2024-04-032023/24:SoU18 · p.4SoUHealth & social services
Residential care or housing facilities (HVB) and foster care
Residential care homes (HVB) and foster homes
What's at stake: The decision concerns children and young people placed outside their own home, and their families, who depend on residential care homes and foster homes maintaining good quality and on clear, predictable rules for when a placement ends.
Case texts and AI reasoning are AI-translated from the Swedish originals; the Swedish text is authoritative.
What the vote decides
The question is whether the Riksdag should now direct the government to act on HVB and foster-home placements and clearer rules for ending a placement, or whether this should wait for ongoing inquiries and reforms already under way.
Yes Yes — the committee proposal
The committee rejects the motions. The reason is that extensive work is already under way: the report For Children and Young People in Public Care (SOU 2023:66) is being processed, a new inquiry will strengthen the child's perspective in compulsory care, and the government has appointed a national coordinator for social child and youth care tasked with, among other things, proposing more foster-home and residential-care places. The organisation and mandate of state youth care are also under review in a recently launched inquiry. The committee therefore considers no initiative from the Riksdag is needed.
No No — the reservations
Reservation 10 (S, MP)
The reservation (S, MP) calls on the government to proceed with the proposals in SOU 2023:66 for better HVB and foster-home placements, and to clarify the grounds for ending a child's placement in care so that the child, parents and foster home understand what is needed for reunification.
Summarised from the committee report. Party labels in the summary come from the report, not from the vote.
What do the votes mean here?
Yes The committee proposal: rejecting the motions (keeping things as they are).
No Backing the counter-proposal: reservation 10 by S, MP.
Abstain The party marks a position of its own that is not one of the two final alternatives.
The decision would have gone the other way
Explicit commitments that contradicted the vote: SDSverigedemokraterna
Ja 173–107Nej 110–170
Counterfactual: the parties above are moved to the position their own documents explicitly point at, carrying their whole contingent present. Every other party keeps its real figures, including dissenters and absentees.
How the AI parties would have voted
For each party: what its own plan – election manifesto and party programme – argues for in this case, next to how the party actually voted. The AI can only answer Yes or No; a party can also abstain.
| AI | Vote | Confidence | Evidence | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V | No | Yes 21/0/0/3 | differs | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| S | No | No 0/92/0/14 | match | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| MP | No | No 0/14/0/4 | match | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| C | No | Abstain 0/0/21/3 | differs | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| L | No | Yes 14/0/0/2 | differs | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| KD | No | Yes 15/0/0/4 | differs | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| M | No | Yes 60/0/0/8 | differs | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| SD | No | Yes 63/0/0/9 | differsagainst own programme | confidence: high | explicit |
Committee proposal
The Riksdag rejects the motions 2023/24:1396 by Ann-Sofie Alm (M) call 8, 2023/24:2481 by Martina Johansson et al. (C) call 34 and 2023/24:2617 by Fredrik Lundh Sammeli et al. (S) call 81.
Original (Swedish)
Riksdagen avslår motionerna 2023/24:1396 av Ann-Sofie Alm (M) yrkande 8, 2023/24:2481 av Martina Johansson m.fl. (C) yrkande 34 och 2023/24:2617 av Fredrik Lundh Sammeli m.fl. (S) yrkande 81.
Riksdag decision: The Riksdag rejected approximately 100 proposals from motions on children and youth within social services from the general motion period 2023. The motions addressed services and placement options for children and youth. The Riksdag pointed primarily to ongoing work within the areas covered by the motions.
Counter-proposals
- The counter-proposal wants to ensure clear collaboration procedures and ongoing training among school, social services, and police to prevent vulnerable children from falling through the cracks. (S, MP) — Reservation 10
Plan vs actual vote
Every party, in chamber order: what its own plan pointed to, how it voted, and the reasoning behind both. Highlighted rows are where the two differ — but a vote that follows the plan is a result too, so the reasoning is there for every party.
The plan establishes that the child's best interests shall come first and that social services shall be strengthened with resources and knowledge for child protection.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan establishes that the child's best interests shall come first and that social services shall be strengthened with resources and knowledge for child protection. The counter-proposal's requirement to clarify what is required for a placement to end strengthens the child's and family's legal certainty in social welfare, which is in line with the plan's direction. The program also requires that social services law be interpreted extensively based on needs.
Original (Swedish)
Planen slår fast att barnens bästa ska komma i första rummet och att socialtjänsten ska förstärkas med resurser och kunskap för barnskydd. Motförslagets krav på att tydliggöra vad som krävs för att ett omhändertagande ska upphöra stärker barnets och familjens rättssäkerhet i samhällsvården, vilket ligger i planens riktning. Programmet kräver också att socialtjänstlagen tolkas extensivt utifrån behoven.
- child's best interests firstdecisive»Vänsterpartiets politik ska utformas så att barnens bästa kommer i första rummet.« (party programme ↗)“The Left Party's policy shall be shaped so that the child's best interests come first.”
- strengthened social services and child protection»Ge barn och ungdomar möjligheter till kommunalt stödda fritidsaktiviteter, ge skolan bättre resurser för att stödja elever som behöver det för att klara betygen och förstärk socialtjänsten med tillräckliga resurser och kunskap för att arbeta både förebyggande och med barnskydd.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Give children and young people access to municipally supported leisure activities, give schools better resources to support students who need it to achieve grades and strengthen social services with adequate resources and knowledge to work both preventively and with child protection.”
- extensive social services law»Socialtjänstlagen ska tolkas extensivt.« (party programme ↗)“Social services law shall be interpreted extensively.”
The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.
The plan binds all decisions concerning children to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and demands more and more far-reaching social interventions and a strengthened social service that catches young people in time.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan binds all decisions concerning children to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and demands more and more far-reaching social interventions and a strengthened social service that catches young people in time. Continuing the work with better foster care and family care placements and clarifying what is required for a child to be taken into care is in line with that. The requirement for equal conditions for all children speaks for making the grounds predictable.
Original (Swedish)
Planen binder alla beslut som rör barn vid barnkonventionen och kräver fler och mer långtgående sociala insatser samt en stärkt socialtjänst som fångar upp unga i tid. Att driva vidare arbetet med bättre HVB- och familjehemsplaceringar och tydliggöra vad som krävs för att ett omhändertagande ska upphöra ligger i den linjen. Kravet på likvärdiga villkor för alla barn talar för att grunderna görs förutsägbara.
- Convention on the Rights of the Child guides decisionsdecisive»Alla barn ska ha rätt till en trygg uppväxt i enlighet med FN:s barnkonvention.« (party programme ↗)“All children have the right to a safe upbringing in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.”
- far-reaching social interventions»Vi vill se fler och mer långtgående sociala insatser och föräldrar ska vara skyldiga att medverka när deras barn behöver socialtjänstens åtgärder.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to see more and more far-reaching social interventions and parents shall be obliged to cooperate when their child needs social services measures.”
- strengthened social service»Att socialtjänsten stärks är centralt för att fånga upp unga i tid.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“That the social service is strengthened is central to catching young people in time.”
- equal conditions for children»Alla barn och ungdomar ska ha rätt till likvärdiga villkor« (party programme ↗)“All children and young people have the right to equal conditions”
The party programme particularly wants to invest in support for children in vulnerable families and states that the child's legal security must be strengthened and that the Convention on the Rights of the Child must become Swedish law.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The party programme particularly wants to invest in support for children in vulnerable families and states that the child's legal security must be strengthened and that the Convention on the Rights of the Child must become Swedish law. Clear and predictable criteria for when child welfare intervention ends are a legal security matter for the child and strengthen the child's standing. The plan therefore supports the counter-proposal's demand, with the reservation that children's safety weighs heaviest.
Original (Swedish)
Partiprogrammet vill särskilt satsa på stöd till barn i utsatta familjer och slår fast att barnets rättstrygghet måste stärkas samt att barnkonventionen ska bli svensk lag. Tydliga och förutsebara kriterier för när ett omhändertagande upphör är en rättssäkerhetsfråga för barnet och stärker barnets ställning. Planen stöder därför motförslagets krav, med förbehållet att barns trygghet väger tyngst.
- strengthened legal security for childrendecisive»Barnets rättstrygghet måste stärkas om det finns misstankar om våld eller sexuella övergrepp.« (party programme ↗)“The child's legal security must be strengthened if there are suspicions of violence or sexual abuse.”
- the Convention on the Rights of the Child as law»barnkonvention ska bli svensk lag och politiska beslut bör föregås av en barnkonsekvensanalys.« (party programme ↗)“the Convention on the Rights of the Child must become Swedish law and political decisions should be preceded by a child impact assessment.”
- support for children in vulnerable families»Vi vill särskilt satsa på stöd till barn i familjer där« (party programme ↗)“We particularly want to invest in support for children in families where”
- children's safety before reunification»skydda barn från att tvingas till umgänge med en våldsam förälder.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“protect children from being forced to meet with a violent parent.”
The party programme puts the child's rights and perspective first and wants enforceable, clear rights in the social contract.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The party programme puts the child's rights and perspective first and wants enforceable, clear rights in the social contract. Clarifying what grounds are required for a custody to cease provides precisely the predictability and legal certainty the plan seeks, for the child, parents and foster parents. The plan also wants to strengthen individuals' ability to have their case reviewed.
Original (Swedish)
Partiprogrammet sätter barnets rättigheter och perspektiv främst och vill ha utkrävbara, tydliga rättigheter i samhällskontraktet. Att klargöra vilka skäl som krävs för att ett omhändertagande ska upphöra ger just den förutsebarhet och rättssäkerhet planen efterfrågar, för barnet, föräldrarna och familjehemmet. Planen vill också stärka enskildas möjlighet att få sin sak prövad.
- child's rights centraldecisive»Av största betydelse är då barnens rättigheter och perspektiv.« (party programme ↗)“Of greatest importance are then children's rights and perspective.”
- enforceable rights»Vi vill se en rättighetslagstiftning, ett tydligt samhällskontrakt med utkrävbara rättigheter.« (party programme ↗)“We want to see rights-based legislation, a clear social contract with enforceable rights.”
- every child's right»Särskilt viktigt är att värna varje barns rätt att bli respekterad och att bli sedd för den man är.« (party programme ↗)“Particularly important is to protect every child's right to be respected and to be seen for who they are.”
- legal certainty in administration»Alla som bor i Sverige ska kunna få sin sak prövad. Ledtiderna för handläggning och myndighetsutövning i domstolar och myndigheter måste kortas och tillgången till ombud förbättras.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Everyone living in Sweden should be able to have their case reviewed. Lead times for processing and administration in courts and agencies must be shortened and access to representatives improved.”
The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.
The plan emphasizes that the public's responsibility is especially great for children placed away from their parents and that placed children have the right to information about their situation.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan emphasizes that the public's responsibility is especially great for children placed away from their parents and that placed children have the right to information about their situation. Clarifying what reasons are required for a placement to end gives precisely that predictability for the child, parents and foster family that the plan seeks. The plan goes further and wants to strengthen the foster family's role, which further speaks for continued reform work.
Original (Swedish)
Planen betonar att det offentligas ansvar är särskilt stort för barn som placerats från sina föräldrar och att placerade barn ska ha rätt att få information om sin situation. Att tydliggöra vilka skäl som krävs för att ett omhändertagande ska upphöra ger just den förutsägbarhet för barnet, föräldrarna och familjehemmet som planen eftersträvar. Planen går längre än så och vill stärka familjehemmens roll, vilket ytterligare talar för fortsatt reformarbete.
- responsibility for placed childrendecisive»Det offentligas ansvar är särskilt stort för de barn som placerats från sina föräldrar.« (party programme ↗)“The public's responsibility is especially great for children placed away from their parents.”
- placed children's right to information»placerade barn ska ha rätt att få information« (party programme ↗)“placed children have the right to information”
- strengthened foster placement»Fler familjehemsplacerade barn bör få sina familjehemsföräldrar som vårdnadshavare.« (party programme ↗)“More foster-placed children should have their foster parents as guardians.”
The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.
The party programme establishes that the family should not be deprived of its natural functions and that it is society's fundamental unit with the right to support.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The party programme establishes that the family should not be deprived of its natural functions and that it is society's fundamental unit with the right to support. Clarifying what grounds are required for a care order to cease gives parents and children a predictable path back to the family, which follows from this and from the child's right to a safe upbringing according to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The counter-proposal's requirements thus lie in the plan's direction.
Original (Swedish)
Partiprogrammet slår fast att familjen inte ska berövas sina naturliga uppgifter och att den är samhällets grundläggande enhet med rätt till stöd. Att tydliggöra vilka skäl som krävs för att ett omhändertagande ska upphöra ger föräldrar och barn en förutsägbar väg tillbaka till familjen, vilket följer av detta och av barnets rätt till en trygg uppväxtmiljö enligt barnkonventionen. Motförslagets krav ligger därmed i planens riktning.
- family's natural functionsdecisive»Familjen ska inte berövas sina naturliga uppgifter« (party programme ↗)“The family shall not be deprived of its natural functions”
- family as fundamental unit»Familjen är den naturliga och grundläggande enheten i samhället« (party programme ↗)“The family is the natural and fundamental unit in society”
- safe upbringing environment»Barn har rätt till en trygg uppväxtmiljö.« (party programme ↗)“Children have the right to a safe upbringing.”
- Convention on the Rights of the Child governing»ska ske med utgångspunkt i FN:s barnkonvention« (party programme ↗)“shall be conducted based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child”
The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.
The plan wants more children to be taken into care under the Care of Young Persons (Special Provisions) Act and for placed young people to receive better care and education, which presupposes that the grounds for placement and for its termination are clear.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto · party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan wants more children to be taken into care under the Care of Young Persons (Special Provisions) Act and for placed young people to receive better care and education, which presupposes that the grounds for placement and for its termination are clear. The documents also demand that all public exercise of power be guided by equal treatment and predictability. The counter-proposal's demand to clarify what is required for a placement to end follows directly from this.
Original (Swedish)
Planen vill att fler barn omhändertas enligt LVU och att placerade ungdomar får bättre vård och utbildning, vilket förutsätter att grunderna för placering och för dess upphörande är tydliga. Dokumenten kräver dessutom att all offentlig maktutövning vägleds av likabehandling och förutsebarhet. Motförslagets krav på att tydliggöra vad som krävs för att ett omhändertagande ska upphöra följer direkt av det.
- more placements under the Care of Young Persons Actdecisive»Säkerställa att fler omhändertas enligt LVU« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Ensure that more are taken into care under the Care of Young Persons (Special Provisions) Act”
- predictable agency action»principer om likabehandling och förutsebarhet.« (party programme ↗)“principles of equal treatment and predictability.”
- better care for placed children»Se till att placerade ungdomar ges bättre utbildning« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Ensure that placed young people are given better education”
- strengthened parental responsibility»Betona och förstärka föräldraansvaret« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Emphasise and strengthen parental responsibility”
The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.
The election manifesto establishes that the process surrounding children in care needs to be upgraded and quality assured and that investigations concerning children shall be quality assured and legally sound.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The election manifesto establishes that the process surrounding children in care needs to be upgraded and quality assured and that investigations concerning children shall be quality assured and legally sound. The counter-proposal's demands that the work on better child welfare and foster care placements be continued and that the grounds for ending a placement be clarified are directly in line with this. The plan also establishes that the best interests of the child shall always be considered.
Original (Swedish)
Valmanifestet slår fast att processen kring placerade barn behöver uppgraderas och kvalitetssäkras och att utredningar om barn ska vara kvalitetssäkrade och rättssäkra. Motförslagets krav på att arbetet med bättre HVB- och familjehemsplaceringar drivs vidare och att skälen för att ett omhändertagande ska upphöra tydliggörs ligger direkt i linje med detta. Planen slår också fast att barnets bästa alltid ska beaktas.
- quality assure child placementsdecisive»Det finns ett stort behov av att processen kring placerade barn uppgraderas och kvalitetssäkras.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“There is a large need for the process surrounding children in care to be upgraded and quality assured.”
- legally sound child investigations»Öka kvalité och rättssäkerhet i utredningar om barn« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Increase quality and legal soundness in investigations concerning children”
- secure state care»Barn och unga som blir omhändertagna ska kunna lita på samhällets vård och nå en bättre tillvaro.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Children and young people who are taken into care shall be able to trust the state's care and achieve a better life.”
- best interests of the child»Att barnets bästa alltid ska beaktas« (2022 manifesto ↗)“That the best interests of the child shall always be considered”
The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.
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Sources and documents
- The committee report on riksdagen.se (2023/24:SoU18)
- Committee report full text (HB01SoU18)
- Per-MP voting data (API)
- Case status (API)
Documents under consideration
- Motion 2023/24:1052 — Tydliggörande av rutiner kring samverkan mellan skola, socialtjänst och polis av Gunilla Carlsson och Dzenan Cisija (båda S)
- Motion 2023/24:1396 — Ingen plats för hederskultur i ett demokratiskt och jämställt samhälle av Ann-Sofie Alm (M)
- Motion 2023/24:1422 — Placeringar på Sis av Johanna Rantsi och Sten Bergheden (båda M)
- Motion 2023/24:1441 — Nationellt register över behandlings- och familjehem av Johanna Rantsi (M)
- Motion 2023/24:1452 — Plan för obligatoriska BVC-besök av Ann-Sofie Lifvenhage (M)
- Motion 2023/24:1535 — Stärkt vård och behandling för unga som dömts till sluten ungdomsvård av Eva Lindh m.fl. (S)
- Motion 2023/24:2062 — En stark och kvalitativ Sis-vård i hela landet av Carina Ståhl Herrstedt m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2023/24:2075 — Socialtjänsten av Carina Ståhl Herrstedt m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2023/24:2161 — Översyn av tillgång till digitala kontaktytor under behandlingstid på Sis/HVB av Ann-Sofie Lifvenhage (M)
- Motion 2023/24:2217 — Översyn av socialtjänstlagen i syfte att underlätta Sis-placering för att motverka kriminalitet av Ann-Sofie Lifvenhage (M)
- Motion 2023/24:2361 — Fristående barnombud i hela landet av Sanne Lennström och Ardalan Shekarabi (båda S)
- Motion 2023/24:2452 — Stärkta rättigheter för barn som flyr till Sverige av Annika Hirvonen m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2023/24:2463 — Konsumentpolitik av Alireza Akhondi m.fl. (C)
- Motion 2023/24:2481 — Familjerätt, hbtqi-frågor och funktionsrätt av Martina Johansson m.fl. (C)
- Motion 2023/24:2617 — Utgiftsområde 9 Hälsovård, sjukvård och social omsorg av Fredrik Lundh Sammeli m.fl. (S)
- Motion 2023/24:2636 — Familjerätt av Jennie Nilsson m.fl. (S)
- Motion 2023/24:2640 — Utgiftsområde 4 Rättsväsendet av Ardalan Shekarabi m.fl. (S)
- Motion 2023/24:2664 — Jämställdhetspolitisk motion av Janine Alm Ericson m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2023/24:2669 — Rättspolitik av Märta Stenevi m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2023/24:2677 — En socialförsäkring med människan i centrum av Annika Hirvonen m.fl. (MP)
Source: The Swedish Parliament