A Greenlandic mother whose newborn daughter was forcibly removed from her care in Denmark is now receiving a reassessment of her case after national criticism over the use of culturally biased psychological tests, known as the “Parental Capacity Assessment” test. Roughly 300 similar cases involving Greenlandic families are also under review.
Greenlandic Mother Seeks to Reunite With Daughter Nine Months After Forced Separation
Inside her small apartment in Thisted, Denmark, Keira Kronvold has kept a nursery ready for the daughter she hasn’t seen outside supervised visits in nine months. The white cradle, knit baby clothes, and pink onesies remain untouched since her daughter, Zammi, was taken from her just two hours after birth.
Zammi was removed by child welfare authorities in November 2023 following a parental competence assessment by Thisted Municipality. Kronvold firmly disputes the judgment, claiming it was based on cultural misunderstandings stemming from her Greenlandic background.
She says she cooperated with authorities during her pregnancy, attended parenting courses, and maintained a healthy lifestyle. Despite this, officials used a psychological test known as a “Parental Capacity Assessment” (FKU) that involved interacting with a doll, which she believes didn’t fairly reflect her ability to parent.
Controversial Testing Sparks Outcry from Danish and Greenlandic Community
The FKU test, widely used in Denmark to evaluate parental fitness, has come under fire from experts and human rights advocates. Critics argue that the test, which includes psychological profiling and observation tasks, is standardized to Danish norms and fails to account for cultural differences, especially among Greenlandic parents.
In 2022, Denmark’s Social Welfare Research Institute (VIVE) published a report highlighting these shortcomings. The report recommended adjustments after finding that some municipalities misjudged parents due to cultural and linguistic barriers. VIVE emphasized that while no case should rely on a single test, the assessments could carry significant sway in decisions.
Protests erupted in both Denmark and Greenland in response to cases like Kronvold’s, prompting a call for urgent reform. In early 2025, the Danish and Greenlandic governments jointly announced the termination of FKU’s use in Greenlandic child welfare cases.
National Review Launched After Policy Reversal
The Danish Social Ministry and the National Advisory and Knowledge Organization for Social Services (VISO) are now conducting an extensive review of roughly 300 child protection cases involving Greenlandic parents to determine if unjustified removals occurred due to flawed assessments.
VISO has assembled a specialized team with knowledge of Greenlandic language and culture to examine these cases. Their goal is to advise municipalities on whether former assessment methods improperly influenced child welfare decisions.
Kronvold is among those whose cases are being re-evaluated. She has been invited to a reassessment meeting next week and hopes it will lead to bringing her daughter home. However, she remains cautious, expressing concern about whether the reexamination will adequately account for past cultural misjudgments.
Legal Experts Warn of Continued Injustice
Legal professionals and social advocates remain skeptical about the review process. Critics, such as lawyer Jeanette Gjørret and jurist Tina Naamansen, contend that reading case files alone is insufficient to assess parental suitability. They argue that firsthand reassessments with both parents and children are necessary for a fair outcome.
Naamansen, representing the legal organization Sila 360, has examined numerous case files and identified inconsistencies, such as references to alerts that don’t exist in formal records. She calls for a legal audit before the cases reach VISO.
While Danish authorities maintain that test results were never the sole basis for child removals, advocates argue otherwise. A prior negative psychological evaluation, they claim, can strongly influence both court decisions and municipal actions.
Hope and Uncertainty in an Ongoing Battle
As Kronvold continues with her brief, supervised visits with Zammi, now taking her first steps at nine months old, she clings to the hope of reunification. Despite official records recognizing a strong bond and emotional attentiveness between mother and child, the future remains uncertain.
Officials in Thisted acknowledge the criticism of previous methods but stress that child removal decisions reflect complex, multi-factor analyses. They highlight that they followed national guidelines at the time the decisions were made.
Kronvold, like many Greenlandic parents living in Denmark, remains suspended between optimism and skepticism as the nation reexamines its approach to a historically marginalized community. The full review of all cases is expected to continue through the end of 2026.
