Social services

Sweden’s support to Ukraine makes a difference. The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) has approved increased funding for the National Board of Health and Welfare’s programme for expanded support to Ukraine for health and medical care, care of older people and children.

On Monday 9 February, Minister for Social Affairs and Public Health Jakob Forssmed, Minister for Older People and Social Security Anna Tenje, Minister for Social Services Camilla Waltersson Grönwall, and the Liberal Party’s Fredrik Malm will hold a press conference to present the Government’s news on its increased support to Ukraine in the health and medical care and social policy areas. Ukraine’s Ambassador to Sweden Svitlana Zalishchuk will attend the press conference.

Speech by Sweden’s Minister for Social Services Camilla Waltersson Grönvall. Delivered at the Sixty-fourth session of the Commission for Social Development, United Nations, New York. Check against delivery.

A proposal for new legislation on children and young people taken into care is to be referred for consultation by the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs. The proposals would see the Care of Young Persons Act being replaced by modern and clear legislation that meets the protection and support needs of children and young people today.

On 4–6 November, Minister for Social Services Camilla Waltersson Grönvall will take part in the UN World Summit for Social Development in Doha.

On 21–23 May, Minister for Social Services Camilla Waltersson Grönvall and Minister for Older People and Social Security Anna Tenje visited Lviv, Ukraine. While in Ukraine, Ms Waltersson Grönvall and Ms Tenje took part in the Ministerial Social Policy Summit, which Sweden co-hosted together with Ukraine, Moldova and Lithuania. Ministers from several EU countries were also in attendance.

Preventive, accessible and knowledge-based: this is how the Swedish Government envisions the Swedish social services.

Dementia is one of the major public health issues of our time. The number of people living with a dementia diagnosis is increasing. At the same time research in the field is advancing rapidly. The Government therefore plans to adopt an updated national dementia strategy to improve health and social care for people with dementia. The Government also intends to approve government agency assignments and funding in the field.

To combat crime and increase security, investments in the judicial system and criminal law measures must be combined with effective and proactive crime prevention efforts. The Government has therefore presented a national strategy that focuses on social crime prevention measures. The aim includes preventing children and young people from becoming involved in criminal networks and other types of crime.

The Swedish Gender Equality Agency has been tasked with sharing knowledge about honour-based violence and oppression in connection with stays abroad. The Government has now also tasked the Agency with analyzing and presenting proposals for a national reporting and follow-up system for cases where a child or adult has been taken abroad. This involves determining the scope of the problem and establishing an approach to systematic follow-up.

Support to Ukraine is the most important priority during the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU. On 1–2 June, the Swedish Presidency held a high-level meeting on protecting children to highlight how Ukrainian children have been affected by Russia’s aggression, and to discuss what EU Member States can do to respond to their needs. A very large number of Member States signed a declaration at the meeting.

Over seven million people in Ukraine have been forced to leave their homes and seek temporary protection from Russia’s aggression, both within Ukraine and in other European countries. The overwhelming majority are women and children. Children are often among the most vulnerable in war and conflict. Sweden and Ukraine have now entered into a cooperation agreement to continue supporting and protecting children.

On Thursday 20 April, Minister for Social Services Camilla Waltersson Grönvall visited the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, where she met President Zelenskyy’s wife, Olena Zelenska, and representatives of the Ukrainian Government. At the meeting, they discussed how children have been affected by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Since December 2021, disinformation has been spread concerning Swedish social services taking Muslim children into care without a legal basis. According to the Swedish Psychological Defence Agency, there are no indications that the campaign will cease in the near future. Social services employees are being threatened and, in the worst case scenario, this risks leading to children in Sweden not receiving the social support to which they are entitled. The Government is now taking several measures to counteract the disinformation that is being disseminated.

Disinformation is being spread online and on social media about how Swedish social services work to ensure the wellbeing of children. This article aims to give an overview of how the Swedish social services work. The text is in Arabic.

Disinformation is being spread online and on social media about how Swedish social services work to ensure the wellbeing of children.

A misleading campaign currently being conducted against Sweden on social media and other platforms falsely claims that Muslim children and families are systematically being subjected to abuse by Swedish public authorities.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on the whole world and represents a global challenge the likes of which we have not seen for decades. All affected countries are now trying to solve the crisis with as few negative consequences as possible for people’s lives and health.

Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, list of issues in relation to the sixth periodic report of Sweden.