The aim of this study was to examine how professionals within Swedish child and youth department of social services reason regarding the establishment of a police report when they suspect that children have been exposed to violence. The aim of this study was also to examine if the professionals' experience that an established police report tends to influence their ongoing social investigations in any way. A thematic analysis was conducted based on six qualitative semi structured interviews with professionals working within the child and youth department of social services from two different workplaces. The empirical data was analyzed in relation to previous research regarding the topic of the study and selected theories. The theories that formed the basis for the analysis were Lipsky’s Street-Level Bureaucracy and Normative ethics in terms of Consequence ethics, Duty-based ethics and Situational ethics which are derived from various philosophers. The results of the study show that the professionals when they consider whether a police report should be filed or not reason about several different factors, making their assessments complex and difficult to describe in generalized terms. Some factors described as influencing their assessments are the degree of clarity in the received information, the severity of the suspected violence and the child's age and ability to tell about what they have experienced. The professionals also reason about possible consequences a police report may result in, in both positive and negative sense, which also influence their assessments. When making these assessments the professionals possess a relatively high degree of discretion using mainly consequence ethics and situational ethics. Further the result show that the ongoing social investigations are significantly affected by an established police report. The impact consists of difficulties in establishing a good alliance with the family and having to deal with the parents’ trauma. The social investigation is also affected by the parallel ongoing police process, because of the existing confidentiality during the preliminary police investigation.

Social work has long been known as a stressful profession where burnout and emotional exhaustion among staff are common. Especially duties in child services seem to cause stress and dissatisfaction among social workers. The aim of this thesis is to with a research overview find out how social workers within child protection experience and cope with stress at work. The study is answering the following research question: how do social workers who work with children and families cope with stress at work? The method for the current study is a research overview with a thematic analysis. The purpose of this method is to compile research regarding coping strategies within child and family services. To understand the empirical data a psychosocial perspective with focus on Karasek’s (1979) demand-control-support model and coping is applied. The result of the study shows that social workers working in child protection use stress management strategies that are based on social support and personal characteristics as well as with the help of the organization's efforts as support. To feel that you have meaningful social connections seems to be the most recurring factor for stress management in child protection. Both formal and informal social support are of great importance for how social workers cope with the psychologically stressful work, sometimes regardless of individual self-help strategies or organizational efforts.

The principle of child protection and the efforts to protect children from abuse and neglect in pre-modern societies have different notions. According to De Mause, the past was a barbaric place for children and the history of childhood is a nightmare (De Mause, 1995, p. 1). In 1989, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child outlined the fundamental rights of children, including the right to be protected from economic exploitation (Convention on the Rights of the Child: 1990). This study explores issues of Child Protection Policy in humanitarian settings, and focuses on how the outbreak of COVID-19 has affected its implementation in South Sudan Internally Displaced People (IDP) in Camp settlements. This study is underlined by the theory of Participatory Communication while making use of concepts like Communicative Competence and Community Engagement. A case study and qualitative approach method is chosen for this research because it explores  and captures the uniqueness and complexities of South Sudan IDPs Camp in “real life” contexts  through systematic inquiry and data analysis (Geertz, 1973). The primary research tool of this study makes use of both primary and secondary sources of information. Qualitative research methodology through literature review, semi-structured interviews are used to gather data from respondents because qualitative research method aligns with the aim of finding out “how” and “why” (Kulothungan & Oham, 2019, p.12). Public statements, reports, policy documents and other resources are also used. Results from the empirical data suggest that Child Protection services in IDP camp settlements have been greatly affected by COVID-19 mitigating measures because schools and Child Friendly Spaces (CFS) are not operational as before and children are not getting the maximum support and services that they need. These measures have significantly affected the wellbeing of children in key areas including education, food and nutrition, gender and mental health. The study gives crucial insights into how stakeholders can address challenges in implementing Child Protection Policies during a global pandemic and in humanitarian settings.

A recurring concept for social workers to relate to in child protection investigations and assessments of parenting capacity is the concept of good enough. There is no clear definition about the concept in research or literature. The purpose of this study is, therefore, to investigate how social workers in child protection relate to the concept of good enough and how their understanding might affect the assessments and investigations. To fulfill the purpose, semi- structured interviews have been held with four social workers. The results have been analyzed while relating them to scientific research and theories about discretion in human service organizations, Banks' (2012) thoughts about values in social work and Thompson's (2016) Personal, Cultural and Structural (PCS) analysis model.  The results show that social workers in Child Protection have room for discretion. This space is affected by the organization's framework. If the room for discretion is being restricted because of lacking resources, the concept of good enough may look different as it relates to the current situation of the social worker. Good enough is also affected by the social worker's subjective knowledge, intuition, and experience. Normative values on family situations may influence what is considered acceptable in parenting and children's living conditions. Factors such as culture, ethnicity, religion, disability, and gender identity could, therefore, impact on the assessments and decisions. If the social worker is not aware of these normative values and factors, they could have a discriminatory effect on the families who are being investigated.

Syftet med denna kvalitativa dokumentstudie har varit att analysera Förvaltningsrättens tillämpning av rekvisitet psykisk misshandel i LVU 2§-domar för beslut om tvångsvård. Studien har genomförts med hjälp av en kvalitativ innehållsanalys av 16 LVU 2§-domar. Resultatet visade att rekvisitet inte tillämpas i den omfattning som är möjlig i varken ansökan om LVU från Socialnämnden eller av Förvaltningsrätten i deras motiveringar och beslut om bifall. Detta trots att rekvisitet går att identifiera i de utredningar som ligger till grund för besluten. Vidare har Förvaltningsrättens motiveringar till beslut om vård enligt LVU 2 § jämförts med Socialnämndens ansökan om vård enligt LVU 2 §. Resultatet har visat att det råder skillnader mellan Förvaltningsrättens beslut och Socialnämndens ansökan utifrån deras olika sätt att se på barnets bästa i situationen. Förvaltningsrätten har i vårt resultat visat sig lägga stor vikt vid barnets nuvarande situation, medan Socialnämnden har lagt större vikt vid barnets/den unges hela livshistoria. I studien har dessa skillnader diskuterats med utgångspunkt i professionsbegreppet i förhållande till anställda inom Socialtjänst, Socialnämnd och Förvaltningsrätt. Resultatet visade att socionomprofessionen respektive juristprofessionen, som båda verkar i en myndighetsutövande position, resonerar på olika sätt gällande rekvisitet psykisk misshandel när det gäller barnskyddsmål, vilket i slutändan påverkar beslutet om barnets vårdbehov. / The aim in this qualitative document study was to analyse the way Swedish court system apply the criteria mental abuse in LVU 2 § judgements of decisions for compulsory care. The study has accomplished using a qualitative content analysis of 16 judgement documents of compulsory care. The findings showed that the criteria mental abuse is not applied to the extent that is possible in either the application for compulsory care or the courts justifications and decision for approval even though the criteria can be identified. Furthermore, the court’s justifications of the decisions of care according to LVU 2 § have been compared with the social service’s applications of compulsory care. The results have shown that there are differences between the court’s decisions of compulsory care and the social services application for compulsory care based on their different point of views. The court rather see the child’s current situation as directing their decisions, while the social service has placed great importance to the life history of the child. In the study, these differences have been discussed based on the concept of professions in relation to practical work as social worker and lawyer. The results showed that the social work profession and the law profession, who both have an authority position, argue differently regarding the criteria mental abuse in relation to child protection cases, which ultimately affects the decision of child’s care.

All humanitarian actors should be accountable to children. In May 2023, Cyclone Mocha ripped through Myanmar, affecting over 3 million people with more than 90 percent of children facing overlapping climate and emergency crisis. Efforts to enhance accountability to children in humanitarian action are urgently needed now more than ever. Despite the highly discussed topic of accountability, there is still little research on accountability of child protection in the humanitarian context. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to dissect the concept of accountability from the Child Protection Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Action (CPMS) guidelines and identify how it can be used to guide accountability to children in Myanmar. From analyzing the case study of Cyclone Mocha, the research found that the CPMS tools can be used to guide accountability to the child protection interventions in four main themes: participation, cross-sector collaboration and programming, evaluation and reporting, and feedback and response mechanisms. The study concluded that the CPMS guidance notes can influence accountability in Myanmar by providing more weight on informal social accountability mechanisms and leveling out the formal upward accountability currently dominating in the child protection intervention systems.

In the service of child protection organisations, where services are focused on the protection of children within the preservation of families, social workers are exposed to the adverse conditions of children and families forming part of their caseload. Social workers must remain objective and make thoughtful decisions in the best interest of children and families, while they themselves might be traumatised by the circumstances of these children and families. Various studies have been done about occupational stress, secondary trauma, compassion fatigue and the role of supervision in this regard. Less is however known about support as a function of supervision for social workers employed by child protection organisations and the social workers’ experience(s) of this support. The aim of this study was to investigate and to descripe, by means of a descriptive qualitative design, social workers employed by child protection organizations' experience of support as function of supervision. For the purpose of this study, the researcher used a purposeful non-probability sampling. Ten social workers from seven child protection organisations within the specific field of child protection were selected according to their willingness to participate. Unstructured, in-depth, one-on-one interviews, with one question to initiate the interview, were conducted with social workers to investigate their experience of the support as function of supervision. During interviews with the individual social workers the researcher made use of observations and field notes as tools for data collection tools. A focus group with eight social workers was also utilised to verify initial findings and to allow for any additional data that would emerge. The first theme deals with participants’ view of support as a function of supervision, which includes receiving guidance and emotional support. Theme two is about participants’ experience of support as a function of supervision in terms of task-oriented as well as emotional support. The third theme that came up was alternative sources of emotional support, including colleagues, external counselors, family members and selfcare. These themes were divided into sub-themes and categories and discussed according to relevant quotations from interviews and literature reviews. Conclusions and recommendations were made according to these results. One of the most important recommendations arising from the findings of the study, is that the support function of supervision should be used more effectively. Social workers and supervisors must develop a greater awareness of the importance to discuss emotions and the dangers of suppressing emotions. Social workers that receive the opportunity to reflect on their emotions, develop a sense of self-worth, appreciation and experience job satisfaction and motivation, which leads to an increase in service quality. / MSW, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

In the service of child protection organisations, where services are focused on the protection of children within the preservation of families, social workers are exposed to the adverse conditions of children and families forming part of their caseload. Social workers must remain objective and make thoughtful decisions in the best interest of children and families, while they themselves might be traumatised by the circumstances of these children and families. Various studies have been done about occupational stress, secondary trauma, compassion fatigue and the role of supervision in this regard. Less is however known about support as a function of supervision for social workers employed by child protection organisations and the social workers’ experience(s) of this support. The aim of this study was to investigate and to descripe, by means of a descriptive qualitative design, social workers employed by child protection organizations' experience of support as function of supervision. For the purpose of this study, the researcher used a purposeful non-probability sampling. Ten social workers from seven child protection organisations within the specific field of child protection were selected according to their willingness to participate. Unstructured, in-depth, one-on-one interviews, with one question to initiate the interview, were conducted with social workers to investigate their experience of the support as function of supervision. During interviews with the individual social workers the researcher made use of observations and field notes as tools for data collection tools. A focus group with eight social workers was also utilised to verify initial findings and to allow for any additional data that would emerge. The first theme deals with participants’ view of support as a function of supervision, which includes receiving guidance and emotional support. Theme two is about participants’ experience of support as a function of supervision in terms of task-oriented as well as emotional support. The third theme that came up was alternative sources of emotional support, including colleagues, external counselors, family members and selfcare. These themes were divided into sub-themes and categories and discussed according to relevant quotations from interviews and literature reviews. Conclusions and recommendations were made according to these results. One of the most important recommendations arising from the findings of the study, is that the support function of supervision should be used more effectively. Social workers and supervisors must develop a greater awareness of the importance to discuss emotions and the dangers of suppressing emotions. Social workers that receive the opportunity to reflect on their emotions, develop a sense of self-worth, appreciation and experience job satisfaction and motivation, which leads to an increase in service quality. / MSW, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

This study aims to describe and analyse the ideas behind and the function of the NGO Maskrosbarn’s advocate services for children (barnombud) during child welfare investigations. The main focus is the advocate services relation to children’s participation. The study has a qualitative case-study approach and contains documents from the local authorities and interviews with eight representatives in six different positions such as child advocates, youth and social workers. An analysis has been made using Shier’ (2001) and Hart’s (1992) theories of child participation and theories about human service organisations (Hasenfeldt, 1983), the New Institutional Theory (Meyer & Rowan, 1977) and the street-level bureaucrat theory (Lipsky, 1980). One main obstacle for child participation in child welfare investigation, shown in the study, is organisational conditions and social workers’ position in public authority. By creating a relationship built on trust, the child advocate supports the child in the investigation process and has the ability to increase the child’s participation and thereby overcome the gap between the social worker and the child. This study highlights the importance of an active cooperation between the child advocate services and the social services, and also of a shared view on the meaning of participation.

Initially a central topic for psychology, suggestibility has been forgotten, rediscovered, evaded definition, sabotaged experimentation and persistently triggers epistemological short-circuits when interconnecting psychological questions of memory, childhood and scientificity, with concrete legal issues of child witnesses' credibility, the disclosure of sexual abuse and psychological expertise in courts of law. The aim of this study is to trace suggestibility through history, theory, research and practice, and to explore its efficacy at the intersection of psychology and law, by examining and comparing the. concrete case of child witness practice in England and Germany. Taking a transdisciplinary approach the study draws on two interrelated sources of 'data' combining historical, theoretical and research literature with the analysis of empirical data. A genealogy if theory and research is combined with the results of reflexive interviews, conducted in England and Germany with practitioners from all those professions involved in creating, applying or dealing with knowledge about child witnesses and suggestibility: judges, prosecutors, lawyers, police officers, psychologists (researchers, experts) and social workers. Drawing on the work of G. Deleuze and 1. Stengers this study shows how practical tensions around reliable witnesses, evidence and expertise merge pragmatically with theoretical movements employed to adjust the discipline, thereby causing frictions and voids. In this sense suggestibility provides a liminal resource: It transgresses disciplinary boundaries and pervades pragmatic and theoretical, global and personal, historical and actual considerations, creating voids that allow us to reconsider the pragmatics of change and to redefine the issue of critical impact, as well as to reformulate the problem of child witness practice and children's suggestibility. The study hopes to make a concrete contribution to facilitating the just prosecution of sexual abuse by adding transparency to the complex and at times unhelpfully polarised field of child witness practice. By exploring the 'pragmatics of change' the study furthermore hopes to give an unsettling and productive impetus to theoretical debates within critical approaches to psychology.