SWEDEN
LEGAL AND POLICY CONTEXT
Sweden is one of the main destination countries for unaccompanied and separated children seeking asylum in Europe. In 2015 more than 35,000 unaccompanied and separated children applied for asylum in Sweden, compared with approximately 7,000 in 2014. Local authorities responsible for the reception and care of unaccompanied and separated children were overwhelmed, especially in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö, where the vast majority of asylum-seeking children arrived. Municipalities are required by law to provide accommodation, education, healthcare and guardianship services. In addition to a guardian, each child is assigned a social worker, who follows up on the child’ s care plan and makes sure that the child’ s needs are met.
The sharp increase in the number of unaccompanied and separated children arriving in Sweden and the challenges encountered by social services in fulfilling their responsibilities in providing care, accommodation, protection and integration resulted in several changes in the legal framework. For example, supported living arrangements were introduced as a new type of placement for unaccompanied and separated children and young people between the ages of 16 and 20 1. This type of placement is for children and young people who, based on the assessment of social services, are not in need of state care facilities( such as a placement in a family home or residential care organised and monitored by the authorities). Municipal social services municipal authorities must provide individual support and help these children and young people to manage their daily lives.
Many unaccompanied and separated children wish to live with relatives or family friends already living in Sweden. According to a law known as the EBO act 2, asylum seekers can opt to arrange their own accommodation instead of living in facilities run by the Swedish Migration Agency. With unaccompanied and separated children, child protection authorities have to determine if a placement with the relatives or friends chosen by the child is suitable. Since so many unaccompanied and separated children arrived in the country in 2015, responsible authorities did not always have the resources to carry out suitability assessments and proper monitoring.
There are a significant number of unaccompanied and separated children currently living in private housing arrangements with relatives or family friends. In the Gothenburg suburb of Hammarkullen alone, which has a total population of around 6,000 people, some 500 unaccompanied and separated children are living in such arrangements. Social services and other responsible authorities such as schools consider these children to be extremely vulnerable and recognise that they need special attention compared to the children living in family groups or residential care. The families caring for children in private arrangements are often not completely integrated into the local community; they live in remote areas, do not have a good command of the Swedish language and struggle with unemployment, so they are not well-equipped to guide these children. Since municipal authorities and social services often lack the resources needed to provide individual support to these children, they seek partnerships with civil society organisations to develop care and support solutions.
1 _ The legislative amendments entered into force on 1 January 2016. See“ Supported Accommodation – a New Form of Placement for Children and Young People”, Government Offices of Sweden, last modified 24 January 2017, http:// www. government. se / articles / 2015 / 11 / supported-accommodation--a-new-form-of-placement-for-children-and-young-people.
2 _ Law( 1994: 137) on the reception of asylum seekers and others( LMA).
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