According to a new review from the organization Children's Rights Agency, a record number of children are exposed to violence and abuse by staff at the National Board of Institutional Care's (Sis) youth homes, often in connection with isolation. Most vulnerable are young girls.
We must continue to work forcefully to see what measures we can find to reduce the need for physical interventions, says the agency's director general Elisabet Åbjörnsson Hollmark.
This has been pointed out several times in recent years. Why doesn't it get better?
Some youth homes manage the task better. There, we have succeeded in getting a cohesive staff group and integrated care with psychiatry. But then we see others where it's not like that. We need to look at those who have succeeded and how we can use them.
"Incredibly Outraged"
Former employees within Sis who have spoken to TT believe that the problems do not stem from individual employees, but rather a culture of silence and macho ideals.
If any employee or subordinate manager sees misconduct, they should be listened to. That's why we've introduced a supervisory section, a whistleblower channel, internal audit, and internal investigator, says Åbjörnsson Hollmark.
I'm really not a fan of macho cultures. It's not part of our care and treatment environment, so we need to look at that.
There have also been extensive warnings about sexual abuse.
I'm incredibly outraged when I hear that it occurs. We've developed a very clear instruction to counteract and prevent sexual abuse. It must be acted upon and reported to the police.
"Lacking Psychiatry's Competence"
She also points out that cooperation must work with other actors - the municipality responsible for placement and the region that runs child and adolescent psychiatry.
Within the framework of our mission, we naturally try to do our best. But we see that we lack psychiatric competence in many areas.
The government has announced that Sis will be replaced with a completely new agency, where the new business will be better integrated with other actors.
Isn't it urgent? A child in a Sis home can't wait for long-term cultural changes or upcoming reforms?
I'm sometimes very frustrated that we haven't come further in our development work. But one must also remember that it's a large agency that exists from Kalix to Lund, and unfortunately, it takes a little time.
Social Minister Camilla Waltersson Grönvall (M):
This is a report that makes me very sad and dismayed. This is a complete failure of society. The government has really prioritized Sis. The agency we have today will not exist in the future, and the new guidelines take their starting point in these girls' situation. It's about getting the right care and treatment. Girls who basically have a severe psychiatric problem should not be in Sis at all. But there are few other places to refer them to today.
