Sweden is one of the countries in Europe that has received the highest number of unaccompanied children. Every unaccompanied children who comes to Sweden should get a legal guardian who is responsible for the children’s personal, economic and legal questions. The legal guardian is an important person for the children’s well-being. It is important that the legal guardian is conscious about his role as a legal guardian and that he is following the chief guardian committee’s rules. The legal guardian should for example be conscious that they should not act like a father or mother. The purpose of the study is to get an understanding of which self-presentations the legal guardian is doing in an interaction with me as an interviewer and which presentation he is doing of his role as a legal guardian. The purpose is also to investigate which formal rules and informal rules are directed him into his role as a legal guardian and his actions. The data in the study has been gathered through a qualitative research method and ten interviews are conducted with five female legal guardians and five male legal guardians. The data is analyzed with Goffman’s dramaturgical perspective and how people act when they interacts with the entourage. The results of the study shows that legal guardians are presenting a positive side of themselves. They are presenting themselves as a competent legal guardians. The results also show that the legal guardians are conscious about the Chief guardian committee’s rules at the same time as they are directed by informal rules. The legal guardians are directed by chief guardian committee’s rules, religion-related norms, family-related norms and professional ideals.

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 paper aims to investigate a medial construction of securitization. It aims to comprehend the way a discourse of securitization is constructed and in what sense a certain group of immigrants are constructed as an existential threat within it. With postcolonialism, discourse theory and securitization theory providing the theoretical framework the discourse of a far-right internet newspaper is analysed. It is argued that the discourse indeed ought to be considered a discourse of securitization while also maintaining that the relevant group of immigrants are constructed as an existential threat. What this paper thus argues, is that, at least to a limited extent, a securitization of migration is occuring in Swedish far-right media.

abstract: The purpose of this research was to understand the migration process as experienced by unaccompanied immigrant minors (UIMs). That is, to form a better understanding of why they seek migration, what motivates their migration, what happens to them on their migration journey, and how they adapt to their new communities in the United States. Using qualitative research methods, 60 semi-structured in-depth interviews were collected, along with 12 ethnographic interviews, and participant observations. The immigrants’ narratives were rich with data, and capture the plight that UIMs undertake as they leave their home countries. This study analyzes the dynamic of age in all facets of the migration process, by taking into account that children are participants of the migration process just as much as adults. The dissertation generated several findings; the first was to provide a profile of an Unaccompanied Minor, and for the sake of the study, only participants from Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala were interviewed. From those interviewed, we learned that UIMs are a heterogeneous group. They come from diverse backgrounds in terms of household structures; (nuclear family structures, single-parent structures, extended-family structures, and migrant-family structures). Also, education levels varied; (some finished elementary or even secondary school, but for those living in rural areas it was harder to attend school due to the distance and availability of educational facilities). Many also worked in the labor force from an early age. One salient theme that UIMs talked about in relation to their home life was how the increase in violence in many Latin American countries was threatening their safety, especially for UIMs from El Salvador and Honduras. The next major finding was the ability to see the multiple stages UIMs experience, including: initiation/decisions to migrate, journey, arrival/adaptation and what takes place in each of these stages. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Sociology 2016

The purpose of this study was to find out how the HVB staff is working to integrate the unaccompanied children into Swedish society, and it was also about to find out the challenges they encounter at work. The study has been based on a qualitative study, where four people from four different HVB-homes have been interviewed. The material has been analyzed in the next chapter of this study, by using various theories that are appropriate, Esser and Elwer’s theories of internal integration and assimilation and Luhmann’s theory of the system theoretical perspective that deals with two important concepts such as exclusion and inclusion. The results of the study shows that those various HVB-homes have the same strategies when it comes to integrating unaccompanied children in the society. The HVB staff considered that the children's integration took place through various factors such as school and sports activities, the most important key to integration is the staff who is working at HVB homes because these people have the primary goal of helping unaccompanied children. The HVB staff used strategies and techniques to inform and learn the most important aspects of what standards and values must be followed in Swedish society. / Syftet med undersökningen i denna studie var att få fram hur HVB-personalen arbetar med att integrera ensamkommande barn i det svenska samhället samt vilka utmaningar de stöter på dagligen. Studien har genomförts utifrån en kvalitativ studie där fyra personer från fyra olika boenden har intervjuats. I nästkommande kapitlet har materialet analyserats med hjälp av olika teorier som var lämpliga, Esser och Elwerts teorier om den interna integrationen samt assimilation och Luhmanns teori om det systemteoretiska perspektivet som behandlar två viktiga begrepp som exkludering och inkludering. Slutresultatet i studien påvisar att de olika HVB-hemmen har i stort sätt samma strategier när det kommer till att integrera ensamkommande barn i samhället. Enligt HVB-personalen skedde barnens integration genom olika faktorer såsom skola och idrottsverksamheter, dock är den viktigaste nyckeln till integration personer som arbetar på HVB-hem eftersom att dessa personer har som huvudsakligt mål att hjälpa stödja ensamkommande barn. Strategier och tekniker som personalen på HVB-hem använde var att informera och lära ut de viktigaste aspekterna, vad gäller vilka normer och värderingar som måste efterföljas i det svenska samhället.

Sverige nådde år 2015 en ny toppnotering vad gäller antal asylsökande. Detta förde med sig stora utmaningar för delar av socialtjänsten i relation till placering av ensamkommande barn och en snabbt stigande kostnadsutveckling för platser på asylboenden. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka konsekvenserna av vad som sker när boendeformen för de asylsökande förändras. Undersökningen tar sin utgångspunkt i hur behandlingsassistenterna på ett kommunalt stödboende ser på sitt arbetet med ensamkommande ungdomar och hur de upplever sina möjligheter att hjälpa dem integreras i det svenska samhället. Studiens empiriska material består av sex semistrukturerade intervjuer med behandlingsassistenter som är verksamma på ett stödboende i Stockholm. Analyserna tar sin begreppsliga utgångspunkt i Michael Lipskys (1980/2010) teori om gräsrotsbyråkrater samt Ludvig Beckmans (2011) integrationsteori. Resultatet visar att behandlingsassistenterna tenderar att fokusera på allmän kunskap kring samhällsinstitutioner, språk och relationer som viktiga faktorer man försökte forma sitt arbete kring. Samtidigt upplever behandlingsassistenterna en konflikt mellan vad man kunde göra och vad man upplever att de ensamkommande ungdomarna behöver. Studien visar bland annat på utmaningar i inkluderandet av boendepersonal och kommuner i beslutandet kring olika policyn givet det extraordinära sammanhang landet befinner sig i. / At the end of the year 2015, Sweden peaked in regards to asylum-seeking refugees. Concequently, parts of the social service would face numerous challenges in regards to the placement of unaccompanied minors in out-of home care and in rising costs for asylum accommodation for unaccompanied minors. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the consequences of what happens when the asylum housing for unaccompanied minors changes. This thesis takes its starting point in how treatment assistants at a municipal support housing view integration in regards to their work with unaccompanied minors. The empirical basis for this study consists of six semi-structured interviews with treatment assistants at a municipal support housing in Stockholm. The analysis takes its conceptual basis in Michael Lipsky's (1980/2010) theory of street-level bureaucrats and Ludvig Beckman's (2011) integration- theory. The results showed that treatment assistants tend to focus on general knowledge about societal institutions, language and relationships as important factors that they attempted to shape their work around. At the same time, the treatment assistants experience a conflict between what they can do and what they perceived that the unaccompanied minor needs. The study shows i.a. the challenges in including housing staff and municipalities on the forming and decision-making off public policies in extraordinary situations.

The main purpose of this study is to research about how the staff at a residental care home strives to make the unaccompanied youths feel like they are a part of the society in Sweden. The purpose is also to explain how the staff at the care home legitimises their integrating actions. To accomplish the purpose, a qualitative approach was made; four staffs and three youths were interviewed at a care home in the southern part of Sweden. The theoretical approach were: social integration and social exclusion. The theoretical concepts in this study were: rules, norms, social norms and moral norms. The findings of this study was that the staff, mentors and the guardians of the youths were people that helped them understand the ”new” society by teaching them the mutual norms, values and attitudes in the society. The norms, rules and routines that were taught at the care home, were interpreted as social and moral norms that sets the framework of a ”correct behavior” in a given situation. To make the system of norms appear as legitimate to the youths, the staff explained why the norms are important to internalize as well as explaining what could happen if you would go against them. In this way, the youths corrected their behavior in relation to what the staff mediated and to what they thought was important themselves. To understand how the society works, including learning the norms, values and behaviours, were according to the staff a way for the youths to create a good start into the Swedish society.

Migrationsverket har det övergripande ansvaret över samtliga som söker asyl och att ta beslut kring vem som får uppehållstillstånd och inte. Denna studie har till syfte att undersöka utredningsprocessen för ensamkommande flyktingbarn ur Migrationsverkets personals perspektiv samt hur de tillämpar ett barnperspektiv i deras arbete och säkerställer ett rättssäkert arbetssätt. Som metod för detta har författarna valt att genomföra fem kvalitativa intervjuer med handläggare och beslutsfattare på Migrationsverket. Studien grundar sig främst på två teoretiska begrepp, barnperspektiv samt rättssäkerhet, för att kunna fördjupa sig i hur Migrationsverket arbetar. Studiens slutsats visar att den som söker asyl har till uppgift att göra sin identitet sannolik och en viktig del är det utredningssamtal som genomförs och som ligger till grund för utredningen. Studien visar även att Migrationsverkets personal har ett enhetligt arbetssätt kring rättssäkerhet och samtliga beslut som de tar är grundade i lagtexter. Arbetet med barnperspektivet handlar enligt Migrationsverkets personal att ha ett individanpassat arbetssätt genom att ta hänsyn till sökandes ålder, bakgrund och mognad. / The Swedish Migration Agency carry out the decision of who is going to get a residence permit. This study has the purpose to examine how the Migration Agency investigation procedure is, furthermore how they take in account for a child's perspective and legal certainty. Method for this has been qualitative interviews with administration officers and decision makers at the Migration Agency. This study lays its ground mainly on two constructs: Childs perspective and legal certainty for the purpose to immerse in the Migration Agency work. This study concludes that the one who seeks asylum has to make its identity probable and an important part of this is the interview of the unaccompanied child by case workers at the Migration Agency. This study also concludes that the case workers at the Migration Agency have a mutual view of the rule of law and that all actions are grounded in words of the act. To work with a child perspective is according to the Migration Agency to use an individual approach to all unaccompanied children and this is made by considering the applicant age, gender, background and maturity.

Verksamheter som arbetar med ensamkommande flyktingbarn, både kommunala och privata, är av lagar och förordningar kravställda på att uppnå god kvalitet. Att uppfylla dessa krav är både avgörande och extremt viktiga för leverans av god kvalitet och tillfredsställelse av kundernas behov. Tidigare forskning på området kvalitet och kvalitetsdimensioner omfattar både offentlig och privat sektor, men tyvärr finns det ingen forskning kopplat till kvalitet i arbete med ensamkommande flyktingbarn. Därifrån utformades studiens syfte som har för avsikt att framta en sammanhållen bild av kvalitet och de viktigaste kvalitetsdimensioner som påverkar den totala kvalitén i arbete med ensamkommande flyktingbarn. Studiens genomförande baserades på en fallstudie med två analysenheter som arbetar med ensamkommande flyktingbarn. Studerade verksamheter bedrivs i form av HVB-hem för ensamkommande barn eller stödboende. I studien genomfördes även två semistrukturerade intervjuer med områdeschefer för att belysa ledningsperspektivet. Som kompletterande komponent genomfördes litteraturstudier och källanalyser av de normativa källorna. Resultat av studien tenderar att visa en bredd samt en heterogen tolkning, förklaring och definiering av begreppet kvalitet. En tydlig koppling finns till det humanistiska perspektivet inom psykologi genom Abraham Maslow`s behovsteori, samt Aron Antonovsky`s teori om känsla av samanhang, KASAM. Studiens resultat uppvisar också lagstiftningens påverkan på den förväntade och uppnådda kvalitén i arbetet med ensamkommande flyktingbarn. Resultat ger en tydlig bild på inverkan av mänsklig prestationsförmåga för kundernas uppfattning av servicekvalitén. Empati, lyhördhet och trygghet utmärks som några av de mest betydelsefulla kvalitetsdimensionerna för kundtillfredställelse. / Organizations that work with unaccompanied young refugees, both municipal and private, are required by the law and regulations to achieve good quality. To fulfill these requirements are both crucial and extremely important for the delivery of good quality and satisfaction of customer needs. Previous research in the field of quality and quality dimensions includes both the private and public sectors, but unfortunately there is no research related to quality in work with unaccompanied refugee minors. Therefore, the purpose of the study was designed as intended to develop a coherent image of quality and the main quality dimensions that affect the total quality of work with unaccompanied refugee minors. The studies implementation was based on a single case study with two analysis units working with unaccompanied refugee minors. Studied organizations are performed in the form of HVB-homes for unaccompanied young refugees or supported accommodation. The study also conducted two semi-structured interviews with area managers to highlight the management perspective. As a complementary component, literature studies and source analysis of the normative sources were conducted. The result of the study tends to show a broad and heterogeneous interpretation, explanation and definition of the concept of quality, with a clear link to the humanistic perspective in psychology through Abraham Maslow's theory of needs and Aron Antonovsky`s theory of the sense of coherence, KASAM. The results of the study also show the impact of legislation on the expected and achieved quality of work with unaccompanied refugee minors. The results provide a clear picture of the impact of human performance for customer’s perception of service quality. Empathy, responsiveness and security are distinguished as some of the most significant quality dimensions for customer satisfaction. / <p>2017-06-28</p>

Although interventions that take an individualized, holistic approach to service delivery have been recommended for homeless youth, few such interventions have been described in the literature. This study sought to examine a unique, multi-faceted, community-based intervention developed in 2009 in Tampa, FL to provide services to homeless adolescents who are no longer living in the custody of a parent or guardian (i.e. unaccompanied youth). The intervention, titled Starting Right, Now (SRN), has served over 100 youth to date. The program provides residential, educational, recreational, and professional development services, as well as mental and physical health care. Each youth also receives a trained mentor who is in frequent contact with the youth. Other individualized services are provided as needed. Although SRN has been in existence for six years, the program has only been evaluated using measures such as changes in GPA, absentee rates, etc. In the current study, individual interviews with nine program participants who had been in SRN for at least one year were analyzed to explore how the youth themselves perceived that their lives had been impacted. Thematic analysis of interviews provided an opportunity to examine common themes among participants. Results showed that despite encountering some challenges, participants perceived that they had been lifted to higher educational and personal levels through obtainment of resources; adult and peer support systems; renewed trust in adults; increased hope; improved mental health; and a heightened sense of community. Practical implications for practice and research are discussed.