The primary aim of the study was to develop knowledge about how unaccompanied asylum-seeking children manage their life circumstances and challenges after being granted a residence permit and maturing into adulthood in Sweden. A second aim was to develop knowledge about the life circumstances of these children in their respective countries of origin, the motives behind their flight to Sweden, the means by which they came to Sweden.  The thesis is a ten-year follow-up study. The first set of data is clinical in nature: 100 unaccompanied children were interviewed shortly after their arrival. Ten years later a register study was made of these now young adults. The research group was now reduced to the 68 young adults who remained in Sweden after receiving their permanent resident permits. Twenty of them were chosen for a qualitative interview by means of strategic sampling. The unaccompanied asylum-seeking children who, ten years after becoming permanent residents, remained in Sweden have become established in a favourable life situation as young adults. The process of becoming established in Sweden from the stressing conditions in the country of origin is marked by both risks and possibilities that occur in periodical sequences in the life course of the unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.  The children/youths may have come alone, but they did not remain alone. A majority were taken in hand by relatives in Sweden who were links to the family’s transnational network. The other children who had no family with which to reunite sought to establish transnational links on their own. A transnational perspective can shed light on how these young adults have created cross-national networks and this appears to have been of decisive importance for their socialisation and favourable establishment in Sweden.

This study regards the Swedish documentation system, BBiC, which is translated from the English version LACS. BBiC is created to make sure that the children’s needs are put in centre of attention in child protection investigations. The BBiC-system becomes problematic regarding unaccompanied refugee children because of the parent-perspective which is a keystone in the system. Therefor BBiC creates discretion for the social worker which is not BBiC: s original intension. The study’s aim was to understand how BBiC: s creates discretion for the social worker that works with unaccompanied refugee children. In the results of the study we show that the social workers discretion expands when using BBiC in the work with unaccompanied refugee children. Because of the lack of guidelines from Socialstyrelsen, BBiC is used differently in different municipalities. The social workers sees BBiC in different ways, some see BBiC as a complete system and has adapted BBiC well to the work with unaccompanied refugee children and therefore the discretion increases. Some has only adapted BBiC as a way of thinking and still has a large discretion. We use Lipskys theory about street-level bureaucracy and discretion. We selected the theory and its concept because it is relevant to analyze how BBiC has created discretion for the social workers that work with unaccompanied refugee children. With a large discretion there is also a risk of injustice safety for the unaccompanied refugee child. Therefor the legitimacy of municipality can be questioned. We preformed semi-structured interviews in eight municipalities in southern Sweden and had twelve interviewees. We have also done literary studies regarding Socialstyrelsens reports about BBiC and the research that concerning the implementation of BBiC.

Syftet med denna studie är att öka förståelse för hur fyra ensamkommande flyktingbarn upplever det nya samhället, samt det som görs för att underlätta deras  integrering i Sverige. Att lämna sitt hemland och vara på flykt för en bättre framtid är ett beslut som varje ensamkommande flyktingbarn har tvingats möta, och lämna sin komfort zon. Denna forskning utvärderar effekterna av påtvingad invandring och de copingmekanismer som fyra ensamkommande barn använde när de påbörjar sin resa till frihet och en fristad i Sverige. Dessutom så undersöker denna uppsats det mottagandelandet Sverige, och tillgången till resurser för att underlätta deras integration i det svenska samhället, både på kommunal och nationell nivå. Fokus i denna uppsats är delvis på de svårigheter dessa ungdomar genomgår i hemlandet och den kulturchock och det tryck att anpassa sig som de möter i det nya landet. En kvalitativ forskningsmetod används i denna uppsats, som undersöker subtila nyanser av bilden på ensamkommande flyktingbarn. I denna uppsats används semi-strukturerade intervjuer för att samla in kvalitativa data, vilket gör att de svarande får tid och utrymme att dela sina känslor. Fokus i intervjun bestäms av forskaren då det finns områden som bedöms behöva en djupgående undersökning. Berättelserna analyseras med hjälp av kristeori och teorier om invandrings- och flyktingprocesser som en ämnesteori, och vi skiljer på två olika faktorer, 1. Resan bestående av dramatiska konsekvenser, såsom trauma, frustration, förföljelse, och sist men inte minst ”separationsångest". 2. Stress till följd av den nya kulturen och trycket för snabb anpassning och förändring. / The purpose of this study is to increase understanding of how four unaccompanied refugees experience their new society and what is being done to facilitate their integration in Sweden. To leave and escape a homeland to try to find a better future is a decision that every unaccompanied minor refugee has been forced to face, leaving his/her comfort zone. This research evaluates the impact of forced migration and the coping mechanisms that four unaccompanied minors use as they embark on their journey to freedom and a safe haven in Sweden. Additionally, this essay examines the host country Sweden, and its availability of resources to better facilitate the integration of migrants to Swedish society both at the municipal and national level. The focus of this essay is partly on the difficulties these youngsters undergo in their home country and the culture shock and pressure to adapt they face when living in their new country. Furthermore, by choosing qualitative research method for this essay, we examine subtle nuances of the image of unaccompanied refugee children, both as a concept and as a denominator that creates an identity crisis for them. In this essay semi-structured interviews are utilized to collect qualitative data, allowing respondents the time and scope to examine and share their sentiments. The researcher who directs the conversation to areas deemed to require closer in depth exploration decides the focus of the interview. Analyzing stories using the crisis theory and theories about immigration and refugee processes we distinguish two distinct denominators, 1. A journey with dramatic consequences, such as trauma, frustration, persecution, and, last but not least, ‘separation anxiety’. 2. Stress arising from the new culture and pressure for quick adaptation and change.

Sverige är bland de länder som tar emot flest flyktingar, utav dessa utgör en del ensamkommande barn som vanligtvis varit med om hemska upplevelser och lider av olika hälsoproblem som tar sig både psykiska eller fysiska uttryck. Det är således viktigt att personal som arbetar med denna målgrupp kan förse dem med stöd och kunskap. Studien har undersökt personalens uppfattningar om arbetet på boenden med ensamkommande flyktingbarn är ur ett hälsofrämjande perspektiv. Teorierna KASAM med dess tre delkomponenter: meningsfullhet, begriplighet samt hanterbarhet och socialt stöd ligger som grund. I studien har en kvalitativ ansats tillämpats där fem personal på två boenden blivit intervjuade med en semistrukturerad metod. Resultatet visade att personalens synsätt på hälsofrämjande var olika för alla i personalen men grunderna densamma. Ett hälsofrämjande arbete genomfördes på boendena där personal arbetade med bland annat informationspridning, fysisk aktivitet och delaktighet. Underlättande faktorer på boendet var kommunikationen och det sociala samspelet med ungdomarna samt sina medarbetare. Kommunikationen var även ett hinder eftersom att språkbarriäerna kom emellan eller att tolk inte översatte korrekt. Slutsatserna i studien är att personalens synsätt på hälsofrämjande är lika i grunden, personalens arbetssätt är hälsofrämjande och det finns både underlättande samt försvårande faktorer i det hälsofrämjande arbetet. / Sweden is among the countries that is receiving the most refugees, a part of these are unaccompanied children who usually been through terrible experiences and are suffering from various health problems that is displayed both mentally and physically. It is therefore important that staff working with this target group can provide them with the support and knowledge. This study examined the staff´s perceptions of their work, with unaccompanied refugee children, as being conducted from a from a health promotion perspective. The theories SOC, which has three subcomponents: meaningfulness, comprehensibility and manageability and social support are the foundation. The study has applied a qualitative approach where five staff’s on two accommodation were interviewed using a semi-structured approach. The results showed that the approach of a health promotion perspective was different for all the staff however the basics where the same. Health promotion were conducted on both accommodations where the staff worked among other things with the dissemination of information, physical activity and with participation. Facilitators at the accommodation was communication and social interaction with the young people and the workers. Communication was also a major obstacle since the language barrier came between or the interpreter did not translate correctly. The conclusions of the study is that the staff's approach to health promotion is equal fundamentally, the staff's approach are health promoting and there are both facilitating and aggravating factors in the health promotion work.

Abstract Titel: Ur elden in i askan. En kvalitativ studie om det sociala nätverkets betydelse för ensamkommande barn Keywords: unaccompanied refugee children, social network, risk and resilience, social work. Authors: Karin Bodå och Leila Silva   The main purpose of this study is to illuminate and describe the importance of having a social network for unaccompanied refugee children in Sweden. Using qualitative interviews this study looks at their possibilities to create a social network in Sweden and how their network helps them to solve problems. Knowledge of this subject is important for social workers, in order to be able to encourage and help unaccompanied refugee children to build a social network. The base for our analysis is attachment theory, coping theory, social network theory, KASAM theory, risk and resilience theory, system theory are used to give deeper insight into experiences of four unaccompanied refugee boys. Important results found that their social networks affected their possibilities to handle problems. They felt that being surrounded by people who supported them made them feel less lonely. Further results showed that they felt limited in creating a social network during their first time in Sweden, mainly because of language difficulties, culture differences and the feeling of not being accepted. Finally we found out that some had negative experiences of social workers. Social worker’s approach affected their wellbeing.

This research intends to study the media's representation of unaccompanied refugee children on the basis that the media has a power in the construction of society. The focus is on whether children's vulnerability and needs are presented in the media and whether the children’s voices are heard. It is also of interest to study the agents that speak in the media concerning unaccompanied refugee children.   The study is based on a theory that social reality is a construction of interaction between individuals and groups. Furthermore the study also incorporate the idea that the media, through its control of language, has power to create discourses which may affect the way different groups in society are looked upon.     The research’s questions are guiding us through a discourse analysis of articles about unaccompanied refugee children. The articles were selected from Sweden's four mostly read online newspapers; Aftonbladet, Expressen, Dagens Nyheter and Svenska Dagbladet.   The results show that the media portrays unaccompanied refugee children as a vulnerable group in need of society resources. It also shows that children do not become involved and that their voices are not heard in the articles. When it comes to unaccompanied refugee children in the media, other agents tend to pronounce their statements instead of the children.   The conclusion of the study is that the unaccompanied refugee children do not get the possibility to participate in the media and therefor the children’s own perspectives are missing. / I denna studie studeras medias framställning av ensamkommande flyktingbarn med utgångspunkt i att media har en makt i konstruktionen av samhället. Fokus ligger på huruvida barnens utsatthet och behov synliggörs samt hur barnen blir delaktiga i media, kommer de till tals? Av intresse för studien är även att studera vilka aktörer som yttrar sig i media rörande ensamkommande flytkingbarn.   Studien vilar på en teori om att den sociala verkligheten är en konstruktion av samspel mellan individer och grupper. Utgångspunkt ligger även i att media genom sin makt att kunna kontrollera språket, kan skapa diskurser som påverkar sättet att se på grupper.   Studiens syfte och frågeställningar besvaras genom en diskursanalys av artiklar om ensamkommande flyktingbarn. Artiklarna valdes ut från Sveriges fyra mest lästa webbtidningar; Aftonbladet, Expressen, Dagens Nyheter och Svenska Dagbladet.   Resultatet av studien visar att media framställer ensamkommande flyktingbarn som en utsatt grupp i behov av samhällsresurser. Med hjälp av analysen framkommer även att barnen inte blir delaktiga i media, eftersom de inte kommer till tals. Istället framförs andra aktörers uttalanden i artiklar rörande ensamkommande flyktingbarn.   Studiens slutsats är att de ensamkommande flytkingbarnen inte blir delaktiga i media vilket bidrar till att barnens egna perspektiv uteblir.

Thesis (MPhil) -- AUT University, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references. Also held in print (vi, 121 leaves ; 30 cm.) in the Archive at the City Campus (T 428.34 HUR)

Resultat från tidigare studier visar att gruppens normer formar individens attityder tilltolerans. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka könsskillnader till invandrartolerans, medinformanter ur samma arbetsgrupp. Antalet deltagare i studien var 8, varav 4 var kvinnor och4 var män på ett HVB-hem (Hem för Vård och Boende). Studiens ansats var kvalitativ medsemistrukturerade intervjuer. Resultatet och de kategorier som hittades i studien var:Invandring lönsamt på sikt, Göra skillnad ger utbyte och konflikter, Media om invandring ochAnnan etnisk tillhörighet. Några samhällsfaktorer som påverkar till invandrartoleransbeskrevs, dessa var politisk styrning, utbildningsnivå, ekonomi och kultur, mediapåverkan,och gruppåverkan. I studien beskrevs också teorin The Nature of Prejudice som förklaradehur en attityd bildas, förenad med invandrartolerans. Resultatet i studien gav inte någraskillnader mellan mäns och kvinnors tolerans till invandring utifrån grupperspektivet, kopplattill de sex samhällsfaktorerna som framställdes i studien. / Results from previous studies show that the standards of the group largely shape theindividual`s attitudes to tolerance. The purpose of the study was to investigate genderdifferences in immigrant tolerance, with informants from the same working group. Thenumbers of participants in the study was 8, which 4 were women and 4 were men from thesame working group at a HVB-home (Home for Care and Housing). The study`s approachwas qualitative with semistructured interviews. The result and the categories found in thestudy were: Immigration profitable in the long term, Making difference in exchanges andconflicts, Media on immigration and Other ethnicity. Some societal factors influencingimmigrant tolerance were described, these were political control, level of education,economics and culture, media impact and group impact. The study also described the theoryof The Nature of Prejudice that explained how an attitude is formed, associated withimmigrant tolerance. The result of the study did not show any differences between men`s andwomen`s tolerance for immigration based on the group`s perspective, linked on the sixsocietal factors presented in the study.

This essay aims to increase understanding of what preschool teachers perceive that they themselves can contribute with, ensuring that refugee children get the best possible integration. I have also studied how the preschool teachers perceive that a irregular schedule affects the integration process, and also how the preschool teachers experience the possible consequences, that 15-hour general preschool can have for refugee children The data was collected through qualitative interviews. I have used a hermeneutic theoretical approach. The result indicates, among other things, that preschool teachers experience that there are consequences for the refugee children's social interaction, language learning and feelings of security. The preschool teachers express that they can contribute to integration by teaching them the Swedish language and making the refugee children feel safe. / Denna uppsats syftar till att öka förståelsen för hur förskollärarna upplever att de kan bidra till att nyanlända barn i förskolan ska få en så bra integration som möjligt. Jag har även undersökt hur förskollärare upplever att en oregelbunden förskolevistelse påverkar integrationsprocessen och de eventuella konsekvenser som 15 timmars allmän förskola kan få för integrationen av nyanlända barn. Datainsamlingen har skett genom kvalitativa intervjuer med informanterna och jag har valt hermeneutiken som teoretisk ansats. Resultaten pekar bland annat på att förskollärarna upplever att det blir konsekvenser för de nyanlända barnens sociala samspel, språkinlärning och trygghet. De upplever att de kan bidra till integrationen genom att bemöta barnen på ett bra sätt, skapa trygghet och lära ut svenska.

The purpose of this study was to investigate unaccompanied refugee children's perception of the integration process in Sweden. The study is based on qualitative interviews with six young adults who came to Sweden as unaccompanied refugee child. The results have been analyzed through the theories empowerment, system theory and role theory. The main results show that the key to integration primarily is the ability to speak the Swedish language. The language was also the main obstacle for successful integration the study shows. Furthermore, the results show that the asylum process is perceived as difficult and residence permits are a prerequisite for integration. A warm reception and a strong support are of great importance when arriving in Sweden. Moreover, adaptation to norms, rules and Swedish culture became a natural part of the integration process. The social networking is important for significant well-being. Their expectations have been met and they have been successful in their integration process. They have established themselves in a favorable life situation in Swedish society and are optimistic about their future. / Syftet med vår studie var att undersöka ensamkommande flyktingbarns uppfattning om integrationsprocessen i Sverige. Studien är byggd på kvalitativa intervjuer med sex unga vuxna som kom till Sverige som ensamkommande flyktingbarn. Resultatet har analyserats genom teorierna empowerment, systemteori och rollteori. Huvudresultatet visar att nyckeln till integration främst är att kunna det svenska språket. Språket är också det som främst hindrar en lyckad integration. Resultatet visar att asylprocessen upplevs som svår och uppehållstillstånd är en förutsättning för att kunna integreras. Ett varmt mottagande och ett stort stöd är av stor vikt vid ankomsten till Sverige. Anpassning till normer, regler och den svenska kulturen kom att bli en naturlig del i integrationsprocessen. Det sociala nätverket är viktigt för att främja välbefinnandet. Deras förväntningar har uppfyllts och de har lyckats väl med sin integrationsprocess. De har etablerat sig i en gynnsam livssituation i det svenska samhället och ser positivt på sin framtid.