I FN:s konvention om barnets rättigheter samt i svensk lagstiftning framhålls tydligt att ”barnets bästa” ska beaktas i ärenden som rör barn. Det finns sedan inga konkreta styrdokument som beskriver vad ”barnets bästa” innebär rent praktiskt t ex vid insatsen kontaktperson vid umgängestvist. Vårt syfte blev därför att i teori och i praktik undersöka vad ”barnets bästa” innebar vid insatsen kontaktperson vid umgängestvist, samt var gränsen gick då det inte längre var till ”barnets bästa”.Under arbetet framkom att ”barnets bästa” definieras väldigt generellt i lagstiftningen, t ex som trygghet, god omvårdnad och god omsorg för barnet. Dessa ledord genomlyste även den praktiska tillämpningen och övrig litteratur kring ämnet. Det fanns dock många olika tolkningar på begreppen eftersom en definiering av ”barnets bästa” samt dess gränser måste bedömas individuellt i varje enskilt fall.

The purpose of this study was to examine children's participation in court proceedings on supervised visitation and to analyse the descriptions of children in court verdicts. Eleven verdicts concerning supervised visitation resolved in 2014 were collected from two district courts in Stockholm County and studied with a qualitative textual analysis. The material was analysed with participation levels influenced by the ladder of participation for children developed by Roger Hart and with the theory of sociology of childhood. Our findings showed that children's opinions were mentioned in eight of the verdicts. In four verdicts the children's will influenced the courts decisions. The children’s will was in none of the verdicts determinant for the outcome. The children's level of participation had no correlation with their age. The children were often described as having universal needs rather than individual needs. The will of the children was in some verdicts invalidated by the court because of their age and their perceived lack of ability to understand what's best for them in the future. Our conclusions are that the court rarely described the children as independent actors or took the children's wishes into account.

<p>The purpose of this essay was to enhance the understanding and knowledge about phenomenon access support. Access support means that a third person (contact person) must be present during access visits between a child and its parent, if it is necessary for the child’s security or because the child needs support. The study was based on qualitative interviews with four contact persons and two professional social workers, whose main task have been to support and, partially, coordinate the work of contact persons. During the interviews I put the focus on participant’s experiences and thoughts about the phenomenon access support. Two theoretical perspectives were used to analyze the empirical material. These were an experiential perspective and role perspective. The results showed that being a contact person required certain personal qualities and strategies for managing different situations during access. Generally, the access situations are often affected by problems between divorced parents and the lack of cooperation with other institutions, especially with the court. Parents and children can have different expectations of access support. Nevertheless, participants find the work as access support meaningful and valuable in terms of life experience.</p>

The purpose of this essay was to enhance the understanding and knowledge about phenomenon access support. Access support means that a third person (contact person) must be present during access visits between a child and its parent, if it is necessary for the child’s security or because the child needs support. The study was based on qualitative interviews with four contact persons and two professional social workers, whose main task have been to support and, partially, coordinate the work of contact persons. During the interviews I put the focus on participant’s experiences and thoughts about the phenomenon access support. Two theoretical perspectives were used to analyze the empirical material. These were an experiential perspective and role perspective. The results showed that being a contact person required certain personal qualities and strategies for managing different situations during access. Generally, the access situations are often affected by problems between divorced parents and the lack of cooperation with other institutions, especially with the court. Parents and children can have different expectations of access support. Nevertheless, participants find the work as access support meaningful and valuable in terms of life experience.