Stiftelsen Friends

Stiftelsen Friends
Name	Stiftelsen Friends
Type	Non-profit foundation
Founded	1998
Headquarters	Stockholm, Sweden
Key people	Anita Lindén, Petra Östergren, others
Focus	Child protection, Anti-bullying

Stiftelsen Friends Stiftelsen Friends is a Swedish foundation focused on preventing bullying and protecting children and adolescents from violence and exploitation. The foundation engages with schools, corporations, public agencies, and non-governmental organizations to develop interventions, support services, and research collaborations. Friends operates nationally in Sweden while connecting to international networks addressing child welfare and child rights.

History

Friends was established in 1998 amid rising public attention to school bullying and youth violence in Sweden, influenced by high-profile cases and debates involving institutions such as the Swedish National Agency for Education, the Swedish Police Authority, and ombudsmen for children. Early collaboration partners included BRIS, Save the Children, UNICEF Sweden, and municipal education boards in Stockholm County. Over time Friends expanded programs through partnerships with corporations like H&M, IKEA, and media organizations such as SVT and Aftonbladet to raise awareness. Research linkages were formed with academic institutions including Lund University, Uppsala University, Stockholm University and international centers such as the WHO regional offices and the European Commission-funded projects on school safety.

Mission and Objectives

Friends declares a mission to prevent bullying and promote safe childhood environments aligned with international commitments such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and national frameworks like Sweden’s Skollagen and child protection statutes. Objective pillars include prevention, support for victims, capacity building for educators, and policy advocacy vis-à-vis county administrative boards and municipal social services. The foundation frames its aims in relation to policy actors including the Swedish Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, and municipal school administrations.

Programs and Initiatives

Friends has implemented a suite of programs addressing peer violence, online harassment, and institutional response. School-based curricula have been piloted in collaboration with municipalities such as Malmö Municipality and Gothenburg Municipality, and evaluated against outcome measures promoted by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Umeå University. Digital safety initiatives referenced work by cybersecurity entities like Microsoft Sweden and child online protection projects associated with Council of Europe frameworks. Workplace anti-bullying guidance was co-developed with trade associations including Svenskt Näringsliv and unions like LO. Public campaigns have deployed mass media channels including SVT, TV4, and national newspapers like Dagens Nyheter and Svenska Dagbladet.

Organizational Structure and Governance

The foundation is governed by a board of trustees composed of representatives from civil society, corporate partners, and child welfare experts; past board members have included figures from BRIS, Save the Children, and academia. Executive leadership works with program directors, research officers, and regional coordinators distributed across Swedish counties; staff training draws on methods from institutes such as Sveriges Kommuner och Regioner and university departments at Stockholms universitet. Governance practices reference Swedish legal frameworks for foundations and reporting standards to authorities like the Swedish Companies Registration Office for registration and compliance.

Funding and Partnerships

Friends sustains operations through a mix of corporate sponsorships, philanthropic donations, project grants, and public contracts. Major corporate collaborators have included H&M Group, IKEA Foundation, Telia Company, and banks such as Swedbank and SEB. Project funding has been secured from national sources like the Swedish Postcode Lottery and EU mechanisms including the European Social Fund; research grants have been awarded in partnership with universities and bodies such as the Research Council of Sweden (Vetenskapsrådet). Collaborative programs often involve municipalities, county councils, law enforcement agencies including the Swedish Police Authority, and healthcare providers such as Region Stockholm.

Impact and Evaluation

Friends reports measurable outcomes through independent evaluations and academic studies assessing reductions in reported bullying incidents, improvements in school climate, and enhanced reporting pathways for child abuse. Evaluations have been published in collaboration with researchers affiliated with Karolinska Institutet, Lund University, and international evaluators linked to the European Commission. Impact metrics are compared against national statistics from agencies such as Statistics Sweden and child welfare trends tracked by BRÅ and Socialstyrelsen. Several municipal pilots cite Friends’ programs as contributing to policy changes in school disciplinary practices and student support services.

Controversies and Criticism

Critiques have emerged regarding the role of corporate funding in shaping program priorities, with commentators from media outlets such as Dagens Nyheter and civil society actors like BRIS debating transparency and influence. Some researchers have questioned the methodological rigor of certain program evaluations when compared to randomized controlled trials recommended by institutions such as Cochrane and the Swedish Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Assessment of Social Services (SBU). Debates have also addressed resource allocation between prevention and statutory child protection handled by Socialstyrelsen and municipal social services, prompting calls for clearer delineation of responsibilities among NGOs, corporations, and public agencies.

Category:Non-profit organizations based in Sweden