Social services and LSS: applications and requests
You are entitled to support when you need it — financial assistance, home care, personal assistance and other services. Insyna helps you write a professional application or request a copy of your own file.
- Legal basis
- Social Services Act (Socialtjänstlagen 2001:453) · Act concerning Support and Service for Persons with Certain Functional Impairments (LSS 1993:387)
- Response time
- Varies; promptly in urgent cases
- Contact
- The social services’ contact centre
Your rights towards the social services
The Social Services Act and the LSS Act give you the right to apply for support and to receive a written, appealable decision. You also have the right to see your own file and the assessments made in your case, though some information may be redacted to protect other people.
Cases at the social services are covered by strong confidentiality. This means you can obtain information about yourself, but not about others — and that reports of concern from private individuals usually have a protected reporter identity.
How Insyna helps you
Chydenius helps you describe your need clearly and factually, cite the right legislation, and send the application or request to the social services’ contact centre. If you are refused, Insyna can help you request a justification and appeal the decision.
How to do it, step by step
Describe your case
Tell Chydenius whether you want to apply for support or an LSS service, request your file, or appeal a decision.
We write to the committee
Chydenius drafts your application or request citing the correct legal basis (the Social Services Act, LSS).
Send it and get a decision
The request goes to the social welfare committee in your municipality, which must issue a written decision.
Appeal a refusal
If your request is refused, Chydenius helps you appeal within the deadline.
What you can request
- Your own file/record
- Decisions concerning you or your support
- Assessments made in your case
- Minutes from meetings where your case was handled (often redacted)
What you cannot request
- Other people’s files or personal data
- Reports of concern from private individuals (the reporter’s identity is usually confidential)
- Officials’ personal notes
- Information that could harm an ongoing child welfare assessment
Frequently asked questions
Can I request my own social services file?
Yes. You have the right to see documents and case notes concerning yourself. Information about other people, for example in a joint assessment, may be redacted.
Can I find out who made a report of concern?
Usually not. The reporter’s identity is generally protected by confidentiality, so that people dare to report concern for children at risk.
What do I do if my application is refused?
A refusal must be in writing and can be appealed to the administrative court. Insyna helps you request a clear justification and write an appeal.
Can I apply on behalf of a family member?
Generally only the person concerned, or their legal guardian, can apply for support on their own behalf. A close relative can help write the application, but it should normally be submitted in the name of the person who needs the support.
How is my privacy protected during the process?
Social services cases are covered by strong confidentiality, so information about you is not shared outside the case without a legal basis, and other people’s information in your case notes is typically redacted before you receive 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 önskar ta del av min egen journal och de utredningar som gjorts i mitt ärende hos socialtjänsten. Denna begäran grundar sig på min rätt att ta del av handlingar som rör mig själv, enligt tryckfrihetsförordningen (1949:105) 2 kap. och offentlighets- och sekretesslagen (2009:400). Jag önskar ta del av handlingarna digitalt (via e-post) i första hand. Om vissa uppgifter bedöms omfattas av sekretess till skydd för andra personer ber jag er maskera dessa och lämna ut resten. I avvaktan på Ert svar, En Medborgare