Removing parent benefits if families refuse to address concerns of radicalization (Foraeldrepaalægget)

Borgercenter Boern og Unge

Municipality of Copenhagen

Municipal organisation serving under Danish law by the Danish Government

Type of Organisation: Governmental institution

Working with families where social services have concerns of radicalization is a complex matter. Historically this has been the job of the intelligence services or Police. Denmark has taken a different approach where social services cooperate with Employment Services, Police, Crime Prevention Unit, Deradicalisation-Unit (VINK) and The Probation Unit form a coordinating Anti-radicalization Unit where all reports of radicalization is discussed and handled (If investigations by police and intelligence service is finished). 

Part of this new approach is that police needs only to address reports of a certain gravity when dealing with radicalization. Social Services must therefore be more insisting when trying to get in contact with families, where there are legitimate concerns as to whether parents or children have radicalized. Therefore tougher sanctions are needed. A new tool used by the Municipality of Copenhagen is to remove the monthly payments that all parents receive pr. Child in the family if the families refuse to address concerns of radicalization. 

This has caused discussions on what grounds Social Services could remove monthly payments. If a family refuses to send their children to school, if they don´t attend meetings with Social Services, if they don´t show and engage in family therapy or if they actively counteracts efforts to help children who are in danger of being radicalized, then their monthly payments are revoked.

This method was made possible by Danish law in 2007 but was never applied until 2012 by the Municipality of Copenhagen. No handbook or training has been used specifically regarding radicalisation but it has become relevant due to the nature of these closed-circuit families where radicalization can occur.

Address

Griffenfeldsgade 44,
2200 Copenhagen N,
Denmark

Contact person: Jeppe Rask Moustsen
Telephone: (+45) 24 99 59 41
zz1vsof [dot] kk [dot] dk (Email) | Website