Responsibility for Child Abuse within Foster Care in Sweden

Abstract

The Social Board of each municipality in Sweden is responsible for
providing care for children in need of it. A child may be placed with a foster family or in an institution, with or without its own or its parents’ consent. Most such placements are consensual, in which cases the child’s consent as well as that of its parents is required if the child is 15 or older (adulthood is deemed to begin at 18); the child’s views must be taken into account regardless of its age. The majority of placements are with foster families being considered the best alternative for a child who for whatever reason cannot remain with its parents. Recent revelations of child abuse in foster care environments have resulted in Swedish legislation on the subject undergoing certain amendments. An investigation of standing legislation on the approval and supervision of foster families makes clear that more needs to be done to prevent child abuse. Improvements must be made in specifying the requirements that need to be met in choosing a foster family; present legislation fails to state these with sufficient clarity. It is also proposed that the Social Board have not only the right but the obligation to inquire into any relevant criminal records and to take the findings of such inquiry into account in arriving at its decisions. It is further proposed that an independent professional supervisor should be brought in to oversee the selection process to better assure that the child’s best interests are being served.