Home training in Denmark
- The International
- Sep 18, 2025
- 4 min read
Anna Pawlowicz investigates how families are taking charge and helping their children reach their full potential.
Text: Anna Pawlowicz Pics: Pexels
For many parents of children with additional needs, securing the right support can feel like navigating an obstacle course. In Denmark, one option - often overlooked - is home training (“hjemmetræning”), a legal scheme that lets parents take the lead in their child’s development with municipal backing. Done well, it can transform not only a child’s progress but the family’s quality of life.
What is home training?
Home training is part of §85 of the Danish Barnets Lov (Child Act). It allows parents to wholly or partly train their child with a significant and permanent disability at home, using documentable methods tailored to the child’s needs and goals. Parents choose the approach - conventional or non-conventional - provided it is clearly documented.
Margit Jonsson of advocacy group Hjernebarnet has both personal and professional experience: “I have home-trained my child for 15 years and helped bring about legislation that supports parents financially if they meet the conditions. Targeted training at home can make a huge difference - for the child’s development and the family’s wellbeing.”
Florencia Guillén, a speech and language pathologist from Argentina now living in Denmark, reached home training through her work with children struggling to communicate.
“I saw how involving parents actively in therapy produced faster results. That inspired me to create the Total Communication Method - empowering parents to train communication skills at home and strengthen their bond with their child.”
Who can apply?
Parents may apply if their child qualifies for special daycare under §83 or has reduced functional ability. They must also show they have the resources - time, energy, and stability - to train.
“The method must be documentable, but not necessarily evidence-based,” Florencia explains. “That gives parents freedom to use approaches outside standard services, as long as they can show progress.”
How does the process work?
Parents begin by writing to their municipality’s family department. Legally, municipalities must guide them, but Margit notes this rarely happens. Applications must show:
That the child has a permanent, significant disability
That parents have the resources to train
The chosen documentable method
Arrangements for siblings
Requested weekly training hours
The process includes a welfare assessment under the ICS method, evaluation of family resources, and often a home visit. Decisions typically take three to eight months.
Daily life in home training
Once approved, families follow their programme with support from method providers like Florencia. There is no legal limit on training hours; scope depends on the child’s needs. Municipalities may also grant equipment, helper trainers, supervision, and loss of earnings compensation.
Florencia emphasises clarity: “I make sure parents understand goals and strategies. Plans must be realistic and fit daily routines. Communication skills, for instance, can be practised at meals, during play, or while getting dressed.”
Over time, she sees parents gain confidence: “When they begin suggesting strategies themselves, it shows they understand their child better and can adapt creatively.”
Balancing family life
Home training can be demanding. Margit stresses flexibility: “It’s important siblings have space, and training fits smoothly into daily life. Some programmes run within routines; others require short, focused sessions depending on the child’s abilities, wellbeing, and energy.”
Fatigue, Florencia adds, is central: “For children with additional needs, energy levels often define what’s realistic.”
Barriers along the way
The biggest challenge is resistance from municipalities. “Many are against home training,” Margit says. “Parents should know it’s their right if they meet the conditions. But processing times are long, and municipalities may push for alternatives like school-based therapies.”
Florencia has seen the same: “Officials may highlight supports in schools, but parents can combine those with home training - it’s not either/or.”
The role of Hjernebarnet
Here, advocacy matters. Hjernebarnet advises families on legislation, helps with applications and complaints, and connects parents with others. “We support families through the whole process,” says Margit, “helping them know their rights and present their case.”
When home training works
“Home training is for all children with disabilities - but not for all parents,” Margit notes. Success requires commitment, adaptability, and stamina. But for children in the target group, benefits are clear: training matches their energy, is tailored to their needs, and happens in a safe environment.
Florencia has seen families thrive: “At first, parents may feel overwhelmed. But as they gain confidence, they meet their children where they are, try new ideas, and see results. That empowerment is as valuable as the skills themselves.”
Why families keep going
Both women speak with conviction about long-term impact. “We’ve seen children with no development begin to progress,” says Margit. “Others have slowed or reversed regression, gained self-esteem, and moved from poor well-being to thriving. When a child or sibling isn’t thriving, the whole family is affected.”
For Florencia, the motivation is holistic: “I see the family as a system. If one member struggles, it affects everyone. My goal is for the whole unit to thrive together with the child.”
Contacts:
Readers can reach Florencia Guillén at info@neuro-exp.com and Margit Jonsson at hjemmetraening@hjernebarnet.dk
