The Ombudsman has decided to start an investigation of municipalities’ case processing in connection with carrying out child protection examinations and drawing up the child’s plan in cases about placements of children outside the home.
This decision was made in continuation of the Auditor General’s Office’s recent report on case processing in placements of children.
‘It is an important task for the Ombudsman to ensure that children’s rights are respected. This applies especially to children placed outside the home. The Auditor General’s Office’s report is a natural starting point for taking a closer look at the municipalities’ case processing in connection with some of the significant steps in cases about placement of children’, says Parliamentary Ombudsman Christian Britten Lundblad.
The Ombudsman is asking six different municipalities for statements on their processing of cases where placing a child outside the home is being considered. Among other things, the municipalities have to account for how they ensure that they comply with the legal requirements of the Child’s Act when they carry out child protection examinations and draw up the child’s plan in cases of placement of children. In this connection, the Ombudsman also asks that the municipalities account for any challenges they experience in complying with the legal requirements and, in the municipalities’ opinion, the reason for the challenges if any.
Read the Ombudsman’s letter to Frederikshavn Municipality (in Danish).
The Ombudsman has sent identical letters to Holbæk Municipality, the City of Copenhagen, Lolland Municipality, Odense Municipality and Viborg Municipality.
Further details:
Director of International Relations Klavs Kinnerup Hede, kkh@ombudsmanden.dk