The work of the social services

Mona Olin (SD)

Madam Speaker! Today we are debating SoL8, the work of social services. I begin by moving to approve the committee's proposal for a decision.

Sweden is a fantastic country. One of the things that makes it fantastic is our social services. They exist to support and help those who are weak and lonely and who are having a hard time and simply have no one who can help them through a tough life situation. The social services support those persons and families who for some reason find themselves in a crisis, or at the beginning of a potential crisis.

The purpose of our Social Services Act is to ensure that no one is left without support when life falters. Social services is responsible for several central parts of the welfare system, such as support for children and young people and persons with disabilities, elderly care, substance abuse care, and financial assistance. It constitutes society's safety net and ensures that people receive the support they need to be able to live a secure and dignified life. It shall function as society's ultimate safety net and guarantee that people receive help based on their needs regardless of finances, background, or life situation.

Madam Speaker! The best thing about our Social Services Act is that it creates security and structure in the public responsibility. It makes it clear that it is not a matter of charity but of a right – that those who need support should also be able to receive it. At the same time, the law allows room for individual assessments, which means that the support can be adapted to each person's individual needs and situation.

Another strength is that the social services are not only to react when something has already gone wrong but also to work preventatively, especially when it concerns children and young people. This allows society to intervene early, break negative patterns and, in the best case, prevent problems from growing large.

The new Social Services Act, which came into effect on July 1, 2025, aims to make social services more preventive, more accessible, and more knowledge-based. This means a clearer focus on implementing interventions early, before problems grow large, which is a direction that has long been requested politically.

Madam Speaker! Public employees, not least social workers, are all too often subjected to threats, violence, and threats of violence. To strengthen safety, safer working environments, better support after exposed situations, and clear routines for how threats should be handled are required.

Sverigedemokraterna also want to strengthen social services through increased continuity and the introduction of a national specialist education for social workers working with children and young people. Specialist social workers would contribute to higher competence and create clearer career paths. We are positive about the budget investments that have been made during recent years to achieve improved staffing and competence development.

Madam Speaker! Socialstyrelsen has received an extensive mandate to support the municipalities in the transition to the new Social Services Act. The agency shall both distribute state grants and plan national skill-enhancing initiatives, based on local situation and needs analyses. At the same time, Socialstyrelsen shall develop and implement skill-enhancing initiatives at the national level, including developing user-friendly digital tools for individual-based and systematic follow-up of the social services' interventions.

The National Board of Health and Welfare has also developed national guidelines and recommendations for support for ADHD and autism, which are complemented by care and intervention programs as well as other support materials. Additionally, the government decided in February to establish a national competence center for intellectual disabilities and autism. The purpose is to collect and disseminate knowledge, identify effective interventions, and support municipalities and operations in introducing new ways of working.

Madam Speaker! There has been a clear sharpening of the work regarding children and young people in risk environments. Social services have received a clearer mandate to act earlier and more forcefully, not least in situations where children risk being drawn into crime. Here, a shift towards greater responsibility and clearer powers is noticeable.

Measures have been taken to strengthen the control and quality in operations such as HVB homes and other forms of placement. It involves stricter supervision, increased focus on unscrupulous actors, and a clearer ambition to ensure that public funds go to operations that maintain high quality.

The work to improve cooperation between authorities has been strengthened. Social services are expected to cooperate to a greater extent with the police, school, and health and medical care – especially in the work with children and young people. This is crucial to create a holistic view of the individual and for the interventions to have a good effect.

Support for relatives has been strengthened, and targeted funds are provided to civil society organizations that offer support services and emergency lines for relatives. Funds are also allocated for a competence center for relatives. The social welfare committee shall also offer a support contact for those who care for or support a close relative. The support contact shall meet the relative's needs for information and guidance as well as assistance in planning measures that may need to be taken in the future.

In summary, the parliamentary term has entailed a clearer steering towards a more preventive, more accountable and more coordinated social service with a greater focus on both the individual's needs and society's protective interests.

(Applause)

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

Gustaf Lantz (S)

Madam Speaker! Charity can be valuable, and sometimes it is absolutely crucial in acute situations. Organizations and individuals make fantastic contributions in Sweden every day.

The basis for social responsibility in a welfare state must, however, be social legislation based on rights, not grace. It must be based on equality, not gratitude, on a law that is democratically decided and on an activity that is jointly financed. We must also constantly ensure that the responsibility for the socially vulnerable is not shifted. It must not be shifted from the collective to the individual, from rights to dependency, and from democratic responsibility to private goodness.

Madam Speaker! Voluntary organizations such as the Red Cross, Majblomman, and Sweden's City Missions often remind us that the gaps in society's safety net must not become too large. They sometimes do a job that they themselves do not think should fall on them, but which must be done so that people do not end up very badly off – and which also will not be done if they do not do it.

That is also why these organizations have opposed many of the government's proposals in the area of social rights, for example, that the government is now presenting a bill which means that certain children – children who happen to have many siblings – will be given poorer conditions in life by significantly lowering the social assistance for families on this single basis.

Madam Speaker! We have a government that, budget after budget, has prioritized large tax cuts for those with the highest incomes over providing money to schools, psychiatry, and social services. Now, the edge is also being directed towards the children who already have it very tough today by significantly lowering the social assistance. Sweden is being torn apart, and in the cracks, insecurity is growing for all of us.

Madam Speaker! Without the employees within Swedish social services, the Social Services Act would be a worthless pile of paper. It is the staff who do the work – who turn rights in the law book into a better reality for people. In this professional group, there are professional practitioners who, on a scientific basis, help people help themselves. They ensure that families receive support so that they can function, and they save lives when women and children risk being subjected to violence.

The employees within the social services deserve respect and a good working environment. However, we all know how they often struggle with a lack of resources and how they often have to receive threats just for doing their job. This deserves to be taken seriously. Social services employees should feel that they have the support of society behind them.

That is why we Social Democrats believe that the government should appoint a coordinator for stable staffing within social services, a national coordinator whose task is to focus on social services' staff and their conditions.

Madam Speaker! Even though it is tough to be a social worker, there is also much joy in the work. I have myself worked as a lawyer at Hyresgästföreningen. There, I came into contact with many different kinds of people. At times, my work was not entirely different from a social worker's. I have seen people who have struggled more than I have ever struggled but who time and again have failed to get their lives in order. They have had a heavy baggage and large obstacles to overcome. The time at Hyresgästföreningen made me significantly more humble before life.

Of course, everyone should do what they can to get into work. Now the activity requirement is coming soon, which means that those who receive maintenance support for more than three months must be in employment. That is good. But I am happy, proud, and grateful to live in a country that has a social safety net that can step in when people collapse.

As a lawyer at Hyresgästföreningen, I sometimes met wonderful characters who had difficulty fitting into society but who at the same time enriched society, people who sometimes fell through and needed help to get back on their feet.

I believe those who have worked in social work will get a little extra warm in the heart when they see Filip and Fredrik's film Tårtgeneralen with Mikael Persbrandt as Hasse P – the one who united Köping to bake the world's longest sandwich cake. Hasse struggled with alcohol and much else in life, but he made valuable marks in people's lives. He couldn't always make it all the way and sometimes needed society's help. But Köping would have been a worse place without Hasse P.

In our time, much is said about how profitable people are in strictly economic terms. Effort has often become synonymous with money earned. People's value has often become synonymous with market value.

The reason why we initially chose to build our welfare state was that we saw the human being in a completely different way. At the same time as the founders of the welfare state believed in duty for those who can work, that they would participate and contribute, they also believed in rights that come from the sole fact that one is human, rights that ensure we are caught when we lose our grip and fall freely. It is something to be at least as proud of as the world's longest sandwich cake.

With this, Madam Speaker, I move for approval of reservation 1.

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

Malin Höglund (M)

Madam Speaker! Today we are addressing the Social Affairs Committee's report 18 on the work of the social services. I would like to begin by moving to approve the committee's proposal.

This is one of the most important debates we can have. It is about what kind of society we want to build, about how we meet people when life fails them, and about having the courage to change what is not working in a timely manner.

We live in a time where insecurity has increased, where segregation has grown stronger, and where social services have for a long time had to bear an ever-heavier burden. In that situation, leadership, priorities, and reforms that actually make a difference are required, and it is precisely this that we now see from the Moderate-led government.

Madam Speaker! The Government has taken a holistic approach to the future of social services. The work on a new Social Services Act is an example – a law that focuses on preventive work, strengthens the knowledge base, and makes social services more accessible.

These are small adjustments at the margin. It is a modernization of an activity that has long been in need of renewal. Moving the focus from late, acute interventions to early, preventive measures is crucial. It means that more children can receive support before the problems grow, that more families can get help in time, and that society can act proactively instead of reactively. This is both humanly and socio-economically wise.

Madam Speaker! The government has also clearly strengthened the work against the recruitment of children and young people by crime. Through increased cooperation between social services, schools, and the police, better conditions are created to identify risks and implement the right measures. It is not a threat to the role of social services; it is a reinforcement of its opportunities to make a difference.

What is the alternative? That every actor works in a silo? That important information falls through the cracks? That children in the risk zone are not caught in time? No, Madam Speaker, cooperation is not the problem. A lack of cooperation is the problem. Here, the government demonstrates decisiveness.

Madam Speaker! It is often said that the government focuses on control. I mean that it is about responsibility – to follow up on measures, to ensure that support reaches the right people and to counter benefit fraud. This is not the opposite of humanity but a prerequisite for legitimacy. If people experience that the system is being abused, trust is eroded, and without trust, there is no strong welfare.

The government takes this seriously. Through clear follow-ups and better governance, a social service is created that is both legally secure and efficient and stands on a stable foundation.

Madam Speaker! At the same time, it is important to emphasize that efficiency is not about saving. It is about using resources correctly. Here we see how the government combines reforms with clear ambitions to strengthen the quality of the work. Increased use of evidence-based methods, clearer national frameworks, and a focus on results strengthens the profession; it does not weaken it.

Social secretaries shall not be left alone in difficult decisions without support or guidance. They shall have access to knowledge, tools, and structures that make their work both safer and more accurate.

Madam Speaker! The government also highlights the individual's responsibility. It is an important principle. A society that provides must also be able to set requirements. To encourage self-sufficiency, to break long-term dependency on benefits, and to strengthen people's own empowerment is crucial for a sustainable welfare system.

But – and this is important – the government is not doing this in a vacuum. At the same time, support is being strengthened for those who truly need it. Focus on early interventions, better cooperation, and more accurate measures means that people receive the right help at the right time. It is precisely the balance between requirements and support that is the strength of the policy currently being pursued.

Madam Speaker! It is also important to see the whole of the government's work. Social services do not operate in isolation. They are affected by school policy, the labor market, housing issues, and integration efforts. That is precisely why we now see reforms in several areas simultaneously. Our policy addresses causes, not just symptoms. Our policy aims to reduce exclusion and strengthen cohesion in society.

Madam Speaker! There are those who worry about increased governance. But let us be clear that a clearer national direction does not need to stand in opposition to professional room for maneuver. It is on the contrary that when the goals are clear, the methods are knowledge-based, and the follow-up works, better conditions are created for the profession to do its work. It is not about governing every individual decision. It is about ensuring equality, quality, and legal certainty throughout the entire country.

Madam Speaker! Social services is the most fundamental function of the welfare state. It must be there when life is at its hardest. It shall be a security and an opportunity for change. To manage this requires more than good intentions. It requires a will for reform, priorities, and a policy that sees both the individual's needs and society's responsibility. It is precisely this balance that the government strives for.

Madam Speaker! We face a choice between control and humanity. We face the task of uniting them. We need a social service that is warm but also clear, that supports but also sets requirements, and that both builds trust and ensures that the system functions. That is the direction the government points out.

Madam Speaker! Let us take hold of the reform work that is underway. Let us continue to develop the social services so that they meet tomorrow's needs and challenges. Let us do so with a clear starting point that every person who needs support shall be met by a social service that is strong, accessible, and professional. It is a social service that makes a real difference.

(Applause)

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

Maj Karlsson (V)

Madam Speaker! In Swedish politics, it has become legitimate to distort the truth about those who are economically vulnerable. It does not matter whether the person who is poor is an adult or a child. Nor does the reason for the difficult life situation matter. Due to racism and by exploiting people's fear of serious crime, we have received a government in Sweden that can go as far as it wants.

To claim that subsidy recipients live off other hard-working people is an effective way to blacken people in need of society's support, especially when it is reinforced by prejudices about people with a different background and suspicions of crime. Lying and cheating, fiddling with people's money and wasting tax funds is nothing we take lightly in this country, except when it is done by the government itself. Then, the respect for the so-called Swedish values seems to have blown away.

For several months, we have heard the Prime Minister speak about people who stay at home and defecate while around 46,000 kronor rolls into their accounts, whereas the neighbor who goes to work every morning, does the right thing and toils until sweat is on their face, does not get anywhere near as much money in their wallet. With this rhetorical device, the Prime Minister arrives at his conclusion that it should pay to work. Therefore, poor people shall be punished by becoming even poorer.

What the Prime Minister does not say is that this is fake news, a gross exaggeration, based on incorrect calculations. It is a narrative used to be able to erode our welfare systems. What he definitely does not say is that several governments since 2006 have in fact taken money from those who are the most economically vulnerable.

Madam Speaker! Living on social assistance is not living in abundance. It is by law to live on the subsistence minimum. The national standard covers costs for food, clothing, leisure, consumables, health and hygiene, daily newspaper and telephone, and reasonable costs for housing, electricity, home insurance, work-related travel, union fees, and savings. It is, therefore, exactly what a person needs to be able to live with dignity, but not a crown more. No matter how we turn and twist this statutory amount, it offers no life in luxury. That is also not the intention.

The social assistance exists to prevent absolute distress, not as something one should live on forever, neither because it is desirable nor because it is reasonable. A person cannot live within these narrow limits for any length of time without still becoming economically vulnerable.

When the government speaks of people being able to receive up to 46,000 kronor a month, it is primarily about a calculation example. If a family with very many children lives in a large residence and receives all the grants that the law allows, it could theoretically be possible. But the government has calculated as if grants can be stacked on top of each other, which is not correct. All incomes are deducted crown for crown against the maintenance support. You can receive housing allowance and child allowance, but they are deducted from the norm that you have been granted.

No one can say for certain how many of the families in the government's example even exist. What we do know, however, is that they do not belong to the majority. But what does reality look like? Of Sweden's population, it is 2.5 percent who live on social assistance. That is historically few. The most common age is 30–39 years. The largest group is single people without children. The second largest is single people with children. A smaller proportion is couples with children.

The reason people seek social assistance is not laziness. It is about unemployment, illness, mental health, and administrative gaps in the systems, often as a direct consequence of political decisions that have weakened the safety nets. The typical recipient is not a benefit-fraudulent family with high incomes, but a single person who is without work for concrete reasons. Following that are single women with children, often in situations characterized by exhaustion, violence, or sole responsibility for the family.

It is not the reality that is highlighted when extreme exceptions are allowed to dominate the political rhetoric. When the image of a family living well on benefits is painted, it creates strong reactions precisely because it lies so far from people's own everyday lives. It is an effective tactic. By focusing on the unusual, the government can justify implementing reforms that, in practice, can mean placing children and already vulnerable people in extreme poverty. At the same time, the focus is shifted away from the fact that several governments in a row, in defiance of the law, have already reduced the social assistance for several years.

Madam Speaker! In these polarized times, I understand it may sound like I am standing here exaggerating. But what I am saying is true. That is why I reported no fewer than six ministers to the KU. KU's review showed that the criticism was justified. Everything is available to read on the Riksdag's website.

What happened during Reinfeldt's government was, simplified slightly, that one began to depart from the principle that the national standard should follow the actual price increases and instead use more general measures. It is a trend the government has chosen to follow. In that way, the national standard no longer covers the actual costs, which is illegal.

According to our calculations, a single person has received around 2,000 kronor less per month and a family with children up to 6,000 kronor less every month for several years. This contradicts the intentions of the Social Services Act. That, Madam Speaker, is a complete scandal. Several governments in a row have used our tax money within the safety net system for something other than what it was intended for.

The most vulnerable in society have, in practice, received less than they are entitled to. Still, the government has the nerve to make it appear as the direct opposite. That is why it also becomes ugly when the government says that it should pay to work. It has never been so profitable for the person living on social assistance to get a job today, precisely because the support is so low that it does not suffice for what it was intended for.

The absolute majority of those who live on social assistance want to work. This is attested to by both they themselves, those who work with them, and the statistics. The problem is not the will. It is the opportunities and the conditions.

Madam Speaker! We in Vänsterpartiet defend strong safety nets – not to be kind, but because they are necessary for the individual and society. The more people who live in vulnerability, the greater the risks for the whole society. The more insecure people become, the more trust is damaged. But above all, it is about dignity. No human being should live in absolute economic distress in a wealthy country like Sweden.

Instead of depleting our safety nets, the Left Party wants to strengthen them, and this also applies to the social assistance. Instead of using exaggerations that make people more vulnerable, we want to base our actions on reality and act accordingly. Now that we know that several governments in a row have paid out too little in social assistance, we must ensure that the law is followed. Living on social assistance is not a life of luxury, but it must be possible to survive on it.

The most serious thing about the government's policy, for example the proposals on benefit ceilings, is that it will primarily affect children and not just any children, but those children who already have the most difficult circumstances. For us in Vänsterpartiet, it is completely unacceptable. Children do not choose their situation. According to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, they have the right to special protection and support. Therefore, we want the social assistance to be reviewed so that children are guaranteed a minimum level and are not left without the most basic necessities.

Madam Speaker! The social services are one of the most important institutions we have in Sweden. They meet people in their most vulnerable moments and bear an enormous responsibility. It may sound grand, but it is here that we show our utmost care for one another as a society – with the awareness that life is sometimes, and for certain groups often, very difficult, and with the awareness that no human being manages completely without help through life.

We have not given the social services the conditions required. Year after year, the mandate has become heavier. When other safety nets are weakened, the pressure on the social services increases, and now the politicians must take responsibility. We need to relieve the social services by restoring the welfare state and listening to the profession, and we need to give them the resources to meet the needs that exist. But above all, Madam Speaker, the government must take responsibility for its own policy instead of punishing those who are most economically vulnerable.

I would like to move for approval of reservation 5.

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

Dan Hovskär (KD)

Madam Speaker! I would first like to move for the approval of the committee's proposal in the report.

Today we are considering the Social Affairs Committee's report on the social services' work at a time when society's most fundamental safety net needs to be strengthened, developed, and deepened.

For us Christian Democrats, the starting point is clear. Society is built strongest from the bottom up – in the family, in close relationships, and in civil society. Social services should be a support when things fail, but also a force that strengthens what works.

Madam Speaker! The new Social Services Act, which entered into force in the summer of 2025, marks an important shift: from reactive to preventive, from inaccessible to accessible, from fragmented to knowledge-based. It is a reform that we Christian Democrats welcome.

But a law does not change reality in itself. It is in the municipalities, in the meeting between social workers and the individual human being, where the change must occur. Therefore, it is crucial that the state takes responsibility for the conditions. The Government has proposed a comprehensive investment in the transition with increased funds to the municipalities, up to over 2 billion kronor annually from 2026. It is necessary.

We know that social services in many municipalities struggle with high workloads, difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff, and an everyday reality where preventive work often has to take a backseat.

Madam Speaker! The Christian Democrats want to highlight three perspectives in this work.

Firstly: The preventive work must begin early and close to the family. When children suffer or risk going astray, it is rarely a sudden event. It is often the result of a lack of support over time. Therefore, the social services need to work more closely with preschools, schools, health and medical care, but also with the parents themselves. Parents are not a problem to be managed, but they are a resource to be strengthened.

Here, civil society also plays a crucial role. Associations, churches, and voluntary organizations often see what the public sector does not. They create trust where authorities are sometimes met with mistrust. This perspective must be given more space in the transition.

Secondly: Knowledge and competence are crucial. It is therefore positive that Socialstyrelsen has been tasked to support the municipalities, develop competence, and develop digital tools for follow-up.

Particularly important is the work with neuropsychiatric functional impairments, such as ADHD and autism. Many children and adults do not receive the support they need today – not for lack of will, but because knowledge and coordination are lacking. The establishment of a national competence center is therefore a step in the right direction. But national guidelines are not enough. They must also reach out and be used in practice.

Thirdly: The children's perspective must permeate all work. Children growing up in vulnerability often bear the consequences well into adulthood. It is therefore welcome that Socialstyrelsen has been tasked to develop support for how the social services can better notice children when adults seek help. We know that children are often the invisible relatives, those who do not seek support themselves but who need it the most.

Madam Speaker! We also want to highlight the importance of the social services being perceived as accessible and safe. Initiatives such as ”Koll på soc” and knowledge support regarding conversations with children are important steps. But fundamentally, it is about something larger – trust. People must dare to seek help in time, not only when the situation has become acute. This requires an approach characterized by respect, dignity, and an understanding of people's different life situations.

Madam Speaker! In conclusion: Kristdemokraterna shares the committee's assessment that the ongoing work should continue and that the Riksdag does not need to take further measures in light of the motions at this time. But we want to simultaneously emphasize that this is a reform that must be followed carefully. This applies in particular to the new provision breaking confidentiality. The balance between privacy and the need for cooperation is crucial, especially when children are at risk of harm.

Madam Speaker! A society's strength is not measured by how it functions for the strongest, but by how it meets the most vulnerable. With a social service that is preventive, knowledge-based, and close to the individual, we can build a warmer, safer, and more cohesive Sweden. That is the direction we Kristdemokrater want to see.

(Applause)

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

Anders W Jonsson (C)

Madam Speaker! We are debating here in the Committee on Social Affairs a report concerning the work of the social services. It is a collection of a number of – I believe it is more than a hundred – proposals from individual members and parties that concern precisely the social services.

The reason the focus lies on the social services is that it is one of the most important pillars in Swedish society. School is important, healthcare is important, and elderly care is of course very important, as is the support for people with disabilities. But it is precisely the social services that have the ultimate mandate to be there when one of the other pillars can no longer cope.

I would say, Madam Speaker, that this is also the area where the greatest challenges and the greatest problems exist. Therefore, it is a bit interesting to sit and listen to the representatives for the Tidö parties who say so many beautiful words about how well it works and that there is no need at all for the Riksdag to interfere in this because the Tidö government has full insight into the problems and has proposals for solutions to all problems.

Everyone who has contacts within the Swedish social services sees that this is not correct. It is not a well-functioning operation.

They are elevating the new Social Services Act – I remember that they did the same in the previous debate we had on this area, a year ago – as if it were a godsend that could solve, in a broad sense, all problems. I think Gustaf Lantz from the Social Democrats expressed it in a very good way when he spoke just now: The social services are not the legislation, but it is all the people who work in the social services – all social workers and social secretaries.

That is where the challenges lie, Madam Speaker. We have a shortage of social workers. We have far too few who apply for the positions as social secretaries. We have a comprehensive skills shortage if one looks at the number of people who would actually be needed within the social services.

For those who have qualified as social workers and get their first job, it is not as it is in healthcare or in schools, that one receives induction programs and is allowed to ease into the job. Induction programs for newly employed social secretaries are lacking in very many municipalities. In healthcare, one is allowed to shadow, as it is called, for a large number of weeks, perhaps months, before one begins to take own responsibility. It is not uncommon, Madam Speaker, that as a newly graduated social secretary, one is thrown in and has to take the very hardest cases within a social services department, for them there is no one else who can manage to devote themselves to them.

When one has worked for a number of years, the opportunities for professional development are to the highest degree deficient. Here in the Riksdag, we have discussed and even decided that, regarding healthcare, there shall indeed be statutory requirements that one shall be entitled to professional development. But in the no less important and vulnerable social services, there are no such requirements at all. There, no one is raising that one should have the right to professional development.

In other areas, we say that it is obvious that it should be evidence-based, but precisely within social services, perhaps the very greatest problems, even greater than in the school sector, lie in that one does not have requirements and tools to work based on evidence, research, and proven experience. This, Madam Speaker, is partly connected to the fact that those requirements, until we received the law, have not been sufficiently sharp, but additionally, the research at the Swedish educational institutions is quite substandard in this area. Sweden is not at all a leading country regarding research in social work. Other countries are far ahead of us because we have a research tradition regarding social work that is not adapted to the reality that many social workers find themselves in.

Finally, it is an incredibly tough reality that one faces in the social services. Few other professional groups are subjected to threats, hate, and vitriol to such a great extent as those who work within the social services. This is the reason why we in Centerpartiet have seen a need. We now have new legislation, and that is good – it should have come much earlier. But one should also, from the side of the Riksdag and the government, gather this into a powerful social services package where one looks at what we can do to strengthen the people who work within the social services.

It is for that reason, Madam Speaker, that I move for the approval of our reservation number 3.

(Applause)

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

Jacob Risberg (MP)

Madam Speaker! In this report on the Social Services Authority's work, the issue of Sweden's international adoption activities is addressed, among other things, and I intended to begin there.

The investigation SOU 2025:61 was commissioned following serious reports of irregularities in international adoptions to Sweden. It concerns cases where children may have been separated from their families on incorrect or illegal grounds and where Swedish actors have not had sufficient control or acted with sufficient force.

The investigation shows that it is not about isolated incidents but about structural deficiencies. It points to insufficient legal certainty, lack of control, and a system where the child's rights have not always been at the center.

Against that background, the investigation proposes several far-reaching measures. These include, among other things, a public apology to adoptees and their families, the establishment of a national resource center, the right to financial support for travel to countries of origin, and that the current order for international adoptions be phased out. International adoptions shall, according to the proposal, in the future only be possible in cases where there is a personal relationship between the child and the person who wishes to adopt. These are extensive proposals. They also reflect the severity of the deficiencies that have been identified.

Madam Speaker! For Miljöpartiet, it is central that the state takes a clear responsibility. When the system has failed to protect children's rights, measures are required that strengthen the rule of law and provide redress to those who have been affected. We believe that the government should proceed with the commission's proposals, taking into account the views of the referral bodies. This applies particularly to the proposals regarding a public apology, a national resource center, and a strengthened state responsibility.

Mr. Speaker, we also raise further issues that need to be addressed. One such issue is the ratification of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, ICCPED. Organizations working for adoptees' rights have raised this, and we share the assessment that Sweden should ratify the convention. International adoptions have in some cases meant that children have been taken away from their families under circumstances that must be understood from a human rights perspective.

Another central issue is the right to knowledge about one's origin. Today, many adopted children are referred to commercial DNA tests. This is not reasonable. We believe that it should be investigated how adopted children can be offered free DNA testing and how a national DNA database can be established. Pending such a solution, financial support for testing should be able to be provided.

Support for adopters must simultaneously be strengthened. The investigation shows that today's support does not fully meet the needs. This applies to both the availability of support and the specific competence required. A national resource center is therefore an important measure. The support needs to cover adopters, those who have adopted, and in many cases also the adopted children.

We also consider that the question of compensation should be investigated. The investigation has not had that mandate, but it is a reasonable question to examine when people may have been subjected to serious rights violations within a system for which the state has had responsibility.

Madam Speaker! In recent years, the economic situation has worsened for many households with small margins. This applies in particular to families with children. The price increases on food, housing, and other necessary expenses have been sharp, while compensations and support have not kept pace at the same rate.

The government's policy has in several parts reinforced this development. Tax cuts that primarily benefit those with higher incomes, together with a lack of reinforcements of the safety nets, have resulted in the gaps increasing. This is clearly noticeable in the everyday lives of many families with children who are already in an economically vulnerable situation.

We in Miljöpartiet have in our motions pointed out the need for a coherent policy to reduce child poverty. It is about strengthening the finances of families with children, improving the safety nets, and ensuring that society's support reaches those who need it most. In our follow-up motion on what we call a poverty reform, we highlight the need for structural changes to reduce economic vulnerability and give people better conditions to manage their everyday lives.

Madam Speaker! In this context, the social assistance is central. It is society's ultimate safety net and shall guarantee a reasonable standard of living when other incomes are lacking.

Today we see, however, that the annual adjustment of the national standard is not sufficient. The sharp price increases have resulted in the support, in many cases, not covering the most basic costs. This means that people, despite receiving social assistance, cannot always maintain a decent standard of living. Therefore, Miljöpartiet believes that the national standard needs to be increased beyond the regular adjustment.

We also mean that national statistics on applications and rejections regarding social assistance are needed. It is a prerequisite for being able to follow the development, detect differences between municipalities, and ensure that the system functions in a legally secure and equal manner across the entire country.

Madam Speaker! The report addresses several other proposals from our motions, including how we can strengthen support for relatives and develop a more inclusive way of working within social services for children and young people with NPF. More can be read about this in our motions.

With this, I would like to conclude by moving for approval of reservation 14.

The deliberation was hereby concluded.

(Decisions were made under § 13.)

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