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Children in care not getting adequate help
Christian Wenande
August 10th, 2016
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This article is more than 8 years old.
A ten-year reform effort has not yielded the desired results
According to the state auditors Statsrevisorerne, children who are in care in foster homes or institutions do not receive the care they need.
Statsrevisorerne contends that despite a ten-year effort to improve the case processing for placing children in care, the Social and Internal Affairs Ministry is unable to document any improvement.
Peder Larsen, the head of Statsrevisorerne, argued that the municipalities need to “improve now” or risk further critique from the “highest level”.
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Failed reforms
Even though municipalities spend about 9.3 billion kroner a year on some 11,000 children in care, the municipalities have failed to uphold the law when processing many of the cases, according to Statsrevisorerne.
The Social and Internal Affairs Ministry is responsible for creating the framework for the municipal efforts, but it is the municipalities themselves that are tasked with completing the specific efforts.
About 1 percent of all Danish children are in care outside their homes in either foster homes or institutions.
In 2006, a new childcare reform was passed in order to improve the conditions for children placed in care following a number of cases involving municipalities reacting too late or inadequately in situations.
The reform was to also ensure that the children were given the same opportunities as other children enjoy, such as to receive an education, get a job and have a family life.
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