In recent years, a noticed disinformation campaign has spread rumors that the Swedish social services systematically take into care and place children with a foreign background.
To clarify the facts, the National Board of Health and Welfare has reviewed all cases where children born between 1991 and 2020 have been placed, both voluntarily and according to the Care of Young Persons Act (LVU), at some point during their upbringing.
Socioeconomic factors
The conclusion, which DN was the first to report on, shows that it is socioeconomic factors and not country of birth that are linked to children being placed in public care.
We can show that the message in this campaign is completely unfounded, says unit manager Annika Öquist at the National Board of Health and Welfare to the newspaper.
According to the review, children with two foreign-born parents have a lower probability of being placed than those with Sweden-born parents. This applies particularly to children whose parents were born in a country where the majority of the population is Muslim.
Children of foreign-born parents are also, on average, placed for a shorter period during their upbringing than children and young people with Sweden-born parents. The average time for a placement outside the home is 3.6 years for children with two Sweden-born parents. Children from Muslim homes have an average placement time of 1.8 years.
Receive fewer interventions
In Sweden, there are no registers of religious affiliation, and the National Board of Health and Welfare has based its review on the parents' country of birth and has separated out those who come from countries with more than 60 percent Muslim population.
We generally see that children with a foreign background receive much fewer interventions from society, says unit manager Annika Öquist.
