Survey participants complain that insufficient resources are invested in schools, preschools, and healthcare, and that police are expected to solve problems when it is already too late. Polisförbundet urges politicians to reach cross-party agreements where criminal policy and social policy are held together long-term. Within the police, 36% of officers also disapprove of their own crime prevention work, reporting that prevention officers are often pulled away for other duties.
The Police Authority proposes more community and municipal police officers, as well as more training in preventive work and gang criminality, but a large training backlog exists, especially in crime prevention. According to interviews conducted by the Swedish National Audit Office, many staff at youth homes are highly engaged and speak warmly about the youth, and youth often say there is at least one staff member they like, trust, and feel safe with. However, some youth report having no one they trust or can talk to.
All youth say there are staff who are not good and act inappropriately, with many giving examples of physical abuse, often during separations. Staff and managers confirm that some staff are unsuitable for their jobs, though managers generally perceive the proportion of unsuitable staff as smaller than what other staff report. Youth typically think there are a few very good employees and dislike the rest.
According to SiS's latest care needs mapping, 81% of placed youth have a diagnosis or signs of ADHD, and 24% have a diagnosis or signs of autism. Yet less than 4% of ward staff have completed training in neuropsychiatric disabilities (NPF). Research shows that training in NPF can help staff avoid unnecessary conflicts and make daily life calmer.
Youth and their parents have testified to a lack of knowledge about NPF in social services. Youth homes often fail to provide the treatment youth need due to staff shortages and lack of formal competence. Treatment programs are provided to a relatively small extent and are even less often completed.
Youth's difficulties and lack of motivation can hinder treatment, requiring motivational work that demands fully competent and suitable staff, though many within SiS emphasize that treatment programs are not suitable or necessary for all placed youth. In Örebro, most high-risk young people in contact with social services could get a gun within a day, according to Sabrina Farlblad at Örebro social services. Drugs could be obtained even faster.
Örebro social services formed support groups for at-risk youth two years ago, and none of the young people who attended have been involved in any shootings, as far as social services know. Örebro also uses the Group Violence Intervention (GVI) approach, involving a continuously updated police intelligence map of people involved in violent crime. So far this year there has been one deadly shooting in Örebro, compared with four in 2021.
Youth involvement in serious crime is escalating. Children as young as 10 are being recruited into the drug trade, and the number using guns in conflicts with deadly consequences is rising. The number of 15- to 17-year-olds prosecuted for serious crimes like murder and attempted murder has risen to the highest level since 2019.
In the first six months of this year, 42 people aged 15-17 were suspected of attempted murder, compared to 38 in all of 2022. A boy in his early teens was arrested after a fatal shooting in Helsingborg, and two 14-year-old boys were found dead in forest areas, reportedly murdered for not completing tasks for a criminal network. Illegal guns largely come from the Balkans, according to police, and police fear guns from Ukraine will eventually reach Sweden.
The government plans to make it easier for schools, social services, and police to share information to prevent youth crime. However, the government and Sweden Democrats also propose lowering the age of criminal responsibility to 13, which Pernilla Baralt, Secretary-General of UNICEF Sweden, says goes against the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and increases the risk of reoffending. UNICEF Sweden also notes that the 2026 budget contains several investments that could strengthen children's rights, but overall policy makes life harder for vulnerable children.
Bris's Children's Report 2025 highlights gang crime, eating disorders, and children in the digital environment as key issues. Calls to Bris about crime have tripled since 2022; children describe being lured, tricked, or forced into gangs and facing threats and violence. Many children express a longing for a second chance but feel society does not offer it in time.
Since the pandemic, conversations about eating disorders have increased dramatically; social media influences body image, and access to healthcare is difficult. Many children with eating disorders involving food restriction start limiting eating at school, partly due to attitudes about school food and triggering health checks. 96% of children aged 8-19 use the internet daily; digital platforms bring risks like harassment, harmful content, and mental health issues.
Children struggle to tear themselves away from screens and worry about endless scrolling, but are also affected by how adults talk about screen time. Municipalities bear primary responsibility for schools and social services and have a crime prevention responsibility, but there are shortcomings. A new research project at Linnaeus University and Malmö University aims to investigate Swedish police officers' and students' physical fitness and health longitudinally, addressing a research gap and exploring how fitness relates to work-induced ill-health and sick leave.
Meanwhile, global children's rights issues persist: a ceasefire agreement in Gaza has been announced and must become a reality, but mass starvation is occurring in Gaza City, with over 100 children dead and thousands at risk. 5 million children in Ivory Coast are out of school, facing challenges including gender-based violence and economic pressure.