This guide is informational. Always verify how the rules apply to your specific case.
You are here: 8/8 in the series Concern report to social services: your step-by-step guide (adult track)
Last reviewed October 5, 2026.
Yes, you can make a concern report for adults to social services, for example, if there is suspicion of domestic violence, mental illness, substance abuse, or if someone cannot manage on their own. A report is not automatically coercion, not a decision, and not care. Social services must assess whether there are grounds to contact the person voluntarily or proceed with an investigation.
Choose track: I want to make a concern report · I have been reported with concern · Is it about LPT or LVM? · Does it concern an elderly person?
This guide is for you who want to report concern for an adult and for you who have been informed that someone has reported concern or suspect that social services are investigating you. If it concerns children in the family, start with concern report for children and LVU guide. If the concern comes from the school, read concern report from the school. Related when the school's basis drives the concern: school deficiencies and concern reports.
How do you make a concern report for adults?
How do you make a concern report for adults? Contact social services in the person's municipality (reception for adults, domestic violence, substance abuse, or social emergency service), describe concrete events with dates, and ask what happens next. In case of immediate danger: call 112.
- Contact social services in the person's municipality. Search for the municipality's reception for adults, substance abuse, domestic violence, or social emergency service. Call 112 in case of immediate danger.
- Describe what you have actually seen or heard. Provide dates, concrete events, and why you believe the person needs protection or support. Avoid diagnoses and assumptions.
- Provide contact information if you can. This allows social services to ask follow-up questions. As a private individual, you can ask the municipality about the possibility of remaining anonymous before giving your name. Once you give your name, it cannot be removed afterward.
- Distinguish between adults and children. If children may be at risk, you should explicitly state this, as the rules and social services' assessment are different. See also concern report for children.
- Ask what happens next. Request confirmation that the information has been received, but expect that confidentiality limits the feedback you receive about an adult. The statutory feedback to reporters only applies to reports concerning children.
Is it instead you who have been reported with concern as an adult? Read further about what social services can do, voluntariness, coercion, and how you respond in writing. Document meetings with recording, film the police intervention if the police are involved and consider a report to the Parliamentary Ombudsman if the handling is deficient.
Concern report for adults: who can report and how?
Municipalities often have their own e-services for concern reports for adults. Reporters can be relatives, neighbors, healthcare personnel, police, employers, or others who have seen or heard something that raises concern. The statutory duty to report in Chapter 19, Section 1 of the Social Services Act (2025:400) applies only to children under 18 years. For adults, there is no equivalent general obligation. Two exceptions are worth knowing: authorities that regularly encounter individuals with substance abuse, as well as doctors, must report to the social welfare board when someone is assumed to need care under the LVM (Section 6 LVM). Additionally, healthcare may provide information about an adult who is subjected to violence when necessary for the person to receive protection.
A report can be vague ("I am concerned") or detailed. According to Chapter 14, Section 2 of the Social Services Act, social services must immediately initiate an investigation if the information could lead to a measure, but for adults, the investigation practically relies on your cooperation. You do not need to confirm everything stated in the report just because you are contacted.
Concern report for adults and children: what differs
| Children | Adults | |
|---|---|---|
| Common reporters | School, preschool, child health center, healthcare, police (statutory duty to report, Chapter 19, Section 1 SoL) | Relatives, healthcare, police, neighbors (voluntary, except LVM report) |
| Time limits | Protection assessment immediately, preliminary assessment within 14 days, investigation completed within 4 months (Chapter 20 SoL) | Investigation initiated immediately if the information could lead to a measure (Chapter 14, Section 2 SoL), no specific time limits |
| Compulsion | LVU may become relevant | LVU does not apply to adults; see LPT and LVM report |
| Intervention | Child protection, family support | Support according to the Social Services Act if the person wants or consents |
| Your guide | Responding to a concern report (children) | This article |
What happens after a concern report for adults? Not automatically compulsory
- Reception: social services register the information and make an initial assessment.
- Risk assessment: they consider the severity, repetition, and whether you may have your own need for protection or support.
- Contact: you may be visited, invited for a conversation, contacted by phone, or receive a letter.
- Investigation (if needed): collection of information, often with your consent. Without consent, there are limited possibilities; outreach activities can still be discussed in cases of serious concern.
- Intervention or closure: support is offered, the case is closed, or referred (e.g., healthcare, police, women's shelter).
A report does not need to be correct. You have the right to know what the investigation concerns to a sufficient degree to be able to respond to it, to receive written communication regarding important decisions, and to have a note in the record if you believe that information is incorrect (Chapter 14, Section 6 of the Social Services Act). As a party, you have insight into the case according to Section 10 of the Administrative Procedure Act.
Compulsion after a concern report adult: LVM and LPT, not LVU
Many ask if the social services can "take" an adult. The rules differ from those for children:
- LVU applies to children, not adults.
- LVM (substance abuse) and LPT/LRV (psychiatric care) may become relevant in cases of serious danger to life and health, but these are different processes involving the court and specific requirements. Read LPT: what the law entails and LVM report step by step.
- The Social Services Act often relies on voluntariness: support at home, contact person, financial assistance, relationship violence discussions.
If someone mentions compulsion or "taking into custody" for you as an adult: request written information about which legal basis they mean and what decision has been made. Feel free to call legal advice the same day.
Concern report adult: what the social services are allowed to do
- Allowed to: contact you, invite you to discussions, offer support, document what you say if you consent, request information from healthcare with legal support.
- Not allowed without legal support: force you into care, open the door without permission, arbitrarily obtain records or disseminate information further without a confidentiality review.
- You can: bring a support person, record meetings you participate in, request documents and request correction if the record is incorrect.
Concern report adult: can you know who reported?
Can you know who reported? Not always. Confidentiality can protect the reporter, especially private individuals. You should still be informed what the investigation concerns and what information forms the basis, to the extent necessary for you to defend yourself.
Request in writing: "What specific information in the concern report are you investigating? What sources will you gather?" If they refuse all information, this in itself can become a documentation issue.
Have you been reported as an adult? This is what happens
If you yourself have been reported as an adult, the report is still not a decision. You may be called, invited to discussions, or receive a letter. You do not need to confirm everything stated in the report. Request written information about what the matter concerns, bring a support person, and document the meeting.
Concern report adult: practical steps if you have been reported
- Pause verbal confirmations. State that you want to know in writing what the report concerns before commenting on anything.
- Schedule a meeting with preparation. Use the checklist for social services meetings.
- Document. Record if you participate, film the police if an intervention occurs and send follow-up emails the same day.
- Request records and notes. Compare with your own timeline.
- Correct errors. Write point by point what is incorrect and attach evidence.
- If the handling is deficient: report to the Parliamentary Ombudsman (JO) or the Health and Social Care Inspectorate (IVO) if healthcare elements are involved.
Checklist: written timeline (save as an attachment)
- Date when you learned about the concern report (and how: letter, phone, via a relative).
- What you have said so far (brief, factual).
- Which meetings have been scheduled and with whom.
- Which documents you have requested and response dates.
- Which support measures you actually want, if any.
- Who can testify or provide written support for you.
Concern report adult: common situations
Violence in close relationships: The social services can offer protected conversation and support. You do not need to stay with the perpetrator to receive help. Document threats and police reports if there are any.
Substance abuse: Voluntary measures are common. Compulsion under the Care of Substance Abusers (Special Provisions) Act (LVM) requires specific conditions, see LVM report and LVM criteria and emergency care.
"The neighbor is worried": The report may be based on misunderstandings. A written response with facts (rent paid, doctor's visit, work) can conclude the case more quickly.
Concern report adult mental health: what happens?
A concern report adult mental health does not automatically lead to compulsory care. The social services first assess if you can receive voluntary support: conversation, housing support, contact person, or referral to healthcare. You can decline conversation, but they can still document the concern and in some cases make outreach contact.
Compulsory Psychiatric Care Act (LPT) is a different process than the social services' concern report. It requires specific medical and legal conditions. Read the LPT guide and the three requirements. Request written notice of which law they rely on. Distinguish between the Social Services Act and psychiatry. Document meetings and request notes before deciding on measures.
Concern report elderly person: how to do it and what happens
A concern report elderly person is made to the social services in the municipality where the person lives, often via reception for the elderly, dementia, home care, or social emergency service. Describe concrete events: missed meals, falls, insecurity, financial exploitation, or that the person cannot manage on their own. Call 112 in case of immediate danger.
For the elderly person who has been reported, the same main rule applies as for other adults: reporting is not mandatory. The social services can offer home care, emergency alarms, or family support. LVU does not apply. The longer review of how to report, what happens, home care, dementia, and financial exploitation can be found in the guide for reporting concerns about an elderly person.
Common questions about reporting concerns for adults
Reporting concerns for adults: is it automatically mandatory?
No. A report of concern for adults is information to the social services, not a decision. It does not automatically lead to LVM, LPT, or other compulsory care. The social services must first assess whether voluntary contact or support is sufficient.
How do you report concerns for adults?
Contact the social services at the municipality's adult reception, describe specific events with dates, and clearly distinguish if children are also at risk. Call 112 in case of immediate danger.
Can you report concerns about adults / make a report of concern about an adult person?
Yes. It is common when there are concerns about violence, substance abuse, mental health issues, or someone not managing on their own. A report is not the same as compulsion.
How do you report concerns for adults to the social services?
Use the municipality's e-service or call the reception for adults/violence/substance abuse. Describe what you have seen, dates, and why you are concerned. Ask what happens next and if you can remain anonymous.
Report of concern for adults to the social services: what happens next?
The social services make an initial assessment, may contact you, and possibly open an investigation. It is not the same as compulsion. Document meetings and request documents in writing.
What happens after a report of concern as an adult?
The social services assess whether they should contact you. It does not automatically lead to compulsion. If the handling is inadequate, a report to the Parliamentary Ombudsman (JO) may be relevant.
Can a concern report be made anonymously about an adult?
Yes. As a private individual, you can report without providing your name, but ask the municipality about anonymity before revealing your identity. If you have provided your name, it cannot be removed afterward. Professionals report in their capacity and are not anonymous.
Can you find out who made the report?
Not always. You should still be informed about the subject of the investigation to a sufficient degree to be able to respond to it.
Can you decline an investigation?
You can refuse to have a conversation. The social services may still assess that outreach efforts are needed in certain cases, but LVU coercion does not apply to adults.
Can the social services talk to my children or neighbors without asking me?
They can gather information within the framework of the law. Request an account of which sources have been used and request relevant parts of the file when possible.
How does this differ from a concern report about children?
Child cases have a statutory reporting obligation for schools, healthcare, and police, fixed time limits (protection assessment immediately, preliminary assessment within 14 days, investigation within four months) and can lead to LVU. For children, read concern report children and concern report from school.
How do you make a concern report for an elderly person?
Contact the social services in the municipality where the person lives, often the reception for the elderly, home care, or social emergency service. Describe concrete events with dates. Call 112 in case of immediate danger. A report is not the same as coercion. Read the longer guide on concern report elderly person.
What happens with a concern report about adult mental health issues?
The social services assess whether voluntary support is sufficient. It does not automatically lead to LPT or other compulsory care. Read the LPT guide. Request a written statement on which legal basis they refer to, document meetings, and request notes.
More about concern reports
- Concern report for children: what happens when social services receive a report
- Concern report from school: reporting obligation, police report, and your rights
- Addressing a concern report step by step
- SoL investigation: what it entails
- Home visit: checklist and answers
- Concern report for an elderly person
- When the school contacts social services: the meeting with the school
- Statistics: concern reports about children
- LVU: what the law entails and how the process works
