The opposition's spokesperson on social policy issues, Fredrik Lundh Sammeli, has for several years criticized Ivo for not doing enough against the allegedly criminal Swedish hvb homes.
Now DN's review shows that most of the homes that were closed during this period and reported to the politicians as a result of the work against crime - have no proven such connections. And the S politician questions why the authority made its list at all.
- You can really wonder that. It provides an incorrect basis for the policy and gives the appearance of having solved a problem that probably remains.
Fredrik Lundh Sammeli emphasizes that there may very well have been other reasonable reasons for closing the homes on the list, but DN has also spoken to several employees at Ivo – lawyers and inspectors – who accuse their own employer of biasing the decisions, solely to be able to show results.
Those testimonies are difficult for Fredrik Lundh Sammeli to accept.
- I don't want to believe that someone just tried to create an image of action without actually doing it. I think that these are real children who are placed and I assume that Ivo has not closed a single home for wrong reasons.
Some parts of DN's review, however, make him have doubts. The closing of Tor's farm on Gotland is one such example.
- Ivo must also be an advisory and guiding authority. You can't just drive digitally on or off and at the slightest error you go out. If, for example, Ivo previously agreed to the home's ski trips - and then changes his mind - then it should be more natural for the authority to clarify that, than to close the business. We need the hvb homes we have that are good, says Fredrik Lundh Sammeli.
After the police alarm in the summer of 2024 that criminal networks seemed to have entered the hvb homes, Fredrik Lundh Sammeli became one of the politicians who pressed the hardest for something to happen. The question is whether his statements may have contributed to Ivo now closing many homes, rather than the right home?
- So my approach has always been that it is completely unacceptable that criminals run hvb, or work there and recruit there. I don't back down one millimeter from that. At the same time, the government needs to control Ivo in such a way that it is able to make that gathering of power, without it affecting anything else.
- Chasing sticks for a statistic is completely crazy and no one can be satisfied with that.
Minister of Social Services Camilla Waltersson Grönvall (M) had access to DN's review at an early stage and, now that it has been completed, did not want to be interviewed again.
- I have to be able to trust Ivo's assessments, said Camilla Waltersson Grönvall (M) at the beginning of September.
She then considered that the authority was given good conditions to solve the task.
- Fighting crime in the welfare systems has been a priority issue throughout the past mandate period. And I'm not going to say that we're splurging, but it's hundreds of millions that we've given Ivo so that it's not funds that are missing
The minister also defended the political steering of Ivo, towards a more law-enforcement role.
- There used to be a lot of sociologists and nurses who had worked with quality control. But now lawyers and other people skilled in uncovering criminal schemes were needed. When we gave the special hvb supervisory assignment to Ivo, things started to happen, Camilla Waltersson Grönvall said.
The minister then called the account of 39 closed hvb homes that Ivo left in February "a great success". We asked her if that judgment changed after our review?
- So I have not been present at these inspections. And the criticism from the opposition has always been that it is going too slowly.
Perhaps you have all called for too quick action and missed the mark?
- But this is information that has existed for several years and the recruitment of our children and young people takes place quickly. It is clear that we must act urgently.
Are you in any way concerned that this pressure has resulted in the authority delivering foreclosed homes overall, rather than criminally connected homes?
- I trust that our authorities do a good job linked to the task they have, said Camilla Waltersson Grönvall (M).
In connection with the publication of our review, Camilla Waltersson Grönvall returns with a written comment:
"It is absolutely crucial that children and young people who are placed in hvb homes receive the security and care they are entitled to. Criminal actors must not be able to exploit welfare for their own gain and unscrupulous actors must not be able to continue operating at the expense of children's safety. That is why the government has given Ivo the tools, mandate, legislation and resources to secure the welfare of unscrupulous and criminal actors. All decisions must be made on factual grounds and be legally secure, decisions on closure can be appealed and tried in court, which is an important part of legal certainty. Of the homes that have been closed since the assignment was given, there is only one where the court has decided to reopen the home."
