Every child has the right to a safe and secure upbringing

Swedish social services work to ensure that children and young people grow up in a safe environment. Swedish social services employ social workers with specialised knowledge about children’s needs. The social welfare committee is responsible for ensuring that children grow up in a safe environment.

In practice, this may involve supporting families in which one of the parents struggles with mental health issues or substance abuse. Social services must also provide protection and support to children and parents who are subjected to violence or abuse.

In Sweden, support has long been available to help parents fulfil their parental responsibilities. They are entitled to support and help when they experience difficulties. No parents are perfect, but most people can be good parents; some just need help to get there, and it is society’s collective responsibility to help families who cannot manage it all on their own. That is why social services exist; they were created to provide help and support to parents who request or need it. 

Swedish social services’ activities are governed primarily by the Social Services Act, which is based on  voluntary measures. Complementary provisions in the Care of Young Persons Act make it possible in certain cases to decide on measures even without consent.

In Sweden, it is the responsibility of social services to protect children who are mistreated or at risk of being mistreated. If social services receive information about a child being mistreated or at risk of being mistreated, they must assess the child’s need for support and protection. This process must be based on the best interests of the child.

A decision on compulsory care under the Care of Young Persons Act requires there to be either problems associated with the child’s or young person’s home environment – that pose a substantial risk of harm to the health or development of the child or the young person – or that the child or young person exposes their health or development to a substantial risk of harm through their own behaviour.  

Social services are obliged to design care in a way that promotes the child’s affinity for the family and people who are meaningful to the child, as well as contact with the home environment. For instance, this can mean that the child is able to maintain contact with their origin, language and culture.

For a long time, disinformation has been spread globally in social and other media about how Sweden treats children. This disinformation spreads an image of a country that systematically discriminates against families for no reason at all. This is false and misleading. In Sweden, we stand up for children’s own rights, regardless of where they come from or their parents’ beliefs, ancestry or origin. 

A report from the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare shows that, when comparing children and young people with similar socio-economic upbringings, those with two foreign-born parents were less likely to be in care than those with two Swedish-born parents. The study covered both voluntary and compulsory placements according to the Care of Young Persons Act.

This disinformation is very dangerous. If fear and anxiety about social services are built up in society, it can affect both the willingness of children, young people and guardians to seek help from social services and the willingness of others to report if they suspect that a child is being harmed. Disinformation about social services means that children in Sweden risk not receiving the support from society to which they are entitled. Disinformation is also dangerous for social workers who risk being threatened and exposed on social media and thus hindered in their important efforts to provide protection and support to every child in Sweden. 

In both 2022 and 2023, the National Board of Health and Welfare was tasked with proposing measures to build long-term trust for social services among children, young people and families who need support and assistance. The Board is conducting an ongoing dialogue with civil society organisations, faith communities and other actors regarding social services for children, young people and families. The aim is to also provide outreach information on social media to fight rumours and disinformation about work carried out by social services. In addition, the task includes developing ways of working that can help to build trust in social services’ activities.

The Board is also using broad communication to build trust and counter disinformation in social media channels. The focus of the communication includes these areas: 

• countering incorrect information by reaching out with correct information and responding to incorrect claims; and
• increasing knowledge about social services’ work with families.

• The Swedish social service work for the best interests of children – National Board of Health and Welfare's website  - external website,
• About social services in other languages – National Board of Health and Welfare's website  - external website,

In February 2023, the Swedish Psychological Defence Agency was tasked with strengthening resilience to malign information influence against social services. The final report was presented on 31 January 2024. 

Within the assignment, the Agency has:

• monitored, analysed and reported on the development of Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) to relevant authorities;
• implemented measures to strengthen the ability to map and identify FIMI;
• continuously provided support to affected actors regarding areas such as strategic communication and effective communication strategies to respond to identified information influence;
• collaborated with other countries that have been subjected to similar FIMI campaigns and learned from international experiences; and
• created an international situational picture.

In August 2023, the Swedish Commission for Government Support to Faith Communities (which is now a part of the Swedish Agency for Youth and Civil Society) was tasked with planning an information campaign targeting municipalities, regions and government agencies to enhance their knowledge about faith communities and their activities. 

The initiative promoted collaboration between public actors and faith communities with the aim of strengthening democratic society. For example, faith communities may have the opportunity to convey important information in outreach to individuals and groups that municipalities, regions and government agencies otherwise have difficulty reaching. The final report was presented on 15 January 2024.