The Government called an emergency meeting today due to the acute shortage of places at Sis.
We see a certain lightening of this problem, says Minister for Social Affairs Camilla Waltersson Grönvall (The Moderate Party) after the meeting.
However, the opposition is sharply critical.
The emergency meeting was prompted by the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions' (SALAR) alarm in a petition to the Government. They believe that the shortage of care places is acute and unacceptable.
According to SALAR, there is a high risk that several of the approximately 50 people currently waiting for a place will commit serious violent crimes. The meeting was attended by SALAR's metropolitan network and the management of Sis.
It was naturally a meeting characterized by great frustration, but also by great constructiveness, a willingness to solve the situation with the shortage of places at Sis, says Camilla Waltersson Grönvall.
Hopes for solutions
She reports that the meeting resulted in a number of concrete proposals that make the Government see a "certain lightening" of the problem. She mentions that municipalities have identified properties that could be used, but it needs to be investigated whether the properties can meet the security requirements.
Will you solve the shortage of places during the summer?
It's difficult to comment since I can't express myself about the security and specifically these properties, what requirements they can be expected to meet, but it certainly gave a number of concrete parts that give me hope that we will be able to find some solutions anyway, says she.
Appointed Director-General
Other measures discussed were double occupancy, as well as how future cooperation between actors should look.
We need to work more coordinated and maybe look at a solution with a joint national release, says Waltersson Grönvall.
Earlier on Thursday, the Minister for Social Affairs announced that the Government is appointing a Director-General at Sis, alongside the Director-General.
A long list of authorities have a changed situation, the Prison and Probation Service, for example, where we also appointed a Director-General. And the Government has thought exactly the same way here. It's about strengthening the leadership in a time when you have extensive problems, says Waltersson Grönvall.
"Should be done regularly"
But the opposition is critical of today's hastily called meeting.
This is a meeting that should be held regularly. At best, it's a wake-up call, at worst, a populist diversionary tactic, says Gustaf Lantz (The Social Democratic Party), member of the Social Committee.
Now there are grossly criminal young people running around who society has deemed should be locked up, extremely dangerous individuals. It's a failure.
The situation risks deteriorating if the shortage of places is not resolved, he continues, and asks what the Government's plan looks like.
