Recently, chaotic images from inside a facility run by the National Board of Institutional Care (Statens institutionsstyrelse, SiS), a so-called SiS home, were circulated. What those responsible called a “brief loss of control” is described by former employees as an “open house for low-competence and outright unsuitable individuals assigned to supervise young gang criminals.”

A SiS home is a special youth home where children and adolescents with serious social problems, or who have committed serious crimes and are deemed in need of care or a closed environment, are placed. In recent years, SiS homes have received recurring criticism. Reports have included violence between youths, escapes, security deficiencies, insufficient care, as well as issues with threats and prohibited items within the institutions.

The clip that recently attracted attention on social media was filmed at the SiS home in Vemyra, where the youths appeared to have taken full control and no staff were visible. When Samnytt contacted those responsible, they claimed that the “video clip illustrates a temporary and brief loss of control at Vemyra youth home,” and assured that when such situations arise “the agency’s staff generally call the police to restore order and safety.”

READ ALSO: VIDEO: Complete Chaos at SiS Home: ‘Brief Loss of Control’

– SiS takes all types of threats and violent incidents that occur in our operations very seriously. In 2026, the agency has implemented a number of stabilizing measures to ensure a safe and secure environment at Vemyra, both for the young people placed there and for our own staff. The situation at Vemyra is now stable, stated Pia Karppinen, who replaced the usual manager Aron Sivapalan during his vacation.

The developments surrounding the Vemyra home have been many. After the Health and Social Care Inspectorate (Ivo) wanted to shut down the facility referring to “riot-like outbreaks of violence,” the home was given a final chance when the administrative court earlier this summer decided to grant the management a last opportunity.

Former Employee Speaks Out

A reader and former employee at the home reacted and reached out to Samnytt to share that the situation had been much worse than the public was made aware of. According to this person, the so-called temporary loss of control was anything but temporary.

– Many staff repeatedly raised alarms about the violence and threatening situation that took place daily in the Insikten ward at SiS Vemyra. Several staff members were subjected to threats and violence, and the then unit manager Fredrik Andersson was clearly afraid of the youths, the reader tells Samnytt.

– As a result, despite violence and risk assessments, he granted leave and other privileges to detainees who were clearly unsuitable. When staff objected, it was swept under the rug. Furniture, interiors, and items were repeatedly destroyed, and Andersson happily approved the purchase of new things.

Staff who wanted stability, order, and structure were called “difficult” and accused of having issues collaborating. Staff who bought vapes and snus for the youths, however, were allowed to continue despite pressure from those who followed the rules more closely. Nor did repeated complaints made to management help.

When Fredrik Andersson was confronted about the situation, he claimed it was just one person’s word against another’s and that he couldn’t do anything about it.

Police Alerted Multiple Times

The former employee further describes a ward where a number of youths held all the power, and a staff group that was intimidated and scared. The few who tried to restore order received no support from management; instead, they faced mocking comments.

When they were subjected to violence, these incidents were downplayed and support was non-existent. Police were called multiple times, and on one occasion had to use a taser on the youths due to their severe violence.

READ ALSO: After the Escapes: Government Wants to Scrap SiS Homes

The ward sometimes looked like a battleground, and the managers just bought new furniture, granted privileges to detainees, and allowed smuggling of tobacco.

The reader emphasizes that it was definitely not a one-off event, and it was so bad that he looks back with disgust at his time as an employee. He also points out that a lot was overlooked—things like unsupervised walks around the grounds for youths with sky-high risk assessments, going with staff to shop at Ica despite knowing full well that the staff didn’t care about the youths stealing, going for so-called car rides with staff who offered cigarettes and allowed the youths to use staff mobile phones.

Sexual Relationship with 14-Year-Old

The worst incident, however, involved a woman—who was also newly married—who began a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old boy. Repeatedly, the woman managed to take him out on the grounds for “treatment walks” where they had sex in abandoned houses on the property and in the woods.

The boy took the opportunity to bring along items that could be used as weapons, such as tools and knives. Although this was investigated, it took some time before anyone acted on it.

– In the end, it was probably too much to cover up, he guesses.

Open House

He and several others believe that the home has functioned for many years as a kind of open house for workers who “didn’t perform particularly well at previous workplaces,” individuals he calls low-competence and outright unsuitable who are put in charge of monitoring youth gang criminals and, in some cases, thoroughly dangerous youths.

At the time of the filmed riot, some of the youths at the home had also been placed there after committing acts of violence that received national attention.

New Violent Incident at SiS Home in Hässleholm

The most recent case of violence at a SiS home concerns four 15-year-old boys in Hässleholm. The situation escalated into hours-long turmoil where the youths destroyed parts of the interior and threatened staff. One employee reports being headbutted.

This is not the first time staff at the Hässleholm facility have been subjected to violence. In the spring of 2025, another serious incident was reported in which several staff members were attacked by youths. Staff were headbutted and received lacerations after a conflict escalated rapidly. The Swedish Work Environment Authority was involved.

Hässleholm is a locked SiS institution that takes in, among others, school-age boys aged 12–15 with psychosocial issues, criminality, and, in some cases, substance abuse. The agency describes its activities as an environment where security and treatment must be combined and has continued to recruit staff for the facility throughout 2026.

The recurrence of violence at SiS institutions comes at a time when the agency’s activities have been widely criticized. A review by the Swedish National Audit Office found that SiS suffers serious shortcomings in governance, follow-up, and quality of care. The review also showed substantial variations in staff training and competence between different youth homes.

READ ALSO: Police: Several HVB Homes Run by Criminals