The Danish Ministry of Social Affairs has reached a settlement with 13 former residents of the Solgården children’s home in Tarm. Each of them receives 300,000 kroner in compensation for abuse suffered as children.
The ministry announced the agreement in a press release on August 24, 2026, Avisen Danmark reports. According to the paper, the 13 former residents summoned the state on March 23, 2026, each demanding 300,000 kroner.
The ministry states that extensive and systematic failure took place during the 13 people’s placements at Solgården. It also acknowledges that the state neglected its supervisory duty over the home. That conclusion rests on the plaintiffs’ accounts and on information the ministry gathered in the case.
Minister for Social Affairs Monika Rubin describes the accounts as heartbreaking, per Avisen Danmark. She points to a home leader who subjected children to violence and sexual abuse. As a society, she says, Denmark did not protect these children well enough, and it took a long time to establish what happened.
What happened at Solgården
The children’s home in Tarm, in western Jutland, operated from 1949 to 1976. Former residents have since described violence, abuse and sexual assault during their placements. Avisen Danmark names the former head, Michael Mortensen, who assaulted children and was violent toward them, and notes that he died in 2001.
TV 2 adds that Solgården was run by the Christian organization Luthersk Mission. The broadcaster notes that the organization issued a formal apology to former residents in 2023.
In a letter to former Solgården children dated February 14, 2024, Luthersk Mission said it had a list of 345 children placed at the home during its existence. The organization offered up to 17,000 kroner before tax, or 10,000 kroner net, toward psychological treatment for those subjected to sexual abuse by the leader. Applications had to be submitted by December 31, 2024.
The settlement does not cover one additional claimant in the lawsuit, according to Avisen Danmark. That person was not placed at Solgården and therefore fell outside the state’s supervisory obligation.
The case has been building for years. TV MIDTVEST reported in December 2024 that three men and ten women from Solgården were seeking 300,000 kroner each from the state. The broadcaster noted that the abuse at the closed home became widely known through a non-fiction book.
DR also described the planned lawsuit in December 2024, including the demand of 300,000 kroner per person. As reported by TV 2, the ministry’s own material and the plaintiffs’ accounts led it to acknowledge the failure of supervision. The ministry therefore closed the case through a settlement instead of continuing litigation.
