Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur socialsekreterare beaktar barnets bästa när ett våldsutsatt barn placeras i familjehem. Därmed har socialsekreterares uppfattning av barnets bästa, hur det tillämpas vid placering av våldsutsatt barn samt huruvida handlingsutrymmet är tillräckligt stort för att kunna beakta barnets bästa undersökts. De teoretiska utgångspunkterna för arbetet är empowerment samt Michael Lipskys definition av gräsrotsbyråkratens handlingsutrymme. Studien utgår ifrån ett kvalitativt angreppssätt i form av semistrukturerade intervjuer mot bakgrund av ett målinriktat urval. Resultatet från intervjuerna har analyserats tematiskt och utgör således grunden för vidare diskussion. Resultatet i studien visar främst på att socialsekreterare tolkar barnets bästa genom att se till barnets skydd och trygghet. Detta tillämpas genom att göra barnet mer delaktig i beslutsprocessen genom att ta hänsyn till barnets önskemål vid placering. Samt ständigt se till barnets specifika situation och därmed ta beslut och överväga faktorer som säkerställer barnets trygghet. Resultatet visade även olika uppfattningar kring socialsekreterarnas handlingsutrymme där en del ansåg sig ha tillräckligt med handlingsutrymme för att kunna ta beslut för barnets bästa, medan övriga upplevde det motsatta. Samtliga intervjupersoner stod dock eniga i att det främsta som hindrar deras handlingsutrymme är bristen på familjehem. / The aim of this study is to examine how social workers consider the child’s best interest when an abused child is placed in a foster home. Thus, the social workers’ perception of the child’s best interest, how it is considered when placing an abused child in foster care and whether the social worker discretion is large enough to be able to take the child's best interest into consideration has been investigated. The theoretical framework from which the study is based upon is empowerment and Michael Lipsky's definition of the discretion of street-level bureaucrats. The study is assessed using a qualitative approach in the form of semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample. The results from the interviews have been thematically analyzed and thus form the basis for further discussion. The results of the study mainly show that social workers perceive the best interest of the child by ensuring their protection and safety. This is applied by making the child more involved in the decision-making by taking the child’s desires into consideration when placing the child. Also, by constantly looking at the child’s specific situation and thus making decisions that ensures the child’s safety. The results also showed different perceptions regarding the social worker discretion where some participants felt they had enough discretion to make decisions in the best interest of the child, whereas some participants felt the contrary. However, all participants agreed upon the fact that the main difficulty with their discretion is the lack of foster homes.

Title: “The will of the child isn't always what's best for the child” A qualitative study on how family law caseworkers involve children in custody-, residence-, and visitation investigations in cases involving risk factors.  Our study aims to examine how family law caseworkers involve children in custody-, residence-, and visitation investigations in cases involving risk factors. The study also aims to investigate how family law caseworkers perceive the child's own wishes and to what extent the risk factors influence assessments regarding what is in the child's best interest.In this study, a qualitative methodological approach employing qualitative interviews has been utilized, employing a vignette method in combination with semi-structured interviews. The sample consists of eight active family law caseworkers located in southwestern Sweden. A thematic analysis has been conducted to interpret the empirical data.The results have been categorized into four main themes: Child Participation, family lawcaseworkers handling of risk factors, family law caseworkers assessment of the child's best interests, and family law caseworkers' room for action.The study's findings indicate that children are involved to the extent possible, considering their age and maturity. However, family law caseworkers argue that it is their responsibility to protect children from harm, and therefore, the adult perspective sometimes needs to take precedence over the children's own will in decision-making.In summary, the study's results reveal that the child's wishes are not always aligned with what is considered to be in the child's best interest. Additionally, while the child's involvement is highly valued, the presence of risk factors plays a crucial role in family law investigations regarding custody, residence, and visitation.

Denna studie syftar till att undersöka socialsekreterares erfarenheter av hur barns behov och vårdnadshavares samtycke påverkar barnavårdsutredningars arbete och beslut. Studiens tidigare forskning behandlar bedömningar och beslut, samtycke och samarbete med föräldrar, barnets bästa och behov, barnets och föräldrars rättigheter samt socialsekreterares förutsättningar. Studien genomfördes med semistrukturerade intervjuer med sex socialsekreterare från två svenska kommuner, baserat på ett bekvämlighetsurval utifrån ett målstyrt urval. Resultaten visar att socialsekreterarna anser att deras bedömningar av barns behov inte påverkas av vårdnadshavares samtycke. Dock anses beslut om insatser påverkas av vårdnadshavares samtycke, så länge det inte finns skäl för tvångsåtgärder. Socialsekreterarna identifierar bemötande, motivationsarbete, kunskap om arbetets möjligheter och arbetslivserfarenhet som viktiga framgångsfaktorer. Socialsekreterarna upplever organisatoriska begränsningar, resursbrist, en negativ syn av socialtjänsten hos vårdnadshavare samt att rådande lagar är bristfälliga och motstridiga som viktiga motgångsfaktorer. Med grund i studiens resultat dras slutsatsen att vårdnadshavares samtycke kan väga tyngre än barns behov i barnavårdutredningars beslut och att barnets bästa därmed inte alltid har högsta prioritet. Det dras även slutsatsen att det finns mycket som kan begränsa socialsekreterare i deras arbete, men att det också finns många möjligheter inom dessa begränsningar som socialsekreterare kan arbeta utifrån. / This study aims to investigate social workers' experiences of how children's needs and parental consent influence assessments and decisions in child welfare investigations. The study's previous research addresses assessments and decisions, consent and cooperation with parents, the best interests and needs of the child, the rights of children and parents, and the conditions for social workers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six social workers from two Swedish municipalities, using a convenience sample based on purposive sampling. The results show that social workers believe their assessments of children's needs are not influenced by parental consent. However, decisions regarding interventions are considered influenced by parental consent, provided there are no grounds for compulsory measures. Social workers identify treatment of clients, motivational work, knowledge of work opportunities, and work experience as key success factors. They see organizational limitations, resource shortages, negative perceptions of social services by guardians, and inadequate and conflicting laws as key obstacles. Based on the study's results, it is concluded that parental consent can outweigh children's needs in child welfare investigation decisions, and thus the best interest of the child is not always top priority. It is also concluded that while there are many limitations in their work, there are also numerous opportunities within these constraints that social workers can utilize.

[pt] A presente dissertação apresenta uma análise crítica e prática sobre os artigos 12 e 13, b da Convenção da Haia sobre os Aspectos Civis do Sequestro Internacional de Crianças. Ademais, o trabalho indica os procedimentos para a análise das exceções no Brasil e apresenta as divergências jurisprudenciais na temática, com enfoque na necessidade de prova pericial, estudando casos do Superior Tribunal de Justiça e dos Tribunais Regionais Federais da primeira e terceira Regiões. Ao final, faz proposições práticas sobre os procedimentos da Convenção, o sistema legal local e a jurisprudencial brasileiro. / [en] This Master s thesis presents a critical and practical analysis of Articles 12 and 13, b of The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. In addition, it indicates the procedures for the analysis of the exceptions in Brazil and points out the jurisprudential divergences regarding the theme, with emphasis on the need of expert evidences, studying cases from the Superior Court of Justice and the Federal Regional Courts of the 1st and 3rd Regions. Finally, the thesis provides a practical approach regarding the Convention s procedures, the local legal system, and the Brazilian jurisprudence.

The views of minority groups who speak on behalf of adopted children in Western countries like Sweden have relevance with regards to enriching the international adoption discourse; and to inform adoption policies in both sending and receiving countries. This study aimed at seeking the views of African immigrants in Sweden on intercountry adoption with the objective of bringing out the meanings they create on the major themes involved to enrich the international adoption debate and to inform policy formation. In all, twenty (20) participants who were grouped into Six (6) focus groups participated. There were mixed opinions on various themes involved. Some of their perspectives were consistent with previous political discourses on adoptions and others were not. These were discussed in the analysis accordingly. Contrary to international conventions, participants showed much relevance to intercountry adoption as against incountry adoption. However, there were predominant views in support of child adoption that is well regulated.

Section 29 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 states that everyone has the right to basic education. This provision must be interpreted in order to determine whether it refers to a period of education, or a certain standard or quality of education that also includes infrastructure. In this dissertation, the scope of the right to basic education and the state’s obligation with regard to infrastructure, are discussed. The dissertation will point out that the right to basic education should also consider the best interests of the child-standard as well as the right to equality. The Constitution provides that everyone has the right to basic education, which implies that there should be no discrimination against any child. In order to determine the scope of section 29 and the duty of the state accordingly, the provisions of international instruments must also be consider. The Convention on the Rights of the Child, the African Children Charter and specifically the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights refer to the obligations of the state in respect to the provision of basic education and infrastructure. The Schools Act provides for the Minister of Basic Education to prescribe minimum norms and standards relating to school infrastructure. The importance of minimum norms and standards for quality education has been investigated with specific reference to libraries, learning material and water and sanitation facilities. Lastly, the lack of an internal limitation clause and the effect of section 36, the general limitation clause, were considered to evaluate the state’s obligation to provide quality education. / LLM (Comparative Child Law), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Section 29 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 states that everyone has the right to basic education. This provision must be interpreted in order to determine whether it refers to a period of education, or a certain standard or quality of education that also includes infrastructure. In this dissertation, the scope of the right to basic education and the state’s obligation with regard to infrastructure, are discussed. The dissertation will point out that the right to basic education should also consider the best interests of the child-standard as well as the right to equality. The Constitution provides that everyone has the right to basic education, which implies that there should be no discrimination against any child. In order to determine the scope of section 29 and the duty of the state accordingly, the provisions of international instruments must also be consider. The Convention on the Rights of the Child, the African Children Charter and specifically the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights refer to the obligations of the state in respect to the provision of basic education and infrastructure. The Schools Act provides for the Minister of Basic Education to prescribe minimum norms and standards relating to school infrastructure. The importance of minimum norms and standards for quality education has been investigated with specific reference to libraries, learning material and water and sanitation facilities. Lastly, the lack of an internal limitation clause and the effect of section 36, the general limitation clause, were considered to evaluate the state’s obligation to provide quality education. / LLM (Comparative Child Law), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

"Mémoire présenté à la Faculté des études supérieures en vue de l'obtention du grade de maître en droit option droit international" / Ce mémoire concerne le droit de l'immigration. Il s'agit des étrangers visés d'une mesure de renvoi malgré le fait qu'ils aient des liens familiaux au Canada. L'affaire Baker, de la Cour suprême du Canada, est notre point de référence puisqu'elle prône, entre autres, le respect de l'intérêt supérieur de l'enfant en matière d'immigration. À partir de cette affirmation et de la pratique législative et jurisprudentielle qui s'en est suivie, arriverait-on un jour à reconnaître la protection du droit de l'étranger à mener une vie familiale normale comme il se fait en Europe ? Ce chemin lui serait-il accessible ? Ce projet vise à démontrer cette évolution juridique qui pourrait survenir au Canada dans le cadre d'un plus grand respect des droits fondamentaux de la personne. / This thesis relates to the right of immigration. It concems aliens who are aimed with a removal order in spite of the fact that they have family bonds in Canada. The Baker case, of the Supreme Court of Canada, is our point of reference since it preaches, inter alia, the respect of the best interest of the child as regards to immigration. Starting from this assertion and legislative & jurisprudential practices that followed from the case, would one arrive one day at recognizing to every migrant the right to a normal family life like it is done in Europe? Would this path be accessible? This project aims at showing this legal evolution that could occur in Canada within the framework of a larger respect of the fundamental human rights.

L’« intérêt de l’enfant » est un concept fondamental en droit de la famille puisqu’il constitue le critère déterminant dans toute décision qui concerne l’enfant. Le Code civil du Québec énonce, au second alinéa de l’article 33, les facteurs qui doivent servir à le déterminer, soit « les besoins moraux, intellectuels, affectifs et physiques de l’enfant, son âge, sa santé, son caractère, son milieu familial et les autres aspects de sa situation ». Les auteurs qui s’y sont intéressés l’ont abordé sous différents angles. Certains se sont intéressés à ses origines et à son évolution. D’autres en ont proposé leur propre définition. En ce qui nous concerne, nous avons choisi d’explorer ledit concept en nous intéressant aux diverses interprétations qu’il reçoit de la part des tribunaux dans les décisions relatives à la garde des enfants dans un contexte post-rupture, et ce, à la lumière du genre et de l’âge du décideur. Le concept d’intérêt de l’enfant étant hautement indéterminé, son interprétation est laissée à l’appréciation du juge qui en précisera le contenu en référence à la loi et aux faits particuliers de chaque cas d’espèce. Or, dans les situations où, une fois considéré le contexte factuel et normatif, le juge se retrouve face à une situation « neutre », c’est-à-dire où la garde exclusive et la garde partagée sont tout aussi envisageables, peut-on prétendre que son l’inclinaison vers l’une ou l’autre de ces modalités de garde est influencée par des facteurs autres que le droit et les faits mis en preuve ? Telle est la question au cœur de notre étude. Reposant sur des théories reconnues et bien établies affirmant l’importance de tenir compte du contexte social et de l’expérience individuelle du décideur dans la démarche interprétative que le droit sous-tend, l’hypothèse que nous soumettons est qu’au-delà des faits mis en preuve et du droit, des éléments indissociables au processus d’interprétation, à savoir les valeurs, les idéologies et les traits caractéristiques dominants que sous-tendent le genre et la génération du décideur, influent sur la teneur des jugements qu’il prononce. Sans admettre que ces éléments suffisent, à eux seuls, pour expliquer le produit judiciaire, nous sommes d’avis qu’on ne peut qualifier d’improbable l’incidence qu’ils exercent sur celui-ci. Nous intéressant au processus cognitif qui préside à la réflexion des décideurs, notre thèse vise à cerner, à travers une analyse interdisciplinaire, les facteurs humains et les forces sociales qui structurent les expériences et qui sont susceptibles d’avoir un impact sur les décisions judiciaires. L’objectif de notre étude n’est pas d’établir un lien de causalité entre le genre et l’âge du juge et les décisions qu’il rend, mais plutôt de vérifier si des corrélations peuvent être établies entre ces paramètres. Désirant aller au-delà des perceptions traditionnelles véhiculées par la doctrine classique, nos travaux se veulent davantage une contribution au développement d’une conception non formaliste du droit plutôt qu’une démonstration que le profil identitaire des décideurs conditionne systématiquement et invariablement leurs décisions. Une étude de ce genre comporte certes des difficultés en ce qu’elle confronte le juriste à des concepts et des théories qui appartiennent à d’autres champs disciplinaires et qui, partant, ne lui sont pas familiers. La compréhension plus fine du processus interprétatif et des décisions qui en résultent en justifie cependant le bien-fondé. / The “best interest of the child” is a fundamental concept of family law as it is the decisive criterion in each decision concerning a child. The Civil Code of Québec enumerates, in art. 33 para. 2, the criteria that must be taken into consideration, which are “the moral, intellectual, emotional and physical needs of the child, [his] age, health, personality and family environment, and [the] other aspects of his situation”. Scholars have approached this concept from different angles. While some of them have expressed interest in its origin and evolution, others have articulated their own definition. In this thesis, I chose to explore the concept of the “best interest of the child” by examining the manner in which courts have interpreted this principle in cases related to child custody, and to what extent it is affected by the gender and the age of the decision-maker. Indeed, whenever a child is part of a conflict, regardless of whether it concerns custody or any other matter, his best interest constitutes the central element. Yet the concept of the child's best interest is highly indeterminate: its interpretation is left to the discretion of the judge, who will specify its content according to the law and facts of each case. But once the judge has considered the factual and normative contexts, he can sometimes face a « neutral » situation, for which he could consider sole and shared custody as options. Would it therefore be accurate to assume that the judge’s inclination toward one or the other option of custody is governed by elements other than the law and facts of the case? This is the main question of this study. Based on recognized and well established theories asserting the importance of considering the social context and individual experience of the decision maker in the interpretative process, the proposed hypothesis is that beyond the facts and the law, there are other elements that have a crucial influence on the process of interpretation (and on the content of the decision that a judge renders), most notably the identity profile of the judge (i.e., gender and age, including their underlying values and ideologies). Indeed, and although the values, ideologies, and dominant social characteristics are not sufficient in themselves to explain the judicial outcomes, I nevertheless consider that the impact that the former has on the latter cannot be denied. By examining the cognitive process that governs the reasoning of the decision maker, this thesis aims to identify, through interdisciplinary analysis, human factors and social forces that shape individual experiences and are likely to have an impact on judicial decisions. The objective of this research is not to establish a causal link between the profile of the judge and his/her decisions, but rather to determine whether a correlation can be established between these parameters. Wishing to go beyond traditional perceptions conveyed by the traditional doctrine, this thesis is a contribution to the development of a non-formalist conception of law, as a way of demonstrating the idea that the profile of the judge systematically and consistently frames his decisions. A study of this kind certainly faces difficulties, in that it confronts the lawyer with concepts and theories that belong to other disciplines, and which therefore may not be familiar. However, the deep understanding of the interpretive process and resulting decisions justify the importance of this kind of research.

L’objectif de ce mémoire est de mieux comprendre, à partir de leur point de vue, le vécu des enfants âgés de 6 à 12 ans qui sont placés dans des ressources d’accueil et qui vivent l’expérience d’avoir des visites supervisées avec leurs parents. Pour ce faire, des entrevues semi-dirigées ont été réalisées auprès de douze enfants hébergés dans des unités de vie, foyers de groupe ou ressources intermédiaires du Centre jeunesse de Montréal – Institut Universitaire et du Centre jeunesse de la Montérégie. Les entrevues réalisées auprès des enfants ont été soumises à une analyse de contenu thématique. Les résultats de l’étude montrent que les enfants ne comprennent pas toujours bien les raisons qui justifient la mise en place de visites supervisées, ni le rôle des adultes dans les décisions, ni celui du tiers durant les visites. De façon générale, les enfants sont favorables au maintien des contacts avec leurs parents, mais sont plus critiques face aux cadres imposés par ces visites. Il ressort également de l’étude que les enfants sont très peu consultés en lien avec l’organisation et la planification de leurs visites et qu’ils souhaiteraient l’être davantage. Les enfants ont rapporté de nombreuses insatisfactions en lien avec les modalités organisationnelles des visites. L’analyse du discours qui a été menée a permis de mettre en évidence le fait que les visites supervisées sont une source de stress importante pour l’enfant. La création d’un guide d’information destiné aux enfants pour expliquer ce qu’est une visite supervisée, les raisons de sa mise en place, ses buts et ses objectifs serait une piste intéressante à explorer. / The main objective of this research is to provide a better understanding of the experience of children aged between six and twelve years old, placed in care and having supervised visits with their parents, based on the child’s perspective. To be able to do this, semi-directed interviews were made with twelve children either living in family living unit, group home and intermediary units at the Centre jeunesse de Montréal – Institut Universitaire and the Centre jeunesse de la Montérégie. Interviews done with the children were subjected to thematic content analysis. The results demonstrated that children do not always understand the reasons leading to the implementation of supervised visits with their parents, the role of adults in the decisions and the role of the social worker during the visit. Generally speaking, children are favorable with the idea of maintaining contacts with their parents; nevertheless, they demonstrate more criticism with the framework imposed to them during visitation. The study also reveals that children are seldom consulted with regards to the organisation and planning of the visitation and they wish they would play a more active role. As well, children report numerous dissatisfaction in relation with organisational arrangements of visitation. The child discourse analysis enables to demonstrate that supervised visitation are an important source of stress for the child. Therefore, providing an information guide meant for the children aiming at explaining what the meaning of a supervised visit is, why is it implemented and what are the aims and objectives, would be an interesting avenue to explore.