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.

The aim of the study was to examine collaboration and professional perspectives on the best interest of the child in regards to working with unaccompanied asylum seeking children. Firstly, our result show that counselling is available for the unaccompanied children from case workers, staff, school counsellors and emergency psychiatric care. All of the participants in this study describe the need for long-term counselling for unaccompanied children, however, providing the long-term counselling is not the primary purpose of the organisations in question. Therefore an additional service-provider working with counselling is a necessity. Secondly, the study explores the participants’ professional perspectives on the best interest of the child. The participating professionals work with the best interest of the child in accordance with their level of education and professional role. At the same time, they stress the fact that time, resources and other factors have an influence on their ability to keep the best interest of the child in focus. Finally, the study addresses collaboration between the service providing organisations. Collaboration does exist, but the participants wish for a development and transparency in the collaboration in order to clarify the responsibilities of each organisation. / Studiens syfte var att undersöka samverkan och professionellas perspektiv på barnets bästa i arbetet med ensamkommande barn genom besvarandet av tre frågeställningar. Den första frågeställningen rör de möjligheter till psykosocialt stöd som finns för ensamkommande barn. Vårt resultat visar att möjligheter finns i form av stöd hos handläggare, personal och skolkurator samt BUPs akutmottagning. Verksamheternas primära syfte är dock inte långsiktigt behandlande stödsamtal, vilket är något som samtliga respondenter anser att många ensamkommande barn är i behov av. Det behövs alltså ytterligare en aktör vars syfte är att arbeta med psykosocialt stöd för dessa barn. Den andra frågeställningen undersöker hur respondenterna ser på begreppet barnets bästa utifrån sitt professionella perspektiv. Samtliga respondenter har uppgett att de arbetar efter bästa förmåga i relation till sin yrkesroll och utbildningsnivå. Respondenterna påtalar samtidigt att tid, resurser och andra omgivningsfaktorer påverkar deras möjligheter att arbeta för barnets bästa. Studiens sista frågeställning berör samverkan mellan de verksamheter som tagit del i studien. Resultatet belyser att samverkan mellan verksamheterna existerar, men att respondenterna önskar en utveckling och transparens i samverkan för att tydliggöra samtligas uppgifter.

Syftet med studien är att utveckla kunskap om hur personalen på boenden för ensamkommande barn utifrån empowerment arbetar med att möjliggöra de ensamkommande barnens delaktighet, inklusion och integration i samhället. Vidare syftar studien även till att belysa hur personalen på boenden själva ser på detta arbete. De frågeställningarna som belyses i studien är: Vad i arbetet med förhållningsätt skapar möjlighet till ensamkommande barns delaktighet i samhället, enligt personal på boenden för ensamkommande barn? Finns det skillnader mellan personal på HVB- boenden om vad man anser om att arbeta med delaktighetsfrämjande arbete? Om ja, kan dessa skillnader då förklaras med kön, ålder, utbildning, erfarenhet etc. av att arbeta med ensamkommande barn? Metoder som används i studien har en kvantitativ och kvalitativ ansats och innehåller en enkätundersökning och tre intervjuer gjorda med boendepersonalen i Kalmar län. Resultatet tolkas utifrån teorin empowerment och förklaras med hjälp av begreppen delaktighet, inklusion och integration. Analysen av studien utgår från dessa begrepp, tidigare forskning och teorin samt förklaras med hjälp av grafer och tabeller konstruerade i SPSS- dataprogram och tolkning av tre intervjuer. Studiens resultat visar att boendepersonal har ett respekterande förhållningssätt i mötet med de ensamkommande barnen. Studien belyser betydelsen av boendepersonalens lyhördhet inför barnens synpunkter, vikten av att vara konsekvent, bekräftande samt besitta förmågan att kunna se helheten. Resultatet visar även att trygghet och tillit är viktiga egenskaper i boendepersonalens förhållningssätt som skapar möjligheter för ensamkommande barnens delaktighet i olika sammanhang, vilket bidrar till social inklusion och samtidigt ökad acceptans och integrering i samhället. Resultatet åskådliggör att det inte finns några signifikanta skillnader mellan personalen i vad man anser om att arbeta med delaktighetsfrämjande arbete. Vår slutsats är att boendepersonalen i Kalmar län har ett positivt förhållningssätt som skapar möjligheter för ensamkommande barnens delaktighet och inkludering i gemenskaper som vidare leder till integration i samhället. / The purpose of this study is to develop knowledge of how the professional staff works with unaccompanied asylum seeking children and by the empowerment perspective work to allow the children's participation, inclusion and integration into society. Furthermore, the study aims also to highlight how the residential staff at HVB-homes themselves regards this work. The issues highlighted are: What in the work approach creates opportunities for unaccompanied children's participation in society, according to residential staff at HVB-homes? Is there differences between residential staff at HVB-homes on what one thinks about working with participative work? If so, can these differences be explained by gender, age, education, experience, etc. in working with unaccompanied minors? Methods used in the study have a quantitative and a qualitative approach and includes a survey and three interviews conducted with residential staff at HVB-homes in Kalmar County. The result is interpreted by the empowerment perspective and explained by means of the concepts of participation, inclusion and integration. The analysis of the study is based on our concepts, previous research and theory and are interpreted using graphs constructed in SPSS software and interpretation of the three interviews. The result of the studie show us that residential staff have a respectful attitude in their approach to the unaccompanied children. The study illustrates the residential staffs sensitivity to children's views, the importance of being consistent, affirmative and to possess the ability to see in a comprehensive view. The results also show that security and trust are important features of the residential staff attitudes that creates potential for the children participate in different contexts, which contributes to social inclusion and simultaneously increased acceptance and integration into society. The result of the study illustrates that there are no significant differences between staff in what one believes about working with participative work. Our conclusion is that residential staff in Kalmar County has a positive approach that creates opportunities for the unaccompanied children's participation and inclusion in communities that lead to integration into society.

The aim of this study was to examine constructions of the guardianship to unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. More specifically its aim was to, through the guardians’ perspective, understand and analyze how they construct the guardianship. The study was based on individual semi-structured interviews with questions concerning the guardianship and the role as a guardian. Seven interview-participants, who are active as guardians in diverse municipalities in southern Sweden, are included in this study. The analysis was based on how the guardians describe the assignments in the guardianship, the unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and their needs and how they describe the relationship to them. As a conclusion we found two different constructions of the guardianship; one characterized by a guardianship based on limits, distance, clarity of role and assignments and a guardian similar to a tutor. The other perspective is characterized by a guardianship based on no limits for assignments, a close and familiar relationship to the children and a guardian similar to a parent or a friend. We found that the guardians are dominated by different types of social actions that affect the guardianship based on how they constructed the guardianship, the unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and the relationship.

My intention with this study is to examine how integration is understood andimplemented in the daily work with the purpose to integrate asylum-seeking childrenliving within residential care, which is a temporal care for asylum-seeking youths between15-20 years of age.More intentionally my aim is to study the essence of integration work with its benefits anddifficulties which is in this study described from youth pedagogues working with the focusto integrate asylum-seeking children. My aim is also to understand integration workmethods and its effects in the mission to integrate asylum-seeking youths. The study isbased on qualitative semi structure interviews of six youth pedagogues working inresidential care with the roll to integrate asylum-seeking children. The result in this studydescribes the understanding of integration in different ways which can explain thecomplicity in the roll youth pedagogues has got when integrating asylum-seeking children.Despite the lack of obvious methods, visions and goals with integration work, youthpedagogues give answers which leads us to believe that safety factors and risk factors isimportant factors to consider in attempting integration of asylum-seeking youths. Thesefactors are important to consider and understand due to the reason that this knowledgegives an understanding in needs, effects and results of integration work of asylum-seekingchildren / My intention with this study is to examine how integration is understood and implemented in the daily work with the purpose to integrate asylum-seeking children living within residential care, which is a temporal care for asylum-seeking youths between 15-20 years of age. More intentionally my aim is to study the essence of integration work with its benefits and difficulties which is in this study described from youth pedagogues working with the focus to integrate asylum-seeking children. My aim is also to understand integration work methods and its effects in the mission to integrate asylum-seeking youths. The study is based on qualitative semi structure interviews of six youth pedagogues working in residential care with the roll to integrate asylum-seeking children. The result in this study describes the understanding of integration in different ways which can explain the complicity in the roll youth pedagogues has got when integrating asylum-seeking children. Despite the lack of obvious methods, visions and goals with integration work, youth pedagogues give answers which leads us to believe that safety factors and risk factors is important factors to consider in attempting integration of asylum-seeking youths. These factors are important to consider and understand due to the reason that this knowledge gives an understanding in needs, effects and results of integration work of asylum-seeking children.

Due to on going wars and conflicts in the world, the number of people seeking asylum in other countries has increased. Including a large group of unaccompanied minors which is described as ”children who left their country without their parents or a significant other”. In 2015, nearly 35,000 unaccompanied children arrived in Sweden seeking asylum, whereupon the majority arrived in the last months of the year. The large number resulted in an extreme pressure upon the Swedish municipalities, to successfully receive all unaccompanied children. And fulfill their organizational mission according to the Swedish legislation. Therefore the purpose of the study is to establish a deeper understanding of how a social service, organizationally handled an increase in the number of unaccompanied children. A qualitative method was used, consisting semi-structured interviews with nine respondents from or related to the social services. The data of the study were analyzed using a thematic analysis, meaning a search for patterns to create themes and subthemes. The results of the study show that the increase number of unaccompanied minors were experienced and had to be handled as a crisis. The bureaucratic structure of the social service became problematic and constituted an obstacle in the efforts to receive the unaccompanied children. Including a difficulty to follow existing laws and regulations. To resolve the situation the social service had to be flexible and creative in their approach to receive the children. One conclusion is that a bureaucratic structure is not suitable in a dynamic environment that demands quick decisions and flexibility. Another conclusion is that the effort of the staff has been crucial, resolving the crisis. / Antalet människor som flyr undan krig och konflikter i världen har under den senaste tiden ökat. Av dessa människor är en stor grupp ensamkommande barn, det vill säga barn som lämnat sitt hemland utan sina föräldrar eller signifikant annan. Under 2015 anlände ca 35 000 ensamkommande barn till Sverige för att söka asyl. Majoriteten av dessa anlände under de sista månaderna på året. Det medförde ett extremt högt tryck på landets kommuner för att lyckas motta samtliga ensamkommande barn och fullfölja sitt organisatoriska uppdrag enligt den svenska lagstiftningen. Förevarande studies syfte är därmed att få en fördjupad kunskap kring hur en socialförvaltning organisatoriskt har hanterat en ökning av antalet ensamkommande barn. En kvalitativ metod har använts, bestående av semistrukturerade intervjuer med nio respondenter från eller med anknytning till socialförvaltningen. Studiens data analyserades med hjälp av en tematisk analys, där mönster eftersöktes och teman och subteman skapades. Resultatet av studien visar att den stora ökningen av ensamkommande barn upplevdes och fick hanteras som en krissituation. Förvaltningens byråkratiska struktur blev problematisk och utgjorde ett hinder i arbetet med att motta de ensamkommande barnen. Bland annat kunde inte befintliga lagar och regler följas. För att lösa situationen fick förvaltningen vara flexibel och kreativ i sitt arbetssätt. En slutsats är att en byråkratisk organisation inte lämpar sig för en dynamisk omvärld, som ställer krav på snabba beslut och flexibilitet. Därtill framgår att personalens insats inom socialförvaltningen var avgörande för att lösa krissituationen.

The aim of this study was to examine how social workers relate to unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, regarding their cultural background and potential social issues. In order to achieve a more profound and comprehensive view of the social workers views regarding the separated children, we selected to execute semi structured interviews with social workers. These interviews were aimed at those social workers who performed assessments and investigations concerning unaccompanied children. We completed nine interviews which we recorded and transcribed in a strict manor. When we analyzed the empirical material, certain themes where identified as more protuberant and thus we our selection was based on what we regarded as the most relevant topics, in accordance to the aim of the study. Furthermore, our focus was set upon the social workers views regarding cultural differences between unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and Swedish children. We also decided to focus on which views these social workers portrayed, regarding the unaccompanied asylum-seeking child’s cultural background and how social issues could affect the social workers frame, their assets and formulation of their interventions, concerning separated children. We learned during our study that the social workers are enduring a heavy workload, especially since the numbers of arriving separated children are rapidly increasing. Furthermore, the economical recourses, in forms of personnel, are not increasing the same pace. In recent years, societal attitudes have altered and more negative and separative views regarding separated children are apparent. However, the social workers have applied a more universalistic approach towards the children to show the resemblances rather than differences between unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and Swedish children. Our study makes evident, that underneath this universalistic policy, culturalization of the children took form and this development also affected how the interventions were framed. Conclusively, this study displays how culturalization of the interventions affected the care of the children negatively and resulted in a declining standard of care, as well as differentiation of care.

This study examines how the new temporary law (SFS 2016:752) guarantees the child’s right to mental health; focusing on the asylum-seeking unaccompanied minor. This subject is examined since the Swedish law that regulates migration got reduced to the minimum standards that can be found in the EU and in international conventions when Sweden received 163 000 asylum seekers during 2015. 35 400 of them were unaccompanied minors. This leads to the question if the new regulations jeopardize the child’s right to mental health. To answer that, this study’s theoretical ground that will be used is legal positivism. By practicing a legal-judicial method and law-based sociological method the study follows three questions; 1. What is Sweden bound to guarantee according to the Convention on the Right’s of the child, associated with the mental health of children and the provisions of the temporary law? 2. Does the temporary law constitute grounds for existential uncertainty, and is it thereby violating the child’s right to mental health? 3. What does the situation look like, related to the mental health of asylum-seeking unaccompanied minors? In relation to the Convention on the Right’s of the Child this temporary law, and the impact of it, is examined. In the discussion it is clear that not only article 24 (the child’s right to health) is fundamental to the question of mental health, but several other articles. The result of this study has shown that the temporary law clearly violates the asylum-seeking unaccompanied child’s right to mental health.

<p>The aim of this study is to examine which factors in the receiving-country that have had an influence on three now adult unaccompanied refugee children. The method used in the study is qualitative interviews with the three above-mentioned participants. The results show that some factors are perceived as helpful, having a positive influence on the participants life while other factors are perceived as worsening, having a negative influence on their life. Depending on the context some factors such as age, the Swedish language and housing arrangements have had both positive and negative influences on their life. Positive factors are among other things: access to good treatment and support, help with processing trauma and bad mental health, help with understanding coherence, access to a social network, family reunification, resilience and other internal factors. Negative factors are among other things: loneliness, feeling of powerlessness, mistakes made by public authority and “the long waiting” until they get a residence permit. The results correspond with previous research findings but have also originated new knowledge that can be added on the current field of research. The results have furthermore been analyzed with theories of risk and resilience, coping and sense of coherence.</p><p>Keywords: unaccompanied refugee children, unaccompanied children, asylum-seeking children /young adolts/adolecenses/minors, resilience, risk and protective factors, coping, sense of coherence (SOC)</p>

The aim of this study is to examine which factors in the receiving-country that have had an influence on three now adult unaccompanied refugee children. The method used in the study is qualitative interviews with the three above-mentioned participants. The results show that some factors are perceived as helpful, having a positive influence on the participants life while other factors are perceived as worsening, having a negative influence on their life. Depending on the context some factors such as age, the Swedish language and housing arrangements have had both positive and negative influences on their life. Positive factors are among other things: access to good treatment and support, help with processing trauma and bad mental health, help with understanding coherence, access to a social network, family reunification, resilience and other internal factors. Negative factors are among other things: loneliness, feeling of powerlessness, mistakes made by public authority and “the long waiting” until they get a residence permit. The results correspond with previous research findings but have also originated new knowledge that can be added on the current field of research. The results have furthermore been analyzed with theories of risk and resilience, coping and sense of coherence. Keywords: unaccompanied refugee children, unaccompanied children, asylum-seeking children /young adolts/adolecenses/minors, resilience, risk and protective factors, coping, sense of coherence (SOC)