Information to SVT: The "good start" money has not been reported to the municipal board - for several years

Jörgen Edsvik sits on the municipal board for the Social Democrats and is also chairman of the social sustainability committee.

Despite the lack of financial accounting, he feels confident that the money is going where it should go.

- We are not interested in whether 50,000 have gone to "Children's Convention Day" or 100,000 to "Buddy Talk".

We are interested in the effect of the money we bring in.

Then we ensure that no money goes to the elite operations in Brynäs because we are not interested in supporting it.

How do you know that's so?

- Because we get a comprehensive account of what "A good start" costs.

But not of what each part of the project costs?

- No, but each part is not very interesting.

"A good start" is our own business line within Brynäs, with our own business manager and our own employees, which we support.

Then the agreement will be renegotiated in 2023 and then we will see.

Today, the municipal board is behind this.

In any case, we have not been able to take part in the overall report.

- No, but we will see it at our steering group meetings.

And the municipal board has received several reports and they have not had any views on them.

Not seen any financial report

When SVT asks the municipal board members, a different version emerges.

Members from the Left Party, the Liberals, the Christian Democrats and the Sweden Democrats responded.

None of these had seen any financial account of "A good start" business and some are even critical of the collaboration.

One of them is Margareta Larsson, the Moderates' group leader.

- I have raised critical questions and several with me along the way, but nothing has changed, she says.

SVT has also been in contact with two of the three companies that are the main partners in "A good start" and asked if they have seen any exact financial report.

Both replied that they had not done so, but that they were nevertheless satisfied with the cooperation.

The results are important - can not be measured according to researchers

However, a researcher interviewed by SVT believes that the methods used in sports associations' so-called CSR projects, which A Good Start can be described as, are rarely based on research and it is not possible to assess whether they actually work or not.

I am thinking of these results and the effects you mention.

What do they consist of?

- It's about how many children participate in different "Playdays" and how many "Buddy talk" you have had, for example.

There are quite a few children who meet that way, says Jörgen Edsvik.

That is the project description.

But what can be measured for results?

- All preventive social work has that problem.

Also the social services' family support activities, field assistants or leisure centers.

Measuring the exact effect is very difficult and takes a very long time.

We look at how many children and young people you meet and sometimes meet children who are allowed to give their picture.

As long as it's good, this business will continue to flow.