In a quiet suburb on the outskirts of Copenhagen sits a large white house, set back from the road behind a purple-leaved plum tree. It looks much like the rest of the buildings on the street and there is little outward sign this is Josephine Schneider’s House, considered one of the best children’s homes in the world. Danish children’s homes are often cited as the gold standard of children’s residential care globally.
They are now being studied by the British government as it tries to create a roadmap out of the crisis in which its own children’s home system has become mired. Last year there were 669 children living in illegal, unregistered children’s homes across England, with councils paying more than £125m of taxpayers’ money to keep them there. Overall spending on children’s homes soared 96% in five years to over £3.1bn in 2023-24, while standards have dropped, private equity firms are cashing in and a growing number of children are being sent to homes hundreds of miles away.
The situation is dire, the children’s minister, Josh MacAlister, admits. The 140-year-old Josephine Schneider’s House, which houses 12 children and young adults aged six to 23, is starkly different from many British equivalents. In the centre of the house is a spacious kitchen staffed by the head chef, Rasmus, who cooks the children’s meals, lunch boxes and after-school snacks – pizza rolls are a particular favourite.
He works with the children himself, encouraging them to help make the food and come grocery shopping. The rest of the staff are all degree-level professionals in social pedagogy, a discipline focusing on psychology, child development and ethics, and they strive to recreate a traditional family home by cooking, eating and socialising with the children. One member of staff sleeps in the house at night and wakes the children up each day at 7am.
Many of the children here have suffered physical, emotional and social neglect, and issues such as self-harm, insomnia and eating disorders are common. Unlike children’s homes in England, where many children report being isolated and cut off from family and friends, here children are encouraged to have friends stay at the weekends and holidays, there are regular parents evenings, including a Christmas banquet. Each child also has a team of two to three staff members working with them on their education and wellbeing.
In a semi-independent flat on the top floor live the older residents, aged 17 and above, who have their own living area and kitchen as they start to transition into adulthood. The young people buy their own food and do their own chores, under the guidance of staff, preparing them for independent life beyond the home. They are allowed to stay in the home up until the age of 23, and encouraged to return for regular visits beyond that age.
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