August Holm is 15 years old and needs help with everything. Left to himself he would die.
His mother Katarina has tired, shiny eyes, but a light is lit there when she talks about things that August likes.
- He loves music and he likes fairy tales. We read a lot and listen to books. He loves to bathe and enjoys getting foot baths. He likes a disco light, then he can see a little, but here they listen to movies, a lot of Disney movies, she says.
August Holm suffered a stroke when he was still in his stomach and was born with severe brain damage. His optic nerve is affected by the damage and he sees no more than light, darkness and patches of color. He is paralyzed on the left side. He suffers from scoliosis. His lung function is impaired and he is very sensitive to infections.
Several times a day, August suffers from epileptic seizures and he needs help to keep his airways clear of mucus with machines and inhalers.
- He is a newborn baby in a slightly larger body. But he recognizes our voices and the voices of others, those he spends a lot of time with. He hears me immediately when I come inside the door here, says Katarina Holm.
Here, at Safiren in Vallentuna, live August and four other children. The LSS accommodation is the only one of its kind in the entire Mälardalen, perhaps in the whole of Sweden.
For 30 years, Safiren has been run by Region Stockholm to be a home for children and young people who are so seriously ill that they need medical care around the clock. The ones that no one else can take care of.
During the day, there is always a nurse here, the staff is continuously trained and knows the children well. In addition, Safiren coordinates the children's contacts with school, healthcare, social services, transport and habilitation.
- We have received such an incredible amount of help through the security that exists here. They take care of everything, says Katarina Holm.
Joakim Lavesson, operations manager for Safiren, says that the region is "incredibly proud of Safiren".
- It is one of our most well-functioning activities, which provides a safe and stable home environment for the children.
But on November 20, Safiren will close and the operation will be shut down, following a decision from the Inspectorate for Care and Care, Ivo.
It is not about the business being mismanaged or that the staff has failed to care for the children, not about any organizational change. It's not even about money.
What it is about is that Region Stockholm's personnel department has neglected to archive extracts from the charge register.
When someone applies for employment to work with children, the employer must check that the person has not been convicted of serious crimes.
This has been done at Safiren: all employees have passed a record check, without remark.
Within the entire Stockholm Region, which has around 50,000 employees, the register extracts are destroyed and a note that the check has been carried out is archived. But because Safiren is an LSS residence and not a care unit, different rules apply. Here, the register extracts must be saved for two years, so that Ivo can check afterwards that the children are not exposed to risks by criminals working in the business.
According to Ivo, the mistake on the part of the region is so serious that they have now banned the activity.
- When Ivo interprets the law in this way, you create a situation that I understand that the legislation is there to prevent. As a society, we must look out for the best interests of these children. The intention cannot possibly be for children to be taken out of their accustomed environment, if an authority makes a formal mistake, but there are no wrongdoings, says operations manager Joakim Lavesson.
Ivo has the government's mission to ensure that criminally charged individuals do not work with vulnerable children, an issue that gained weight after the police alarm that criminals would run hvb homes.
The decision to close Safiren was made in 2025. Region Stockholm appealed, but the administrative court ruled in favor of Ivo. In the judgment that came on October 23, the court states that the region cannot be allowed to break the law just because the business is run under public auspices.
- We understand Ivo's criticism in substance - we have made a formal mistake. These are the consequences we are facing. I find it difficult to understand that you cannot be given an opportunity to remedy the deficiency afterwards, when you are dealing with people and there will be such extreme consequences for those affected, says Joakim Lavesson.
Now the hope is that the Court of Appeal will grant leave to appeal. Region Stockholm submits its appeal this week, but Ivo's decision applies if Safiren's case is not heard in court.
- It is my professional assessment that this is a complete miscarriage of justice. Ivo has made his decision without making any proportionality assessment worthy of the name, says Karolina Hermansson, who is a lawyer and parent of one of the other children at Safiren.
- They have shut down a well-functioning business with the consequence that these five children are exposed to direct danger to their lives.
DN has asked Ivo for an interview, but is referred to the press service, which answers selected questions in writing via email.
Is it reasonable that the children and their families have to pay the price for Region Stockholm's administrative mistakes?
"That the regulations on record checks during employment are carried out in accordance with the regulations that apply is an important measure to prevent abuse, violations or other harmful influence," answers Ivo.
Further: "Repeated deficiencies regarding register control have been considered by the legislator to be so serious that they are in themselves grounds for banning operations or revoking permits."
The parents are afraid that they will not be able to maintain dignified and safe care in the homes. According to the authority, is this an acceptable consequence?
"Ivo is aware that the decisions can affect children who live in the business. However, the fact that record checks do not take place in accordance with the laws poses a serious risk to these children, as there is a risk that criminals or other unsuitable people are employed."
"Protecting the children and the young outweighs, in Ivo's opinion, the possible inconveniences that a move could bring."
When DN comes to Safiren, August Holm is sleeping. He has been on an excursion and the impressions outside the home have made him tired.
But now he is awake. Mamma Katarina turns on the disco light and reads aloud from Mamma Mu.
"Any inconvenience".
The face reveals that Katarina Holm has difficulty controlling her dismay.
- I have no words for this, what terrible consequences this entails. There is nothing ethical about their decision at all.
