This is a study of treatment alliance between staff and juvenile delinquent boys in institutional treatment under the Swedish Board of Institutions (SiS). The aim of this study is twofold. First, the purpose is to explore alliance phenomena in correctional institutions for young delinquents in their qualitative, rather than quantitative, aspects. Second, the study aims to explore possible preconditions - obstacles and possibilities - for the development of a genuine treatment alliance between staff and youth. In a case-within-cases design, eight boys in two institutions were followed throughout their treatments. Through participant observations, interviews, and on the basis of their case files I collected data from both the youths and the staff at different points of time during the treatment. Information from the three data sources was used for the purpose of triangulation and mutual validation. The main findings indicate the existence of two kinds of alliance processes, one a genuine alliance and the other a sham alliance one. The genuine alliance appears to be a rare occurrence at these institutions. On the contrary, close examination reveals that a high level of institutional adjustment on the part of a boy in custody often reflects mere sham alliance. The sham alliance builds upon a strong tacit mutual agreement between the boy and the staff to establish a non-change relation. The stronger the staff-youth agreement about this kind of relation, the stronger the sham alliance. Sham alliance serves the common avoidance of conflicting emotions (at unconscious and conscious levels) and contributes to momentary symptomatic relief. Equally important, sham alliance generates an atmosphere of calm and peace on the ward. Among several factors, one of the most significant obstacles to the development of genuine alliance is the fact that the boy is admitted to the institution not on his own will but typically strongly against it. Factors that promote the development of a genuine alliance within a correctional institution are discussed finally.

Varje år kommer ungefär 1100 ungdomar till Statens institutionsstyrelse när de frivilliga insatserna för vård och behandling inte ansetts varit tillräckliga. En placering på en låst enhet inom SiS förutsätter ett beslut om vård enligt LVU §§3 eller 6 och/eller har dömts till LSU. Sedan 2003 ger SiS årligen ut en bok, där placerade ungdomar får möjlighet att skriva en valfri text där många unga väljer att skriva om tiden på institutionen eller hur de hamnade där. Denna uppsats är en textanalys av ungdomarnas egna texter i syfte att belysa hur tvångsvårdade unga beskriver sina livserfarenheter och sin upplevelse av tillvaron på en institution. Den här uppsatsen belyser hur ungdomarna uppfattar sin situation med hjälp av Goffmans teori om stigma och totala institutionen, samt med hjälp av Bowlby och Ainsworth anknytningsteori. De unga upplever att de saknar makt över sina liv, de upplever att de saknar egen kontroll, samtidigt som de är utlämnade åt sig själva. Det börjar oftast med fel umgänge som kan leda till en start med droger eller kriminella handlingar. Det är vanligt förekommande att ungdomarna blir sexuellt utnyttjade redan i tidig barndom, i vissa fall av en närstående. Många av ungdomarna har hunnit uppleva mycket i en tidig ålder. En familj med bristande tillsyn eller mycket föräldrakonflikter är en riskfaktor. Det är vanligt förekommande att samhället ser de unga som en risk för både omgivningen och för sig själva. Studien är viktig för socialt arbete eftersom det är många olika aktörer som är delaktiga i ungdomarnas liv när de placeras på ett särskilt ungdomshem. Det är viktigt för socialt arbete att man aldrig glömmer hur svårt det kan vara för barnet som är i situationen att eventuellt tas ifrån sin familj och placeras på en institution. / Each year, about 1,100 young people come to the State Institution Board when the voluntary efforts for care and treatment have not been successful. A placement on a locked unit within SiS requires a decision on care according to LVU or LSU. Since 2003, SiS has published a book, where placed youths have the opportunity to write a text about things that is important for them to share, for example about their time at the institution or how they ended up inside. The essay is a text analysis of young people´s own texts with the aim of illustrating how forced young people describe their life experiences and their experience of being inside an institution. This essay illustrates how young people perceive their situation with the help of Goffman's theory of stigma and the overall institution, and with the help of Bowlby and Ainsworth attachment theory. The youths feel that they lack control over their lives, they feel that they lack self-control, at the same time that they are left to themselves. It usually starts with interacting with the wrong people and may lead to drug addiction and criminal behavior. It is common for young people to be sexually abused as early as childhood, in some cases by a close relative. Many of the youths have had to experience a lot at an early age. A family with inadequate supervision or a lot of parental conflicts is a risk factor. It is common for society to see young people as a risk to both themselves and the surroundings. The study is important for social work because there are many different actors who are involved in young people’s lives when they are placed in a Juvenile institution. It is important for social work that you never forget how difficult it can be for the child who is in the situation to possibly be taken away from his or her family and placed inside an institution.

This study investigates how gender, power and education affect how preventative measures against threats and violence as well as conflict management are discussed and used among care workers in specialized youth residencies in Sweden. Semi-structured interviews were held with fifteen care workers which were later thematically analyzed using hegemonic masculinity, total institutions and stigma as a theoretical framework. Our findings show that there are multiple hidden gendered practices. The use of physical measures against clients is constructed as inevitable, and that male care workers are most important in conflict management. By having the strength to physically overpower their clients. They are also framed as ideal with their relational advantage to the all-male youth group. Women instead are seen as a deviation from the norm, and a group that must be protected and kept away from dangerous situations. There is also depicted an experience of disorganization and distrust among care workers. Due to perceived poor choices in recruiting and high turnover among chief positions. Where choices for recruiting are based on nepotism and bias for men. We conclude that this removes agency from women in the greater workgroup. We also find that there is a great need for further training in conflict management for care workers as well as higher standards for the recruiting of care workers.

This thesis follows a group of youths placed in secure unit care who have participated in a chain-of-care project aiming to better plan their discharge and aftercare. The overall aim of the thesis is to link a detailed description of these young people with an analysis of the project they participated in, and to undertake one- and two-year follow-up studies. Analytic focus is on the significance of gender, class and ethnicity. The study is mainly based on structured interviews performed at the secure units upon entry into care, discharge and at a one-year follow up. Data have also been used from criminal records and interviews with project staff. When entering care, these youths exhibited extensive problems in both family conditions and own behaviour. The major problem in boys was criminality while girls reported poor mental health. Professionals judge youth of foreign background as more criminal than youth of Swedish background despite a lack of difference in self-reported data. Some difference is also noticeable regarding class. Analysis of the project shows that out-of-home care was the most frequent intervention after leaving secure unit care, while other interventions were difficult to uphold over time. Few girls received help with their mental health problems. At the one-year follow up, the youths reported an overall better situation, although extensive problems still remained. Above all, girls’ mental health problems remained as before. At the 2-year follow up the study group was compared with a control group in order to investigate effects of the project regarding criminality and recommitment to secure unit care. The comparison shows that the project had no effect. This is discussed in relation to poor organization and the difficulty of adjusting a project like this to the target group, along with the substantial part played by gender, class and ethnicity in how the youth are construed and treated.

Den statliga tvångsvården för placerade barn och unga på särskilda ungdomshem, har återkommande varit under internationell kritik från FN:s Barnrättskommitté och Tortyrkommitté för upprätthållandet av tvångsåtgärder som isolering. Statliga aktörer och civilsamhällesorganisationer har adresserat stora brister inom vården som i förlängningen riskerar att barn och unga far illa snarare än att få hjälp och behandling. Det senaste decenniet har ett rättighetsarbete påbörjats inom institutionerna. Trots beaktandet av mänskliga rättigheter och ett lyft av barns rättigheter inom verksamheten påvisas återkommande brister som vanvård, rättsosäkerhet och rättsliga övertramp från statligt anställd personal på de särskilda ungdomshemmen. Barn och unga står i beroendeställning till de statligt anställda som arbetar på institutionen. Att vara statligt anställd innebär dessutom ett ytterst ansvar att säkerställa mänskliga rättigheter, även inom den vård som bedrivs med tvång och kontroll. Syftet med den här studien var att utifrån insamlat material från statliga aktörer, statens institutionsstyrelse, och civilsamhällesorganisationer undersöka hur att mänskliga rättigheter förverkligas, samt hur användandet av särskilda befogenheter legitimeras trots deras rättsosäkerhet. Studien har genomförts med tematisk analys som metod. Resultatet påvisar att det förefaller finnas hinder för att mänskliga rättigheter ska förverkligas, genom upprätthållandet av brister som rättsosäkerhet, ojämlikhet och svårigheter med samverkan. Vidare tydliggörs att barns och ungas upplevelser av särskilda befogenheter ofta beskrivs i termer av våldsamma och bestraffande, medan statens vuxna ögon legitimerar dem som nödvändiga. Genom ett barndomssociologiskt och feministiskt angreppssätt diskuteras hur vuxnas institutionaliserade makt förefaller begränsa och förhindra realiserandet av ett barnperspektiv inom verksamheten. Vidare påvisas utifrån civilsamhällsorganisationers kritik hur etablerade arbetsmetoder som är förenade med döds- och skaderisker, används vid utövandet av tvångsingripanden och legitimeras som nödvändiga samt bedöms vara förenade med ”barnets bästa” och med ”respekt för människovärde och integritet”. Balansgången med att upprätthålla mänskliga rättigheter för barn och unga inom tvångsvården förefaller vara förenade med stora utmaningar.

Psykologer har ett brett uppdrag vid särskilda ungdomshem. Trots det saknas det i nuläget forskning som undersöker särskilda ungdomshem utifrån psykologernas perspektiv. Syftet med förevarande studie var att öka kunskapen och förståelsen för psykologers erfarenheter av att arbeta vid särskilda ungdomshem samt vilka möjligheter och svårigheter som följer med yrkesrollen. Tio semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes och analyserades utifrån tematisk analys. Analysen resulterade i tre huvudteman: Psykolog vid särskilda ungdomshem - en mångfacetterad roll, Ett utmanande vård- och behandlingsuppdrag samt Spänningar inom ramen för tvångsvård. Resultatet visade att deltagarna beskrev att psykologrollen kan variera mellan olika institutioner och att det inte finns en enhetlig mall för vad det innebär att arbeta som psykolog vid särskilda ungdomshem. Deltagarna i studien uppgav att psykologerna har en unik kompetens som behövs vid särskilda ungdomshem för att skapa förståelse för ungdomarna och underlätta för övrig personal i deras arbete. Resultatet visade att de utmaningar deltagarna beskrev i vård- och behandlingsarbetet kunde förklaras utifrån den svårbehandlade målgruppen, tvångsvårdkontexten- och institutionsmiljön, brister i själva behandlingsarbetet men även yttre faktorer så som avsaknaden av andra vårdformer samt problem i samverkan med barn- och ungdomspsykiatrin eller socialtjänsten. Svårigheterna i vård- och behandlingsarbetet samt tvångsvårdkontexten beskrevs som etiskt utmanande av deltagarna. Arbetet med ungdomarna sågs samtidigt som positivt och meningsfullt. / Psychologists have a broad mission in special youth homes. Research regarding psychologists working in special youth homes is lacking. The purpose of this study was to increase the knowledge and understanding of psychologists' experiences of working at special youth homes and the opportunities and difficulties that are included in the professional role. Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed based on thematic analysis. The analysis resulted in three main themes: Psychologist in special youth homes – a multifaceted role, A challenging care- and treatment assignment and Tensions within the framework of compulsory care. The results showed that the participants description of the professional role of psychologist can vary between different institutions and that there is no homogeneous template for what it means to work as a psychologist at special youth homes. The participants in the study stated that psychologists have a unique competence that is needed to benefit both adolescents and other staff. The challenges within care and treatment described by the participants were linked to the difficult target group, the compulsory care context and the institutional environment, but also external factors such as lack of other forms of care and difficulties in collaboration with child psychiatry and social services. The caregiving context was seen as ethically challenging by the participants, as it involves a major intervention in young people's lives. The work involving the adolescents was seen as positive and meaningful, which the participants emphasized.

Syftet med denna utredning var att undersöka hur unga klienter skapar och utvecklar sin identitet som intagna på SiS särskilda ungdomshem. Ingen datainsamling har skett i samband med utredningen. Istället har utredningen utgått från ett publicerat material; tre upplagor av bokserien SiS unga berättar. Utredningen har genomförts med utgångspunkt i en kvalitativ ansats med fokus på beskrivning, tolkning och förståelse. Materialet analyserades med hjälp av en kvalitativ textanalys som bestod av två steg: kodning och tolkning. Olika mönster, teman och nyckelbegrepp identifierades vid kodningen. Vid tolkningen relaterades de olika delarna i kodningen till varandra och kopplades till teoretiska begrepp samt jämfördes med tidigare forskning. Goffmans (2014) teori om totala institutioner och Giddens (1999) teori om identitet användes som teoretiska utgångspunkter i den här utredningen. Resultatet av utredningen visade att tillvaron på de särskilda ungdomshemmen kan ha betydelse för unga klienters identitetsskapande då klienterna lever i en mycket speciell kontext utan handlingsfrihet och med mycket begränsade kommunikationsmöjligheter. Även sociala relationer kan bidra till unga klienters identitetsskapande. För unga klienter är ofta relationen med familj och vänner mycket värdefull och trygghetsskapande. Samtidigt tyder utredningens resultat på att komplicerade relationer med representanter från socialtjänsten är vanligt bland unga klienter. Framtiden är viktig men oviss för många unga klienter. Både handlingar i klientens förflutna och framtida möjligheter kan vara betydelsefulla för de unga klienternas identitetsskapande. / The purpose of this investigation was to explore how young clients create and develop their identity as inmates at SiS special residential homes. No data collection has been made duringthe investigation. Instead, the investigation has been based on a published material; three editions of the Swedish book series SiS Unga berättar. The investigation has been carried out on the basis of a qualitative approach with a focus on description, interpretation and understanding. The material was analyzed using a qualitative text analysis that consisted of two steps: coding and interpretation. Different patterns, themes and key concepts were identified during the coding. In the interpretation, the different parts of the coding related to each other were linked to theoretical concepts as well as previous research. Goffman's theory of total institutions and Gidden’s theory of identity were used as a theoretical perspective in this investigation. The results of the investigation showed that the environment in the special residential homes can be important for young clients' identity creation as the clients live in a very special context without freedom of action and with very limited communication opportunities. Social relationships can also contribute to young clients' identity construction. For young clients, the relationship with family and friends is often very important and contributes to the clients feeling of safety. At the same time, the results of the investigation indicate that complicated relationships with representatives from the social services are common among young clients. The future is important but uncertain for many young clients. Both actions in the client's past and future opportunities can be important for the young clients' identity construction.

Statens institutionsstyrelse (SiS) tar emot omkring 1 000 ungdomar till sina 23 särskilda ungdomshem varje år. Ungdomarna som kommer till SiS har fått beslut om tvångsvård enligt LVU eller LSU, eller i vissa fall enlig frivilliga insatser i SOL. Behandlingen på SiS är främst inriktad mot ungdomarnas eget beteende och det läggs inget större fokus vid ungdomarnas föräldrarelationer. Ändå är detta någonting som verkar vara av stor vikt för många av ungdomarna. Detta framkommer av de böcker som av SiS skolverksamhet årligen ges ut. Böckerna består av texter skrivna av frivilligt medverkande ungdomar på SiS ungdomshem. Många av texterna involverar deras föräldrarelationer. Uppsatsens syfte är att undersöka hur tvångsvårdade ungdomar skildrar och förstår sina föräldrarelationers inverkan i deras liv. En analys sker utifrån Bowlby och Ainsworth anknytningsteori och risk- och skyddsfaktorer. Tre teman som sticker ut är följande: föräldrar som är närvarande eller stöttande, föräldrar som brister i sitt föräldraskap eller i sin omsorg, och föräldrar som avlidit. Det framkommer tydligt att många av ungdomarna relaterar sina föräldrarelationers inverkan i deras liv till både deras dåvarande, nuvarande och även tänkbara framtida omständigheter i livet. Och även till deras fysiska och psykiska hälsa. Således är slutsatsen att en förälders roll, oavsett vilken kategori den faller inom, är viktig för tvångsvårdade ungdomar när de själva reflekterar över sina liv, omständigheter, utveckling och hälsa. Detta bekräftar även den vikt som ovanstående teorier lägger vid barn och ungas relationer till sina föräldrar. / The State Institution Board receives about 1 000 youths to its 23 different Youth Homes every year. Youths coming to live in these homes are there due to decisions on compulsory care according to LVU or LSU or in certain cases according to voluntary efforts in SOL. The treatment in these Youth Homes targets primarily the youth ́s own behaviour while there is no major focus on the parent-child relationship.Yet this particular relationship seems to be of greater importance to many youths. This emerges when you read the annual publication of texts voluntarily written by the youths themselves, published by the State Institution Board. Many stories involve the parent-child relationship. The purpose of this essay is to investigate how youths in compulsory care depict and understand the impact of the parent-child relationship in their lives. The analysis is done from Bowlby ́s and Ainsworth ́s attachment theory and risk- and protective factors. The following three themes stand out: Present or supportive parents, parents lacking in care or parenthood, and deceased parents. It is obvious that many youths relate the impact of their parent-child relationship to their circumstances of life, now, before and in a possible future as well as on their physical and mental health. And thus the conclusion is that a parent’s role, no matter what category it falls into, is important to youths in compulsory care when they themselves reflect upon their lives, circumstances, development and health. This is confirmed by the importance the above theories give the parent-child relationship.

The aim of this thesis is to investigate the self-proclaimed performance of the National Board of Institutional Care, and its specific youth care homes in Sweden (SiS), concerning SiS work with institutionalised children and youth in relation to law of The Care of Young Persons Act (LVU). Special focus is also given to how the SiS self-assessment contrasts with the accounts given by institutionalised youths. We have investigated SiS claims present on their website since it provides ample documentation, information and deeds, and investigated reports by youth in the media, research and news outlets. We have elected to code all collected data and have thus identified key recurring themes present in youth and SiS reports.We have then regarded these findings with respect to our theories that are presented in the results and analysis section along with previous research. In this section we maintain that the description provided by youths at SiS is problematic and often shows a lack of care giving instances or staff that master the tools required to meet the youth in a constructive manner. In the discussion we once again maintain our theories and methodological approach that is based on Discourse analytical grounds that maintain the importance of language and the messages signified through actions.

<p>The intention of this study was to examine the interaction between authorities. More specifically it had a purpose to look at the ongoing cooperation between social workers and staff of special homes of closed institutional youth care. The sanction system for young offenders’ reform of 1999 where young people between the ages of 15-17 who have committed serious crimes, can be sentenced to secure institutional treatment instead of prison, aims to counteract the harm which can result from a stay in prison. The social welfare board in the young person´s local authority and the national board of institutional care shall cooperate during the youth’s placement at the special home of closed institutional youth care. This study was based on eight qualitative interviews with social workers chosen randomly from all over Sweden and staff members from different special homes of closed institutional youth care. To interpret the material we have been using theory of collaboration and cooperation of Danermark and Kullberg. We have also used earlier studies within the area. The study has resulted that the social welfare board are more satisfied with the corporation than the national board of institutional care are. The study also shows that there has been an improvement. Significant reasons for this result has proved to be; the two different employers with different mission statement who are cooperating, unclear guidelines and the lack of knowledge within in the social services. Today there’s an ongoing cooperation that needs to be developed.</p>