Disadvantaged children and young people
Here you can see how many children in Denmark are placed in out-of-home care and how many notifications of concern are made per year. You can also find statistics on support, given to children, young persons and families that are in need of special help in everyday life. In addition, statistics on public net expenditures, related to those groups, are also presented.
Selected statistics on Disadvantaged children and young people
Notifications of concern
Municipalities report information on notifications concerning children and young people to Statistics Denmark, which acts as the data processor on behalf of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing.
The Danish Appeals Board (Ankestyrelsen) was responsible for collecting the data from 1 April 2014 to 30 June 2016. Since 1 January 2016, most notifications have been transferred automatically from the municipalities’ case management systems to Statistics Denmark via a dedicated web API and related infrastructure. Previously, some municipalities also submitted data via an FTP connection.
Municipalities can access their submitted data through the information page for the statistics: oplysningssiden.
Children and young persons placed outside of own home
Data stem from municipalities' digital systems used for the administration of cases regarding children and young people. In addition, the municipalities can upload data through the webplatform https://www.dst.dk/anb provided by Statistics Denmark.
In the period 2006-2016, Ankestyrelsen, (The Danish Social Appeals Board) was responsible for collecting data on placements in out-of-home care.
Preventive measures given to children and young persons
Data is reported by the 98 municipalities in Denmark. Regarding supportive measures for children and youth, municipalities have the option to utilize a computerized system that directly transmits data to Statistics Denmark, which processes the data on behalf of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing. Alternatively, municipalities can choose to report data using a web-based platform provided by Statistics Denmark, accessible through virk.dk or the information webpage of the statistics.
Disadvantaged children and young persons as a percentage of the population
Data is reported by the 98 municipalities in Denmark. Regarding supportive measures for children and youth, municipalities have the option to utilize a computerized system that directly transmits data to Statistics Denmark, which processes the data on behalf of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing. Alternatively, municipalities can choose to report data using a web-based platform provided by Statistics Denmark, accessible through virk.dk or the information webpage of the statistics.
On the statistics – documentation, sources and method
See the documentation of statistics to learn more:
The statistics shed light on the activities of municipal authorities regarding placements outside the home.
The statistics are used to account for the scope of placements of children and young people outside their own homes. The statistics are comparable from 2011 onwards.
The statistic shed light on the number of measures and support granted by the municipalities in Denmark to children and young people. Since July 1st 1998, the services have been granted pursuant to specific sections of the Consolidation Act on Social Services. Since January 1st 2020, the statistics have also included data on services granted pursuant to the Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Act. As of January 1st 2024, the relevant legislation has changed from the Consolidation Act on Social Services to the Danish Child’s Act. The statistics are comparable from the year 2007 onwards.
The purpose of the statistics is to shed light on notifications concerning children and young people received by municipalities in Denmark. The data are used for purposes such as policy development and legislation, public debate and research in the field.
The statistics were first compiled by the Danish Social Appeals Board (Ankestyrelsen) in 2015 and have been part of Statistics Denmark’s publications since 2016.
The purpose of the survey is to establish the available social resources (capacity, number of users, and general organization, etc.) in Danish municipalities. Furthermore, the survey analyses the social- and health-care related services administered by municipalities. These services include care for the elderly, dental services for children and young people and special institutions for children and young people etc. The social resources survey includes public and privately owned institutions. The statistics are published for the first time in 1972 but have been changed over time due to changes in legislation an user needs.