Attempted fire at Stuðlar investigated as serious incident

An attempted fire at Stuðlar, an emergency accommodation facility for children, is being investigated as a serious incident by the Welfare Quality and Supervision Authority, mbl.is reports. The Child and Family Agency notified the authority as required by law, and police are also investigating.

The incident occurred in mid-August after a boy managed to smuggle a lighter into the facility and set fire to a mattress in his room. Staff responded quickly and prevented the situation from becoming more serious.

The boy was staying in a secure corridor monitored by cameras. Staff are currently authorised to carry out only a surface search of children and teenagers arriving at the facility, but they have long called for permission to conduct more thorough searches to improve the safety of residents and employees.

Herdís Gunnarsdóttir, director-general of the Welfare Quality and Supervision Authority, said children at treatment facilities had in some cases obtained prohibited items, including lighters and drugs. The authority instructed the Child and Family Agency to improve procedures for preventing prohibited items that threaten children’s safety from being smuggled into treatment facilities. The agency is due to complete the improvements in November, and the authority will follow up on them.

The authority is aware that the Child and Family Agency is working on improved procedures. However, preventing harmful items from being smuggled into facilities for children and young people is complicated by current laws, which limit searches considered intrusive or coercive.

Gunnarsdóttir said it was important to seek solutions and possibly change procedures while authorising the use of less intrusive technology to search children and further improve their safety.

The extension housing Stuðlar’s emergency accommodation also lacks safety and final inspection certificates because its fire-compartment doors do not comply with the design documents. Use of the building should therefore be prohibited.

A building official nevertheless authorised its temporary use this spring with emergency measures, including increased staffing. The Children’s Ombudsman has demanded further explanations.