Karin Svanberg says that the knowledge of how to work with juvenile delinquency varies between different municipalities and that there is often a gap in the level of efforts that are put in place.
– It will be a rough generalization, of course. But there is an intermediate level missing that needs to be filled up much better, between a few conversations with social services and a placement in an HVB home or a Sis home, she says.
Social services are not using the right interventions
The National Board of Health and Welfare also points out that they often do not use the measures that have scientific support to prevent crime among children and young people.
A major effort is now being carried out to increase the municipalities’ knowledge of the methods, for example special family treatment in outpatient care or reinforced family homes.
– We believe that there is a very large arsenal of interventions to deploy for these young people who have severe problems, but who can actually still receive support at home, says Annika Öquist, head of unit at the National Board of Health and Welfare.
Lack of knowledge is rejected
The director of social affairs in Stockholm does not think that those who work in the neighborhoods there lack knowledge of how to work with young people who commit crimes.
– In the city of Stockholm, we have access to many of the interventions that I know that Brå and the National Board of Health and Welfare recommend. One thing that makes it difficult with, for example, the treatment families intervention is that there are not enough families so that we can have young people on the queue for the intervention, says Veronica Carstorp Wolgast, social director.
The director of social affairs, on the other hand, wants to see a change in the law to be able to act even faster.
– Today, an investigation is required to be able to grant a contribution. In order to be able to grant interventions quickly, we would like to not always have to do the investigation, but then a change in the law is needed, she says.