parties in the government basis join such a clear proposal, it will be implemented.

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Juno Blom (L)

Madam Speaker! Absolutely, if it were that simple that just because I voted for your proposal we would have had this date in place. Now both you and I know that is not the case.

I belong to the Liberals and can answer for what we want. I can also say that in some situations we have been shortchanged and do not succeed in getting through the political proposals that we consider to be the best for children. So that is what it is like to be in a constellation.

Our position is still the same. My responsibility and my task is to do what I can to get all the parties in the government base that I am a part of on board. But there is still a democracy, and there are still my limitations. It could be something about my personality that made it so that I did not succeed in getting the Moderaterna to support the line that I have pushed so hard.

The only thing I can say is that I am not changing my opinion. Regardless of whether I sit in opposition or in the majority, I stand by the opinions I hold and which, in this case, our party also holds.

The most important thing moving forward is, nevertheless, to clearly get a majority of the Riksdag, and in this case the government, to take all conceivable measures. Personally, I think the separation would be a very important part.

Now I know, and Member Johansson does too, that Minister Camilla Waltersson Grönvall has a very strong child rights perspective and wants to take measures to strengthen the best interests of the child in all different areas. I feel a strong reassurance that she will be a thorn in the side and do what we want. But had I been the one to decide, the separation would have ceased a very long time ago in this country.

(cont. § 12)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)