IVO’s national review shows that shortcomings in municipal placements of children and young people can no longer be treated as isolated local failures. When 295 of 303 reviewed municipalities and city districts have shortcomings, the central question is whether the protection system works in practice, not simply whether municipalities can submit improvement plans.
The review, conducted between 2024 and 2026, covered reports of concern, checks before placement, follow-up of placements and municipalities’ internal controls. SVT reports that nearly nine in ten municipalities need to improve their handling of reports of concern. Two in three also had shortcomings, in different ways, in checks before children and young people are placed in foster homes or privately run services.
That makes the findings serious. Reports of concern and pre-placement checks are not peripheral procedures: they are meant to identify risks before a child enters a new care setting. IVO did not examine why shortcomings were so widespread, and the available material does not show how they are distributed between municipalities or what consequences they have had in individual cases. But the scale supports close scrutiny of whether remedial work is carried out.
The review also contains important qualifications. IVO says many municipalities make initial protection assessments when needed, and that all municipalities report reviewing the grounds for placements at the required intervals. Several municipalities have also begun improvement work.
That is still no reason to treat submitted measures as the outcome. IVO says it will follow up the review because the shortcomings are extensive and the risks serious. The decisive test is whether municipal action improves protection and support for children and young people who are placed.
Sources
- SVT Nyheter · Source date: 2026-11-10
Independent editorial content. WUA is not affiliated with any political party. 2026-11-10