Support for children as next of kin in Sweden

At the  forthcoming 3rd International Young Carers Conference co-hosted by Eurocarers and the Swedish Family Care Competence Centre (Nka)/Linnaeus University, Maria Boustedt Hedvall from  the National Board of Health and Welfare Sweden together with Pauline Johansson from Nka and Linnaeus University, will talk about how Sweden has worked with supporting children as next of kin over the last ten years.

In 2010, a paragraph was introduced within the Health and Medical Care Act. It states that healthcare professionals must pay special attention to children as next of kin and their needs for information, advice and support when a parent/significant other (with whom the child lives) deals with mental illness/disability, serious physical illness/injury, alcohol or other substance abuse, or dies unexpectedly.

Since then, the work with developing the support for children and young carers has continued. Since January 1 2020 the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child has been made law in Sweden, and earlier this Spring, the government  announced that the support for children as next of kin (including those with parents in prison) will be further strengthened. The commission has been assigned to the National Board of Health and Welfare, which in turn has a close collaboration with Nka regarding strategic development and research work in the area of children as next of kin.

Don’t miss the seminar on May 6 where you will get to know more about the new commission and the work that has been done in Sweden so far.

Text: Josefine Göransson