2011/3/7

A brief description of Sweden
 Population of nine million people Half of these are concentrated to just 3% of the country'sChild welfare in Swedenarea.
 Roughly 13 % are immigrants in Sweden Since second world war a very homogenous nation to a

multi-ethnic nation since 1960s-1990s
 During 1990s the welfare system was severely eroded.
 Dramatic changes in unemployment figures from 3 % to 8-

Yvonne Sjöblom, University of Stockholm
Ulla Forinder
Forinder, University of Stockholm

10% during 2009. And was 7,4 Dec 2010. (25% for thoseunder 25 years 2011)

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The Welfare Model

2

Limitations of the Welfare Model All Scandinavian countries dominated by the welfare

 To benefit from the general welfare systems,
systems individuals

model

need to be part of the labour market

 Universal approach - directed to all as not to stigmatise thefew, as opposed to a residual approach Young people have often not yet entered the labour market( 25% unemployment for those under 25 years)
 If they don’t have access to support from their network,

they will be dependent on means-tested support fromsocial services341

2011/3/7

Current issues and trends in the child welfaresystem

Family policy today Around 75 % of the children in Sweden live in nuclear

families with both parents
 50% are born out of wedlock Amongst 17 year old, one in every three has

experinced divorce and is more likely to be living withthe mother than the father

 The emergence of the welfare state after second world war

reduced the number of children in residential care from 20
per 1000 to 10 per 1000.
 The family continuity principle dismantled the institutons
for children The extended family is looked upon as an asset to children
at risk - not a source of family pathologies
 Increased number of placements in care – in spite of thefamily oriented perspective
 Towards a more child-oriented perspective?

5Laws concerning Child Welfare

6Laws concerning Child Welfare No special ChildrenChildren´´s Act in Sweden.
Sweden The equivalent of a

 The Care of Young People Act - regulates taking children

child welfare law is found in:
The Social Services Act - serves as a regulatory frame fordifferent areas of social support - voluntary measuresand young people into care - mandatory measures.
Criminality among children and young people ( under 20)
are treated within the child welfare system.
 Law of Secure Institutional Treatment – part of the
Criminal Code. Provides an opportunity to incarcerate
young offender in homes for “s“special supervisionsupervision”..
 2008 only 541 young people in jail, none were under 18!
All commited severe crimes (murder, assault etc)782

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Preventive measures

Child Welfare in Sweden
 The Swedish social service authorities duties related tochild welfare are as stated below:
 In partnership with families to support children´s personal,physical and social development
 To monitor children who show signs of unfavourable
development
 To make sure that children at risk get protection andsupport according to their needs, and if it is deemed to bein the best interest of the child to place children in careoutside their families.

 28 100 children and young people were sometimes during

2008 the subject of some kinds of preventive measures
 Most common among 13 - 17 years old9

Contact families/Contact person

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Statistics of children in care2009

 About 21 200 children had contact person or a contact

family at some time in 2008. Mostly used as a measure
towards parents (especially single mothers) andchildren with a weak social network

 About 23 000 children were in care within placementpoutside their own home.
 About 28 500 received care according to the (voluntary)Social Services Act
 Most frequent for children under 13 years of age

 About 5 000 received care according to the (compulsory)

 Gender difference - boys are given a contact person to a

 Approximately 4
4--5% of the grown up population have

Care of Young Persons Actbbeen
iin care during
d i theirth i childhood.
hildh dhigher extent than girls (to give boys with single
mothers a male role model?) 73 percent were placed in foster care
 27 percent were placed in residential care11123

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The Family; a risk and resource

Teenage placements
 Asocial behaviour

 Younger children with problems and their families mostly

get volontary support within the welfare system.0-12 y
0.38 % are placed out of home40%

 Conflict in the family 40%
 Inadequate care30%
Physical or sexual abuse 10%
 ”Run aways” or ”thrown-aways” 10 %
 Special needs care(refers to physically or mental
pchildren with no help
p from pparents
imparied

Teen-ageers are the majority–group of the Child Welfare.
1,24 % placed out of home in the age group 13-17 y.

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Problems when coming into care

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Out-of-home care
 OutOut-of-homeof home care shall be the last option

 68% had behavioural problems

 For young people foster care is regarded as a 57% had schoolrelated problems

superior solution compared to residential care
 If possible young children shall be placed in care
together with parents
 If children have to be p
placed in care strongg efforts
shall be made to keep up contact with their parents

 34% had a recent history of crime 25 % had a recent history of substanceabuse
 18% had obvious psychiatric problems
 16% had a recent history of violence15164

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Residential care
Foster care The Social Services Act of 1980 brought about achange - foster homes with more than four children
was to be defined as a residential unit.
unit Resulted in anexpansion of small private residential units. A lot ofthese were former foster home

 Birtht parents
pa e ts keep
eep custody ofo theirt e children
c d e anda d thet e

importance of helping children and parents to keep incontact is stressed According to the legislators, foster carers should

 73 percent of residential units are dimensioned forprovide supplementary parental care to foster children,
not substitute parental carenine children or less
 It is possible to place children in care together with Adoption of children in care without the parent´parent´stheir parents. 90 percent of children´children´s homes for 00-12 years old admit children and parents placed
together (in most cases - for assessment)

consent does not exist
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Recruitment of fosterparents

Ethnicity and child welfare Unregulated private foster care is illegal,illegal all foster parents

 Moreo e thant a double
doub e risks foro cchildren
d e to be in ca
caree if bothbotparents are nonnon-Swedish but it is more a question ofpoverty

are assessed by social workers.
18After 1998 placement in kinship care have to be the firstpriority

 Hard to deem what is connected to cultural differences -and what is dysfunctional parenthood Approximately 8000 active foster homes i Sweden

 Parents with own traumas – a risk factor

 Several different types of foster homes.

 Un
Un--accompanied refuge children (Iraq, Afghanistan &Somalia). 2000
2000--3000/y.
19205

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Problematic issues concerning contact
between parents and children in care

Gender and Child Welfare A majority of parents with children in care have a difficult

 Child welfare can be gendered biased - different

life situation
 Children who stay in care until they are teenagers are
seldom reunited with parent
 Less contact with parents the longer the placement lasts At the age of 18 every seventh youth with five or more
years in care had lost his/her mother or both parents. At theage off 25 every fourthf th hadh d lost
l t one or bothb th parentstmeasures towards
d girlsi l andd boys
b– Quiet introvert girls - less problematical– “Difficult”, noisy boys - more problematical For teenagers - the conduct of young people are

judged according to their sex.
– Girls - sexual activities problematical– Boys - acting out, criminality problematical The relationship between mother and child isemphasised. Fathers become peripheral.
2122

Some possible changes in the future

Some possible changes in the future A ”Childrens´sChildrens s Act”
Act which will regulate welfare work up

 Stengthen the monotoring needs and conditions forto the age of 21 (2011)

children in care, health and education

 Stengthen the child perspective in assesment

 Make it possible for young people (over 15) to Conclusion: more focus on the child/ young person as a

independently apply for economic support

subject, with individual right and individual agency

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More manual based assesment- and intervention

246