The Secret Co-Operation Groups in Sweden

Before I go on to discuss further aspects of appropriate analytic methodology, I will present a number of other cases. Only one principle of selection has been applied: it should be possible to describe the essential structure of these cases in a limited number of words.

Before these cases are described, the Swedish phenomenon of "samrådsgrupper", i.e. consulting committees, needs to be explained. The official aim is for a group consisting of various professionals such as the prosecutor, police officers, social workers, general practitioners, paediatricians, gynaecologists, psychiatrists, psychologists, child psychotherapists, school psychologists, school welfare officers, school nurses etc. to discuss doubtful cases of sexual abuse, and to determine whether abuse has occurred or not. Presumably it is also a help for the innocent but suspected family never to have known that it was examined.

No notes are ever taken, nor is there any record of who participated in the decision-making process. In some areas certain group members attend once a week. In other areas the meetings are not held on a regular basis, and it may be a more or less random phenomenon which persons were present at a certain meeting.

No one knows who pays the people who attend. Neither does anyone know under what authority the co-operation groups belong – and hence, to whom complaints should be addressed if they make wrong decisions.

A case may be idling for a whole year until a decision is made. The decision may not only be that a case should be reported to the police, but also what person (not necessarily some of the ones present) should make the report.

But after a year of sham-anonymous discussion no one may recall who said what. The mother may believe that this or that was first said by the psychologist. The psychologist may believe it was the social worker. The social worker may believe it was the police officer. And the police officer may believe it was the child.

While the case is idling in the co-operation group, preschool children or teenagers may undergo so-called psychotherapy in close collaboration with a relative (most often the mother). And both may try to indoctrinate sham-recollections of sexual abuse.








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Uppdaterad: 2009-11-19

Yakida