Expanding low-threshold support for vulnerable children in Sweden

The children’s rights organisation Trygga Barnen has been awarded NOK 500,000 by Kavli Trust this year to further develop its low-threshold support programme Trygga Hjältar (“Safe Heroes”) for children and young people in vulnerable life situations in Sweden.

“The contribution from the Kavli Trust enables us to further develop Trygga Hjältar,” says Malin Böhmer, Secretary General of Trygga Barnen.

Trygga Hjältar is Trygga Barnen’s nationwide network of committed and experienced volunteers who provide local, easily accessible care, psychological support and practical assistance to children and young people facing difficulties.

Through the programme, children gain access to stable and trusted adults – known as Safe Heroes – who can guide them and help them navigate relevant local authority support services.

The Heroes carry out targeted outreach and information activities, maintain an active presence on social media, and engage in direct outreach within their local communities.

They act as positive role models while also providing consistent support to children and young people.

All of Trygga Barnen’s work is rooted in the belief that every child, regardless of their upbringing or circumstances, has the potential to thrive and succeed when given the right support and help.

Training more Heroes

“We will train at least 30 new Heroes, enabling us to support more children and young people locally across Sweden,” says Secretary General Malin Böhmer.

“We will also be able to focus on further developing the methods and strategies that, over the years, have proven to deliver strong results. This includes continuing to expand our extensive network and developing our activities so that we can reach even more children and young people,” Böhmer continues.

“Kavli Trust supports good causes in all four countries where we operate food production,” says Inger Elise Iversen, CEO of Kavli Trust.

“It is with great pleasure that we are able to allocate more than half a million kroner from our surplus to an organisation such as Trygga Barnen. Together, we help improve everyday life for children and young people and bring mental health into focus,” says Jonny Mattsson, Managing Director of Kavli Sweden.

“Those of us working at Kavli are inspired by following the projects supported by the Kavli Trust. It adds an extra dimension to our work to know that the value created at Kavli is shared with good causes. We are very proud of our collaboration with Trygga Barnen and look forward to following their important work through this new agreement,” Mattsson continues.

Kavli Sweden has previously supported the organisation and its Trygga Hjältar initiative through Kavli’s employee giving programme, both in 2018 and 2019. Under this scheme, Kavli employees nominate causes to receive a share of the company’s surplus.

In 2020, Kavli Trust awarded NOK 1 million for the further development of Trygga Hjältar.

Thanks to this support from Kavli and Kavli Trust, Trygga Barnen has already reached and supported more than 10,000 children and young people through counselling sessions, activities and information initiatives.

An impressive effort

"At Kavli Trust, we are impressed by the organisation’s efforts, its ability to adapt during the pandemic, and everything Trygga Barnen has achieved for children and young people. It is a pleasure to continue our collaboration,” says Guro Hjetland Sundsby, Grants Manager at Kavli Trust.

“Kavli Trust hopes that this support will help ensure that more vulnerable children become aware that help is available and that they are not alone,” Sundsby adds.

Reaching 8,000 children and young people

Key goals and milestones for the Trygga Hjältar programme during the project year include:

• Reaching 8,000 children and young people
• Heroes active in all 21 regions of Sweden
• At least two Heroes in each region
• Launching additional services with paid staff
• Collaborating with more local partners able to contribute premises and activities

“We have reached many children and young people and guided them towards the right support and services – help they might otherwise not have received,” says Malin Böhmer of Trygga Barnen.

Background – Facts about Trygga Barnen

• Trygga Barnen is a Swedish children’s rights organisation supporting children and young people up to the age of 25 who grow up in families affected by mental ill health and substance abuse.
• To prevent and reduce the risk of poor health among these children and young people, the organisation has developed several support services based on early intervention.
• Its aim is to prevent mental ill health and suicide among children and young people growing up in dysfunctional families
• Trygga Hjältar ("Safe Heroes") is the organisation’s nationwide network of volunteers providing psychological support and practical assistance to young people in distress.
• The Heroes act as role models and support children in their interactions with statutory and support services.
• The organisation also carries out external information and awareness-raising work aimed at schools and leisure services to increase understanding of children’s situations and needs.
• The organisation consists of a small team of 8 full-time and 5 part-time employees.