For two and a half years, the three siblings have been placed in the same family home. They have attached themselves to their foster parents and siblings and say they love them as their new family.
But the biological parents have requested that the children move home, and social services believe that it is possible to work towards a reunion in the future. This is evident from the documents before today’s court hearing.
When the social welfare board in Söderhamn decided to move the siblings to a new family home, the children contacted the organization Child Rights Agency. There they were helped to write to the municipality that they wanted to appeal the move.
The social service sent the letter to the administrative court, but wrote: “it is the children themselves who have appealed. Within the unit, we have taken the position of legal representative that there is no need.”
SVT has searched for those responsible, the manager Tobias Winterliv replies that he is “waiting for the court’s assessment and declines comments”.
The administrative court made a different assessment than the municipality and appointed lawyer Lena Helsingen as the children’s legal representative.
– It is very important. The municipality has made a mistake here and the fact that the court appointed a representative shows that, says Lena Helsingen.
The administrative court also gave the children the right to remain in the family home until the matter is resolved.
Be neglected
The social services in Söderhamn have had close contact with the children’s biological parents, but assess that the children cannot move home. When they were taken into care, they were malnourished and neglected, and both they, neighbors and the police testified to domestic violence, something the parents deny.
But the children should have socializing and reconnect with parents and relatives, the social services think. The siblings don’t want that.
– We don’t want to meet them, it’s not enough to just say sorry for what they’ve done to us, says the older sister.
According to the social service, the foster mother has opposed contact, which she denies. Personnel from the social service noted during one of the visits that the children seemed happy when they received gifts from their biological parents. But they also write that the children have bonded with their foster parents.
The court must now decide how important the children’s attachment to the family home is.