It is a bleak picture that Ivo paints. The survey shows that the waiting times for children who are entitled to support measures from the social services are long. Over 3,500 children have this year waited for more than three months to receive various types of support, and for many children, the waiting time is six months or even longer.
The main rule is that a decision on an intervention or support should be implemented immediately, and that municipalities are required to report to Ivo if the decision has not been implemented within three months.
Too long waiting times can have devastating consequences, according to Ivo's department head Daniel Lilja.
There is a risk that the children's situation will deteriorate. It may be that children continue to be in unhealthy environments with, for example, abuse or other misconduct, he says to TT.
If the situation continues for too long, it may be that the support is introduced too late. We have no access to specific cases, but generally, it can be so.
The social services should offer support that is tailored to the needs of children. This can include foster care, treatment for abuse, or personal assistance.
Generally, it is interventions related to housing that take the longest time, but we see that all forms of support have long waiting times, says Lilja.
Almost all municipalities report to Ivo that the reasons for the long waiting times include personnel-related problems, such as long-term sick leave, and a lack of places.
So far this year, Ivo has applied to the Administrative Court 85 times for a special fee to be imposed on municipalities with too long waiting times regarding children's support.
