Three-year-old girl moved between foster homes as forced adoption process drags on

A three-and-a-half-year-old Danish girl, identified only as Emma, has been moved between temporary foster families while authorities decide whether she will be forcibly adopted, public broadcaster DR reports. The case highlights systemic delays in the country’s forced adoption process, where children often wait years for permanent placement.

Emma was removed from her mother just 14 hours after birth in late 2022 under a plan for swift adoption. Nearly three years later, she remains in her second temporary foster home, with Kolding Municipality yet to finalise her adoption status. Her grandmother, Tina Petersen, continues to fight for custody, DR’s documentary When the State Adopts reveals.

The case reflects broader issues in Denmark’s child welfare system. Since Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s 2020 pledge to prioritise stability for vulnerable children, forced adoptions have more than doubled, reaching 39 cases last year. Yet over half of these children first endure prolonged stays in temporary foster care, with some waiting one to three years for adoption.

Experts warn of lasting harm. Clinical child psychologist Jytte Mielcke, a former judge in forced removal cases, calls the repeated relocations “extremely damaging,” depriving children of the attachment and predictability critical for early development. “Every rupture we impose on these children inflicts more harm,” she tells DR, labelling the practice “public care failure.”

Inge Marie Bryderup, a professor at Aalborg University specialising in vulnerable children, describes the policy as a “disturbing social experiment” that may require future apologies from policymakers. “We’re subjecting young children—and their families—to horrendous ordeals,” she says.

A 2024 report by Denmark’s National Audit Office (Rigsrevisionen) found that 69% of child placement cases violated legal requirements, with widespread delays. The Social and Housing Ministry’s oversight was deemed “highly unsatisfactory.” While municipalities acknowledge the shortcomings, they cite complex legal safeguards as necessary when terminating parental rights.

Kolding Municipality, responsible for Emma’s case, declined an interview but stated in writing that “no child should experience instability.” Forced adoption remains Denmark’s most severe family intervention, permanently severing biological parents’ contact rights—a measure reserved for cases of proven parental incapacity.