9. Elverkaer in Denmark

The police arrested the manager just months ago charged with molesting several children in his care. I will strongly point out that there has been no conviction yet so all involved people are presumed innocent until otherwise proved.

It seems that it was common that some of the children slept in the same room as the manager “if they were afraid of the dark”. Over the years – at least 10 years – social workers from several cities pulled the children because they suspected that something was wrong but they didn’t tell others properly because they were embarrassed by their own lack of judgment when they placed their children at the group home in the first place. Secondly they had no sense of responsibility of children not coming from their own town or managed by their own department so children were there to the very end when the group home was shut down.

Supervision of group homes like Elverkaer was reorganized in 2007. The old organization responsible for supervision of this group home claimed that they were unable to conduct it due to the poor relationship with the manager. However they didn’t close the group home when they were unable to do their job. What kind of security do children in the Danish foster care system then have? None!

Source:
Call for minimum standards Denmark Radio

---

Update 2023

In 2013 the Danish court ruled in the case against the manager of Elverkaer and sent him away for 6 years in prison for various offenses but an appeal-court reduced it to 3 years. Also the media mention alleged sex relation between boys at the facility. It does not sound like a safe place to be for the teenagers.

Sources:

• Ankesag mod opholdsleder starter i dag (Danmarks Radio – in Danish language)
• Anklage: Tre drenge skulle have sex med hinanden (Aarhus Stifstidende – in Danish language)
• Sex på Elverkær: Eks’en renser lederen (Ekstra-Bladet – in Danish language)
• Sexkrænker fik halveret sin straf i landsretten (Viborg Folkeblad – in Danish language)