Hans and Birgit adopted Alex - when she was 11 years old she moved away from home
During the 26 years that Alex Balógh has been in Denmark, her situation has gone from bad to worse, and she is now among the most vulnerable in society.
Birgit Gundersen and Hans Grønbæk were happy when they adopted Alex Aria Zelina Balógh and her twin brother from Hungary in 1997.
But as TV2 Østjylland has told in recent days , it turned out that the four-year-old girl had been exposed to massive neglect, and as the years went by, it became clear that the parents were powerless in the face of the great challenges Alex was struggling with.
At the age of 11, she therefore moved away from home, and since then she has lived in institutions and housing facilities with shorter stays at her parents' home.
The existing system works fine for well-functioning young people, but it certainly doesn't work very well for psychiatric patients.
Hans Grønbæk, Alex's father
But when Birgit Gundersen and Hans Grønbæk look back today at the process their daughter has gone through, they feel that it has been too rough. They have missed a common thread and a more systematic approach to Alex's challenges from the system's side.
- She has been far too many places. She has been cast in far too many offers, and there have been different types of professionals over there. We have experienced a huge change of employees in the family department in the municipality, says Birgit Gundersen.
- The existing system works fine for well-functioning young people, but it certainly does not work very well for psychiatric patients, adds Hans Grønbæk.
It has only gotten worse
Today, Alex is 30 years old, homeless and addicted to prescription drugs. She sometimes comes home to her parents, where she lives in an annex in the garden. But only for shorter periods.
- We have room for her. She can't come home and live, but she can get a few days, and she can't do more either, because then some uneasiness comes into her that makes her have to move on, says Birgit Gundersen.
After 26 years in Denmark, their daughter has only gotten worse, and they find it difficult to see what they themselves or Alex can do to make her feel better from here.
- The welfare system we live in, you ideally have to fit into a box. We haven't found the box or box that Alexandra fits into, says Birgit Gundersen.
An evil circle
According to Eva Naur, associate professor of social law at Aarhus University, it is not surprising if people like Alex with complex problems feel like pawns in the system.
- After all, we have organized it in such a way that the responsibility for solving different problems lies in different places. And it is clear that the resolution of psychiatric treatment needs must take place in the regions, while social problems must be solved by the municipality. This means that when a citizen needs help with several different things, it is difficult for the citizen to get a comprehensive solution, says Eva Naur.
At the same time, some of Alex's problems will automatically prevent her from getting help for others, the way the system is screwed up today.
When the professionals cannot solve the citizen's problems, it is hard to believe that the citizen who has massive challenges can do it himself.
Eva Naur, lecturer in social law, AU
- There will actually be places where they say we can't help you with this problem until you have solved one of the other problems. Then you go in the next door and say that I must have solved this problem. Then they say we can see you also have a third problem, you need to solve that first. Then you go to the third instance and are told that you have to solve your first problem first, explains Eva Naur about the vicious circle Alex has ended up in.
This risks creating distrust in the system and the citizen's belief that he or she can actually solve his or her problems.
- In this way, you as a citizen can face a huge challenge. Because when the professionals cannot solve the citizen's problems, it is hard to believe that the citizen who has massive challenges can do it himself, she says.
Expensive when things go wrong
According to Birgit Gundersen, massive efforts should have been made when it became clear that Alex had been exposed to massive neglect back in Hungary.
- If the social-pedagogical network around a person like Alexandra is to function, then it must be put in place much earlier than has been done in this case and much more professionally, she says.
Now both Alex and society face a big challenge if they are to succeed in saving her life.
- It is really, really expensive to provide good, social services to people who have serious problems. And there is no doubt that it is really expensive when something has gone as wrong as it has here. So it is clear that prevention and a strong effort early in the process will be able to make a difference, says Eva Naur.
Don't know if she can get better
In connection with the story about Alex Balógh, TV2 Østjylland has presented Alex's case and experiences to Region Midtjylland and the municipalities of Aarhus and Syddjur.
All three parties state that they have tried to help Alex when they have been in contact with her in accordance with the legislation and the obligations the three bodies are each subject to.
They also state that they have generally had difficulty getting a collaboration with Alex up and running. Both because she can be erratic in her contact, but also because she has rejected several of the offers she has received over time in relation to treatment and in relation to a possible home.
Massive outside support is needed if anything positive is to happen in her life.
Birgit Gundersen, Alex's mother
At Aarhus Municipality, which today has the duty to act in relation to Alex, they state that they are still working to find a home.
Her parents are left with the tenuous hope that it is not too late.
- We will always be there. But right now it sounds like things are going pretty bad for her. I have no idea what I can believe can change. I know Alexandra is a strong girl and she is a stubborn girl, but that is not enough. Massive outside support is needed if something positive is to happen in her life, says Birgit Gundersen.