In the aftermath of the fall of ISIS’ so-called “caliphate”, tens of thousands of children, women, and men with alleged ISIS affiliations from some 60 countries fell under the custody of the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES). As an increasing number of states start to heed the call for repatriation of their citizens, countries prepare for the reception of returnees. Upon return, returnees suspected of crimes will be handled by the juridical system, while others must be reintegrated into their societies and, if needed, rehabilitated. Little research on best practices is available, but lessons can be gleaned from reception practices that have already worked well – and practices that have caused delays in the reintegration and recovery processes, including family separation – across receiving countries. One example is the case of Sweden’s repatriation practices. This report presents unique insights by examining the reception and first year integration of repatriated Swedish citizens. It includes a compilation of the official immediate reception of returning families to Sweden between 2021-2022 – from the families perspective – as well as analysis and recommendations for long-term strategies from a non-governmental frontline practitioner’s perspective after following the developments and needs of the returnees. The findings suggest that the reception of returning families needs to take place in an orderly manner, creating conditions for rehabilitation and reintegration where the children’s needs are taken into account and the child’s best interest remains the focus. A multi-agency collaboration with relevant authorities and civil society actors (including faith communities) with contextual knowledge and understanding could be one component to successfully plan and implement a holistic reception to assess and meet the needs of the families and prevent radicalization. This would include contributing to the families’ access to support aimed at empowering their emotional, psychological, social, and theological resilience. Reintegration and rehabilitation have a higher likelihood of success when the repatriated individuals, their extended family members, and other key persons are included in the planning. Such involvement keeps families together, avoids new separations, and promotes a favorable psychological recovery. However, separating a child from its caregiver and source of safety increases the risk of reinforcing the child’s trauma and creating more anxiety and insecurity in the child. The main goal must be to shield returning children and their families from destructive or violent environments.