The Swedish Health and Social Care Inspectorate (Ivo) has reviewed five cases in which children and adults were subjected to serious or fatal violence, most of them in close relationships.
The review shows recurring shortcomings in how reports of concern and safety assessments have been handled. In all five cases, the safety assessments had major shortcomings, if they were even carried out. This is despite the fact that there have been recurring reports of concern.
These are five cases with very tragic outcomes where there was previous knowledge of the situation, says Peder Carlsson, department head at Ivo.
In one of the cases, a small child was subjected to severe violence by his father and died from the violence. A sibling was subjected to severe violence by both parents and suffered life-threatening injuries. Despite seven reports of concern to the municipality from the police, SOS Alarm and health and medical services, no investigation was initiated.
The review shows that some of the violence in the five cases could likely have been prevented.
"There are certainly various reasons why investigations have not been initiated, but society must ensure the protection of children against all types of violence. It is very important to act quickly when there are signals of violence," says Peder Carlsson.
Ivo's conclusion is that faster processes and more cooperation are needed both within and between municipalities and regions, and that decisions on interventions and measures are based on the best interests of the children.
