Young people were forced to visit naked at HVB homes in Sörmland

SVT News Sörmland has reviewed all decisions from Ivo, the Inspection for Healthcare and Care, which concerns compulsory care according to LVU and LVM in the county since 2014. In seven cases, HVB homes and support residents have been criticized for unauthorized forced measures. Two of the cases concern one and the same accommodation.

Among other things, residents have been forced to leave their mobile phones and have their rooms visited without their approval. Something Ivo looks at seriously.

- It is a violation of the rights and rights of children and young people. They are constitutionally regulated, says Annelie Andersson, inspector and national subject coordinator for children and families at Ivo.

In one case, a youth was subjected to a naked visit by a substitute, something that was not documented in the medical record. According to the staff, the substitute was allowed to close after the incident, when it went against the rules of the accommodation.

In another case, a refrigerator and freezer were locked, a measure that the staff meant was to protect the residents. Another commonly unlawful coercive measure is drug checks and the refusal to submit urine samples can be considered a positive result.

- The most common thing is that we get this information from the young people when we talk to them, either at an inspection or via Ivo's youth line, says Annelie Andersson.

It is only at the accommodation owned by the State Institutional Board, SiS, that forced measures may be taken without the consent of the residents.

Do you understand that sometimes it can be difficult for staff to perform their tasks and care if they are not allowed to take certain measures?

- Yes, we can have some understanding of that. But there is legislation that explicitly states that this is not allowed to be done on an HVB or support housing. There is also a risk of replacing care and treatment with prohibition and control, which must not happen.

According to Annelie Andersson, the social services are responsible for ensuring that the quality of care is good. Then it is up to the accommodation to agree with the youth about care arrangements and rules. If an accommodation fails to meet the requirements, it may be necessary to discharge or care for a SiS accommodation.

All cases that SVT has been aware of have been resolved after Ivo's attention.