The new rules have been decided by the Riksdag and came into being to better protect both adults and children who are placed in sheltered accommodation.
The city of Västerås currently has between 15 and 25 ongoing placements of adults due to intimate partner violence.
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– Then it could also be children who have come along, explains Emeli Lanninge, interim unit manager for the municipality’s VIR unit, which works against violence in close relationships.
Västerås has no sheltered accommodation of its own, but hires external actors, sometimes non-profit, such as women’s shelters, sometimes private.
Concern that fewer will seek help
The new rules may cause some sheltered accommodation to be closed down – either because they themselves refrain from applying for permission, or because they do not meet the new requirements.
At Kvinnohuset in Västerås there is concern about what the new rules will bring. That the children’s protection needs must now be assessed separately from the woman’s is a change that is particularly worrying.
– There is a risk that the law will become a holding factor if abused women do not dare to seek help for fear of not being able to bring their children with them, says Elin Hedén, operations manager for the Women’s House in Västerås.
It is unclear whether the accommodation in Västerås will remain
Kvinnohuset currently runs its own sheltered accommodation, but has not yet decided whether to apply for permission to continue.
– We will not close the women’s center in Västerås, but we need to discuss internally how to work forward. We have many different parts and sheltered accommodation is only one part, she says.
Already existing accommodation has until August 1 to apply for a permit. New ones who want to start had to apply before April 1, to Ivo, the Inspectorate for Care and Care.
In the clip, Emeli Lanninge answers three questions about sheltered housing.