Birgitta Berg took over as director of Humanaägda Platea in Hagfors in the spring of 2017. Already in the first year, the business received criticism from Ivo.

Among other things, for lack of suitability assessments of the placed children, that children were placed there who should not be placed together.

Despite repeated criticism, the problems are not resolved and in 2019 the owner company Humana faces new procedures: all suitability assessments would go through the director Birgitta Berg. 

But SVT's investigation shows that a number of children were abused at home without it being reported to the authorities or parents.

Review: Here are the kids who went bad before John Walter died

Staff also testify to a culture of silence and punishment of those who criticized management, which meant that wrongdoing was covered up.  

The criticism from the Inspectorate for Care and Care was repeated against the home and included several shortcomings in the years leading up to the death of five-year-old John Walter in the summer of 2021. 

Humana then chose to close the home after their investigation showed serious problems.

Continued to new youth home 

Six months after the closure of Platea, Birgitta Berg and one of her unit managers register a company that will run consultant-supported family home care and outpatient services for children and young people.

But the Inspectorate for Care and Care, Ivo, rejects the company's permit application.

Birgitta Bergs is judged not to be suitable to run the business due to the serious and recurring shortcomings she was responsible for as director of Platea.

However, SVT can reveal that Birgitta Berg continues to work in the industry - as a business developer in yet another heavily criticized HVB - Mölnbacka youth home.

Mölnbacka, like Platea, has been repeatedly criticized by Ivo due to major shortcomings, including harsh restraint of the children, and is one of the 18 homes with the worst criticism in SVT's review.  

List: 18 homes with repeated violence and violations |

SVT News 

Those in charge at Mölnbacka youth center do not want to be interviewed, and at first the acting director Maria Liljekvist denies that Birgitta Berg was a business developer, and claims that she only had a short temporary position. 

False information 

But the information is not correct.

SVT has taken note of the employment agreement which shows that Birgitta Berg was employed from May 1 to October 31, 2022, not only as a business developer but also with responsibility for, among other things, work environment and business issues.  

Tommy Lundström, professor of social work at Stockholm University believes that the handling is strange. 

- Considering what Ivo said in the case, it sounds strange that a person with that background should be able to be employed in an important business, which this HVB business actually is. 

Deprived of responsibility 

Mölnbacka's manager now states to SVT that her duties were to write letters and recruit summer staff. 

"The management drew attention to the fact that it was not sustainable and limited her duties, i.e. she was stripped of responsibility." 

Birgitta Berg does not want to answer SVT's questions, but writes in a text message that she does not intend to appeal Ivo's decision.

She also believes that she followed all the procedures at Platea and that those who talk about the culture of silence are bitter former employees.

"It has been more than a year since I left Platea and I can no longer act as a representative of this company."