Escalating a case that was mishandled
If an authority has not responded to your request, made an incorrect confidentiality assessment, or otherwise mishandled your case, you can escalate it. Insyna helps you take the case further in the right way.
- Legal basis
- Administrative Procedure Act (Förvaltningslagen 2017:900)
- Response time
- Varies
- Contact
- Senior official, registrar or complaints function
What can you do?
You can request an explanation of why the processing is delayed, find out who the responsible manager is, and demand a written, appealable decision if you received a verbal refusal. A written decision is the key — without it, you cannot appeal.
However, you cannot demand that a particular case officer be replaced or that disciplinary measures be taken — that is the authority’s internal personnel matter, where some information may also be confidential.
How Insyna helps you
Chydenius helps you phrase a factual escalation to a senior official, the registrar or the authority’s complaints function — and to request the appealable decision that takes the case forward. If processing stalls, you can also report the delay to the Parliamentary Ombudsman (JO).
How to do it, step by step
Describe what happened
Tell Chydenius about the case that was not handled correctly — a delay, no reply, or incorrect handling.
We choose the right route
Chydenius assesses whether to send a reminder, request an appealable decision, report to the Parliamentary Ombudsman (JO), or turn to the supervisory authority.
We write the letter
Chydenius drafts a factual escalation with the right legal basis and references.
Send it and follow up
The letter is sent to the right instance and Chydenius helps you monitor the reply.
What you can request
- An account of why the processing is delayed
- Information about who is the responsible manager for the case officer
- A written, appealable decision if you received a verbal refusal
- Documents concerning the authority’s handling of your complaint
What you cannot request
- That a particular case officer be replaced (that is the authority’s internal decision)
- Disciplinary measures against an employee (personnel confidentiality applies)
- An apology (though it may be the result)
Frequently asked questions
The authority isn’t responding — what do I do?
Request a written, appealable decision on your original request. If you get none, you can escalate to the responsible manager and ultimately report the delay to the Parliamentary Ombudsman (JO).
Can I complain about how I was treated?
Yes. You can file a complaint with the authority’s complaints function and, for more serious errors in processing, report the authority to the Parliamentary Ombudsman.
What does the Parliamentary Ombudsman (JO) actually do?
JO investigates complaints that an authority has mishandled a case or broken the rules of good administration, and can criticise the authority publicly — but JO cannot overturn a decision or award compensation, so it works alongside, not instead of, an appeal.
Is there a deadline for reporting an authority to JO?
Complaints to JO should generally be made within two years of the event you are complaining about, though it is best to report unreasonable delays or mishandling as soon as you notice them.
The email we send
This is the actual email Chydenius writes and sends to the authority for you — in correct Swedish, anonymously (never in your name), always asking for a reply by email. You don’t need to write Swedish yourself.
Bästa Handläggare, Jag begärde för flera veckor sedan att få ta del av allmänna handlingar från er, men har ännu inte fått något svar. Jag begär nu att få veta varför handläggningen dröjer och när jag kan förvänta mig ett svar. Om min begäran helt eller delvis avslås begär jag ett skriftligt, överklagbart beslut med besvärshänvisning i enlighet med TF 2 kap. 19 §. Jag önskar få svar via e-post. I avvaktan på Ert svar, En Medborgare