The government wants a new social services act to enter into force on 1 July 2025.
The main focus is that social services should be able to intervene earlier, to prevent young people from being drawn into crime and abuse.
– For too long we have done too little and too late, says Social Services Minister Camilla Waltersson Grönvall (M) at a press conference.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M) has previously launched the new Social Services Act as the biggest reform of Swedish social policy in 40 years.
Today, the government presents the bill, a legislative council referral.
A main feature of it is that the municipalities’ social services must work more preventively before small problems grow into big ones. For example, when a child risks being drawn into crime. This means, among other things, increased demands on outreach activities.
– Today’s social services law is over 40 years old. It came in 1980 and has been patched and fixed many times since then. There were problems even then, but it wasn’t that parents were worried that their children would be recruited by criminal networks, says Camilla Waltersson Grönvall.
SKR, Sweden’s municipalities and regions, are also positive.
– With the new law, the thresholds for the law will be lowered. It will be easier to reach children and young people and guardians with early and preventive measures, says SKR chairman Anders Henriksson at the press conference.
Faster help
In order for the social services to cope with its new mission, the government has set aside eight billion kroner until 2028. The money, as announced earlier, is to be used for increased competence and staffing.
The new law also requires social services to be easier to reach. In addition, it should be possible to get help more quickly by exempting more efforts from individual needs assessment. However, this does not apply to financial support, care in family homes or a permanent place in special forms of accommodation.
Concern reports searchable
The new law also means that children’s rights are strengthened by adapting the Social Services Act to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Another innovation is that reports of concerns must be made digitally searchable. This makes it easier for social services to follow a case when a family moves from one municipality to another.
The bill also makes clearer demands that social services’ methods must be based on science and proven experience.