Syftet med den här studien har varit att undersöka upplevelser av jämställdhet, med fokus på vårdnads-, boende och umgängesutredningar. För att synliggöra eventuell problematik kring jämställdhet har syftet varit att undersöka upplevelsen från två olika perspektiv. Det ena perspektivet som undersöktes utgjordes av två kvinnliga familjerättssocionomer som själva arbetar med vårdnads-, boende och umgängesutredningar. Det andra perspektivet utgjordes av en pappa som själv varit aktuell för en familjerättslig utredning. Utöver pappan har även en manlig Mansjoursarbetare varit med och utgjort det manliga perspektivet, då han träffat många fäder med erfarenheter av Familjerätten. Totalt har fyra kvalitativa intervjuer genomförts och sedan analyserats genom konventionella innehållsanalyser. I det insamlade materialet framkom åsikter som skilde de olika perspektiven åt men också åsikter som visade sig vara gemensamma. Det båda perspektiven hade gemensamt var uppfattningen om att det finns förutfattade meningar om kön som riskerar att påverka familjerättsliga ärenden. Det fanns även en uppfattning om att det får konsekvenser att Familjerätten domineras av kvinnor, då det manliga perspektivet på så sätt tenderar att saknas. Några av de viktigaste strategierna för att främja jämställdhet mellan föräldrarna ansågs vara att lyfta barnets perspektiv samt att professionalitet och objektivitet tillämpas i bedömningarna.

The study’s purpose was to investigate how Family Law appraises the Children´s Rights Conventions principle "the best interests of the child" when assessing visitation in cases with domestic violence, moreover, how the approaches can impact the children. Four family law caseworkers were interviewed through a combined interview and vignette study. The empiricism was analysed with a thematic analysis. Results indicated that the interviewees take the child's best interests into account by acknowledging their opinions. The results showed an inherent problem with a family-oriented stance in investigations. The child's relationship with parents is highly valued, which can be against the child's best interests. Ultimately, violence was seen as a serious risk factor in visitation proceedings, this contributes to negative consequences on the child. Despite that the Convention now is law, the results showed contradictions regarding what the best interest of the child is, therefore continued research is needed on the issue. / Syftet med studien var att undersöka familjerättens förhållningssätt till Barnkonventionens grundprincip om barnets bästa vid bedömningar av umgänge i ärenden där det förekommer våld i hemmet, samt vad förhållningssätten kan innebära för barnet. Fyra familjerättssekreterare intervjuades genom en kombinerad intervju- och vinjettstudie. Empirin analyserades med en tematisk analys. Studiens bärande resultat visade på att familjerättssekreterarna beaktar barnets bästa genom att låta barnet få komma till tals. Resultatet fann även ett inneboende problem med ett familjeorienterat synsätt i umgängesutredningar. Det framkom att barnets relation till båda föräldrarna värnas högt vilket kan strida mot barnets bästa. Slutligen fann studien att våld utgör en allvarlig riskfaktor i umgängesutredningar och bidrar till negativa konsekvenser för barnet. Trots att Barnkonventionen är lag påvisade resultatet motstridigheter om vad barnets bästa innebär, och därför behövs fortsatt forskning i frågan.

A child's best interest is a subject that affects many people, not least in custody battles. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and national legislation in, for example, the Children and Parents Code aims to protect and strengthen children's legal status in society and in custody disputes. Despite this, the number of custody disputes increases and it is the children who are most affected by the parents' conflicts. It is not always easy for the court to determine what is a child's best interest in an objective manner. Often there is a certain degree of subjectivity in the assessment. Many times, different interests, which the court has to decide on, conflict with each other. Through the legal doctrinal method, we have described the source of law and reported the applicable law in relation to the legal provisions relevant to the thesis. We have chosen to start from a recently settled and reported court case to investigate the problem and the complexity of determining the child's best interests when several factors play a role. In the current court case, the joint custody was dissolved and the father was entrusted with sole custody custody even though he was previously convicted of assault by both children and did not meet it for five years, because the mother failed to ensure that the children had had contact with their father and thus committed so-called visitation interference. The Court considered that the risk of children growing up without the right of both their parents weighed heavier than the principle of continuity, which otherwise is strongly rooted in practice. Through this investigation, and particularly by having the opportunity to examine the large volume of documents received from the Court, we have gained a deeper understanding of the Court of Appeal's judgment even though we do not agree with its correctness in all parts. Review dispensation was denied by the Supreme Court, but our personal opinion is that more guidance is needed on the subject for the future. The legislator has proposed how the child's best interests through a legislative amendment should be further strengthened, this by the principle of not only expressing decisions concerning the child but also having an impact on all issues concerning the child in custody purposes.

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.

The aim of this study was to investigate how the best interest of the child was considered and reasoned with in cases where one parent has been using violence against the other parent and child has been exposed to this. The focus of our study was to see how the different units in social services cooperate for the best interest of the child and also how they reason their own assessment in these cases. The empirical data of this study consists of 8 qualitative interviews with social workers in family law or child protection services. We have chosen to base our study with three scientific theories, which are: collaboration theory, interorganizational organization theory and the theory of professions. The outcome of this study has been coded and themed in diverse steps to pinpoint the fundamental categories. These categories are: factors of importance in collaboration and factors that affect what is considered to be the best interest of the child. Based on our results and the empirical data studied, we have drawn a conclusion that there are many different and complex factors that can influence the decision making of a child's contact with an abusive parent. The interpretation and collaboration can be influenced by different factors such as the goals and purpose of the unit. It can be stated through our study that there is a positive view of collaboration between family law and child protection services. However, it can also be stated that the collaboration does not occur to the same extent as one would have liked within the units and that this could be due to various factors. We have also noticed that there has not been a lot of research on our topic regarding the interaction between family law and child protection services, especially regarding cases of violence. There is a need for more research regarding an internal collaboration within the social services that can be implemented as there are shortcomings in practice that have emerged in our study. We believe that the social workers in the social services and the families in question would have benefited from a more comprehensive research on how to interact with each other for the best interests of the child.