10th May 2025
10th May 2025
Children in the foreground at a meeting Safer South
A large-scale consultation meeting of the project Safer South was held recently where key actors from the community gathered to discuss the situation and welfare of children in the area.
The meeting was held by the regional consultation which consists of the Chief of Police in Suðurnes, all the municipalities in Suðurnes, Fjölbrautaskóli Suðurnesja, Heilbrigðisstofnun Suðurnesja, Heilsugæslustöðin Höfði, Keilir, the Association of Local Authorities in Suðurnes and the District Commissioner of Suðurnes.
Regional consultation on crime prevention is supported by the National Commissioner of the Icelandic Police as part of the government’s actions against violence among children and against them.
Five dimensions of success in focus
The agenda of the meeting was based on five dimensions of child well-being under the Act on integrated services for children: education, social participation, quality of life and social status, health and well-being, and safety and security.
Hjördís Eva Þórðardóttir, project manager for children’s well-being at the Association of Local Authorities in Suðurnes, presented the results of the Icelandic Youth Research, which provide insight into the well-being and conditions of children in the area.
Afterwards, panels were held where professionals and young people discussed how to strengthen children’s relationships with adults in the school environment, increase participation in leisure and sports, and ensure that all children get the opportunity to flourish. Participants agreed that it was pleasing to see that more children in Suðurnes considered themselves able to look for an adult person they trust compared to the national level.
Children’s voice and co-operation in the foreground
Participants in the panels included a developmental therapist, a school nurse, social workers, sports representatives, representatives of youth councils and the police in Suðurnes. Special emphasis was placed on listening to the children and young people’s own voices and how they experience safety and support in their surroundings. Guest speakers included Gudlaug Rakel Guðlaugsdóttir, HSS Director, Hilma Hólmfríður Sigurðardóttir, social worker and Kristín Skjaldardóttir, communications assistant.
Bjarney Annelsdóttir, Chief Superintendent of the South, emphasised the importance of cooperation:
A safer society for children can only be created in the cooperation of all those who are involved in their lives – and those of us who work in the police force want to contribute, including through regional consultation and community policing. The aim is to listen, learn and participate in building secure and trustworthy relationships in the immediate surroundings of children, families and all of us here in the South to prevent crime and improve our responses.