Sigríður to Lead New Committee Appointed by Kristrún

Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir has established a new committee to investigate the conditions of children placed in private homes under government authority. District Court Judge Sigríður Hjaltested will chair the committee, which also includes social worker Arna Ír Gunnarsdóttir and psychiatrist Sigurður Örn Hektorsson. This initiative is based on legislation passed by Iceland's parliament in June. The committee's mandate is to examine the care provided to children who were placed in private households by state and municipal authorities. The investigation will cover the period from March 27, 1947, to June 1, 2002, with the possibility of extending closer to the present in specific cases. The committee is expected to operate for at least three years and will submit a written report with reasoned conclusions to the minister. Sigríður Hjaltested, a lawyer, has served as a district court judge since 2013 and has experience with child protection cases, primarily in criminal matters. Arna Ír Gunnarsdóttir, a social worker since 1996, has extensive experience in welfare services for state and municipal entities, including work with children with complex needs and child protection. Sigurður Örn Hektorsson is a specialist in psychiatry with decades of experience, including work with correctional facilities and as a consultant for various official institutions. The investigation has a three-part objective: to describe the conditions, to assess the well-being of the children, and to provide recommendations.