Ensamkommande Barn i Nätverkshem: Erfarenheter från projektet Access

When children arrive in Sweden without a guardian, they are often placed with relatives, friends, or acquaintances. The adults in the home can be known to the child or complete strangers. This form of housing is known as nätverkshem, a network home.

Many children, and adults in the child’s vicinity, have remarked that they do not always feel comfortable in their nätverkshem. Social isolation, crowding, lack of support, exploitation and other forms of vulnerability can be the cause. A few nätverkshem are entirely unsafe for children.

Unaccompanied children are at risk of being disadvantaged and face harm due to holes in social- and protection functions. Routines that are used in and between governmental agencies are not sufficient for the needs of unaccompanied children placed in nätverkshem. This report identifies several areas of improvement, as well as a number of good examples of successful routines and actions that have already been taken.