Magister Legum - LLM / This by implication would mean that the best way to prevent child abduction is to desist from international marriages and moving abroad.The modern reality is that relationships are being formed internationally. In the same breath, relationships are easily un-formed and the family fractured. The emotional impact of any breakup is usually tense, and it follows by implication that this will be exacerbated if a child is involved. For reasons that will be expounded on in the thesis, many caregivers, usually mothers have opted to abduct their children. Some have opted to apply formally to relocate. Relocation disputes are widely regarded as one of the most controversial and difficult issues in family law internationally. These disputes usually arise pursuant to a relational breakdown, when the resident parent (usually the mother) seeks to relocate with the children either domestically or internationally. This causes a significant impact on contact arrangements with the other parent (usually the father). Depending on the country in which they find themselves and the laws applicable to relocation with the child, mothers are faced with the decision to remove the child either lawfully or wrongfully. International family law jurisprudence has been developed over time to assist with custody and relocation disputes. ‘Much has been written on the Hague Convention – its flaws and its successes, its effectiveness and utilization. This thesis aims to look specifically at relocation disputes within the context of international parental child abduction; more specifically, it sets out to explore whether there is a link between those phenomena, and whether the Hague Convention is sufficient for dealing with relocation disputes. I hope to make a convincing argument that if there were an international instrument regulating relocation, there would be uniformity and consistency. People’s confidence in the legal processes would be restored, motivating them to apply formally to relocate and, in doing so, the incidence of child abductions would be reduced. / South Africa

The years 2010 and 2011 recorded a number of incidents of natural disasters around the globe. These disasters resulted in death, injuries and loss of family members. Children, a vulnerable group of persons, found themselves caught up in the chaos of the natural disasters. Some children lost family members, others became separated from their families and caregiver(s) as a result of the disaster, and those who were "alone" prior to the natural disasters became completely exposed to serious physical and psychological harm. Yet, every child has the right to a family. States have a duty to protect separated and unaccompanied children. Such protection involves prevention of separation, assessment of the child's situation, registration, documentation, family tracing, verification and reunification, emergency care arrangements, and permanent care arrangements. Based on the premise that every child has a right to grow up in a family environment this dissertation attempts to answer the question: How can separated children and unaccompanied children, in the African context, be protected in the event of natural disasters such that their right to a family is promoted and protected? In so doing, it presents an explanation of the concepts of separated children and unaccompanied children through investigation xii into the practical effects of separation on children. It also presents discussions on the concept "natural disasters" and some of the effects of natural disasters on separated children and unaccompanied children. There is an attempt at defining the concept "family" based on its internal and external constitution and function, and a consideration of the needs which a family should satisfy in a child. Familial rights enjoyed by children are presented and analysed as rights which exist under the canopy of the "right to a family". In line with the Interagency Guiding Principles, the different stages of protection in natural disasters are highlighted and particular attention is given to intercountry adoption and the implications of placing moratoriums on intercountry adoptions at different stages of the intercountry adoption process, following events of natural disasters. The study stresses the need to balance the importance of protecting the child with the need to provide the child with a permanent family. Copyright / Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Private Law / unrestricted

In hierdie ondersoek is daar gepoog om die belange van die minderjarige kind in egskeiding te bevorder deur die egskeidingsevalueringsproses waarvolgens die belange van die kind bepaal word, te ondersoek en te beskryf. Die sisteemteoretiese benadering, wat op holisme as uitgangspunt gebaseer is, is gedefinieer en beskryf ten einde die sistemiese perspektief op die gesin-in-egskeiding uit te klaar. Voorts is egskeiding as internasionale fenomeen en die implikasies van egskeidingsdispute vir die minderjarige kind ondersoek en in terme van die juridiese en maatskaplike implikasies asook die beginsel van die “beste belang” van die kind beskryf en verduidelik. Navorser het `n selfontwikkelde praktykmodel vir egskeidingsevaluering ontwikkel en geëvalueer met die doel om die vasstel van die belange van die minderjarige kind in egskeiding te bevorder. Dit is gevolg deur die empiriese resultate, `n algemene opsomming, gevolgtrekkings en aanbevelings. Die volgende navorsingsvraag is geformuleer om die ondersoekende en beskrywende gedeelte van die empiriese navorsing te rig: Wat is die aard en inhoud van die egskeidingsevalueringsproses wat in die praktyk deur die Kantoor van die Gesinsadvokaat toegepas word ten einde die belange van die minderjarige kind te bevorder? Gelei deur die navorsingsvraag is die volgende hipotese geformuleer: Indien die sisteemteoretiese praktykmodel tydens egskeidingsdispute toegepas word, sal die beste belang van die minderjarige kind bevorder word. Vir hierdie ondersoek, waar twee evalueringsprosesse met mekaar vergelyk is, was die kwantitatiewe navorsingsbenadering die aangewese keuse. Intervensienavorsing as tipe navorsing is volgens die Ontwerp- en Ontwikkelingsmodel toegepas. Die kwantitatief-beskrywende opname navorsingsontwerp is benut ten einde die doel van die studie te bereik, naamlik: <ul>Om `n praktykmodel vir egskeidingsevaluering te ontwikkel en empiries te evalueer ten einde die beste belang van die minderjarige kind te bevorder.</li></ul> Voortspruitend uit die doel is die volgende doelwitte geformuleer: <ul> <li>Om vanuit `n sisteemteoretiese perspektief egskeiding as maatskaplike verskynsel, die gesin as maatskaplike sisteem en die belange van die minderjarige kind, teoreties te konseptualiseer.</li> <li>Om die huidige egskeidingsevalueringsproses, soos deur die Kantoor van die Gesinsadvokaat toegepas, te ondersoek en te beskryf.</li> <li>Om `n praktykmodel vir egskeidingsevaluering vanuit `n sisteemteoretiese perspektief, wat die belange van die minderjarige kind bevorder, te ontwikkel.</li> <li>Om die effektiwiteit van die nuut ontwikkelde praktykmodel vir egskeidingsevaluering empiries te evalueer.</li> <li>Om aanbevelings te maak ten opsigte van die praktykbenutting van die nuut ontwikkelde praktykmodel om die belange van die minderjarige kind in egskeidingsevaluering te bevorder.</li></ul> Ten einde die heersende evalueringsproses wat deur die Kantoor van die Gesinsadvokaat in egskeidingsdispute toegepas word met die evalueringsproses soos deur die nuut ontwikkelde praktykmodel toegepas is, te kon vergelyk, het navorser `n vraelys ontwerp vir evaluering van beide prosesse. Die vraelys het uit die volgende drie afdeling bestaan: (1) die professionele profiel van die deskundige (gesinsraadgewer/navorser); (2) profiel van die gesinsisteem in egskeiding wat geëvalueer is; en (3) die aard en inhoud van die evalueringsproses vir egskeidingsdispute. Voltooiing van die vraelys deur die deskundiges wat die twee egskeidingsevalueringsprosesse toegepas het, het meegebring dat die data vergelykbaar was. Daarvolgens kon die twee evalueringsprosesse dus vergelyk word en die effektiwiteit van die nuut ontwikkelde praktykmodel empiries geëvalueer word. Die empiriese resultate ten opsigte van die toepassing van die twee egskeidingsevalueringsprosesse in die praktyk, het `n wesenlike onderskeid in die aard en inhoud van die twee prosesse met betrekking tot die beste belang van die minderjarige kind aangetoon. Dit het geblyk dat in die toepassing van die egskeidingsevalueringsproses deur die Kantoor van die Gesinsadvokaat die assessering van die behoeftes, wense, ontwikkelingsvlak, verhoudings asook sistemiese verbintenisse van die minderjarige kind nie prioriteit geniet nie. Tydsbesteding aan konsultasies met die minderjarige kind is baie beperk en is slegs op `n ad hoc basis uitgevoer. Kollaterale bronne is ook op `n ad hoc basis betrek sodat dit nie moontlik was om die sistemiese verbintenisse van die minderjarige kind te eksploreer nie. Die evalueringsproses soos deur die nuut ontwikkelde praktykmodel toegepas is, bepaal as `n standaard prosedure individuele konsultasies vir assesseringsdoeleindes met die minderjarige kind ten einde die wense, behoeftes, ontwikkelingsvlak, verhoudings en sistemiese verbintenisse te kan bepaal met die oog op die vasstelling van die beste belang van die minderjarige kind vir die post-egskeidingsfase. Voldoende tydsbesteding aan die assessering van die minderjarige kind het hoë prioriteit volgens die praktykmodel geniet. Die evalueringsproses volgens die nuut ontwikkelde praktykmodel het kollaterale bronne as `n standaard prosedure betrek sodat die sistemiese verbintenisse van die minderjarige kind volledig geëksploreer kon word. Dit het dus uit die empiriese resultate geblyk dat die hipotese wat vir die studie gestel was, bevestig is. ENGLISH The aim of this study was to promote the interests of the minor child in a divorce situation, through an investigation into the process of assessment and evaluation whereby the best interests of the minor child in divorce disputes are determined. The systems theory approach, which sees holism as basic principle, was defined and described to explain the systems perspective of the family system in a divorce situation. Divorce as an international phenomenon and the implications of divorce disputes on the minor child were investigated, described and explained according to the legal and social implications as well as the principle of “the best interests” of the child. The researcher presented a self-developed practice model for divorce evaluation with the aim to promote the best interests of the minor child in divorce disputes. The study was concluded with the empirical results, a general summation, conclusions and recommendations. One research question was formulated to guide the investigative and descriptive part of the study, namely: What is the nature and content of the process of evaluation in divorce disputes to determine the best interests of the minor child which is administered by the Office of the Family Advocate? The following hypothesis was formulated according to the research question: If the practice model in divorce evaluation, based on systems theory, is administered in divorce disputes, the best interests of the minor child will be promoted. The quantitative research approach was selected in this investigation where two processes of evaluation were to be compared and the type of research was identified as Intervention Design and Development. The quantitative-descriptive survey design was selected to achieve the following goal of the study, namely: <ul> <li> To develop a practice model for evaluation in divorce and to evaluate the practice model empirical to promote the best interests of the minor child</li></ul> In order to obtain the goal of the study the following objectives were formulated: <ul> <li>To conceptualise theoretically divorce as social phenomenon, the family as social system and the interests of the minor child from a systems perspective.</li> <li>To investigate and describe the current process of evaluation in divorce disputes as it is administered by the Office of the Family Advocate.</li> <li>To develop a practice model for evaluation in divorce disputes from a systems perspective to promote the interests of the minor child.</li> <li>To evaluate empirically the effectiveness of the newly developed practice model for evaluation in divorce disputes.</li> <li>To make recommendations regarding the implementation of the newly developed practice model to promote the interests of the minor child in divorce disputes.</li></ul> A questionnaire was developed by the researcher to enable the comparison of the two processes of evaluation in divorce disputes. The questionnaire had three sections, namely: (1) the professional profile of the expert investigator (family counsellor/researcher); (2) profile of the family system who was evaluated; and (3) the nature and content of the process of evaluation. Data from the questionnaires completed by the expert investigators was compared to enable researcher to evaluate the effectiveness of the newly developed practice model to promote the interests of the minor child. The empirical results from the two evaluation processes confirmed a distinct difference in the nature and content of the two processes. The evaluation process in divorce as done by the Office of the Family Advocate did not put emphasis on the assessment of the needs, wishes, developmental status, relationships or systemic bonds of the minor child in a divorce situation. The time allocated to assessment of the minor child is extremely limited and consultations with the minor child was only done on an ad hoc basis. Consultations with collateral sources were also done on an ad hoc basis. It was thus not possible for family counsellors to explore in-depth the systemic relationships of the minor child in a divorce situation. The evaluation process according to the new practice model recognised the importance of individual consultations with the minor child. Individual assessment of the minor child was done as a regular procedure to establish the needs, wishes, developmental status, relationships as well as the systemic associations of the minor child in a divorce situation. The practice model recognised the need for adequate time allocation for assessment of the minor child. Exploring collateral sources was done as a standard procedure according to the practice model to allow opportunity for assessment of the systemic bonds of the minor child. The empirical results confirmed the hypothesis which was developed for this study. / Thesis (DPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

Le Conseil de l'Europe -créé à la suite de la Seconde Guerre mondiale afin de reconstruire un espace démocratique et juridique commun -dont les travaux sur le droit pénal des mineurs sont issus des évolutions nationales entamées au début du XXe siècle, s'attacha à valoriser l'expérience des juridictions spécialisées existantes dans quelques pays européens et grâce auxquelles les mineurs commençaient à faire l'objet d'un traitement différencié de celui des adultes. Depuis, observant les préoccupations des États membres à l'égard de la délinquance juvénile et les contours changeants de leurs politiques pénales, le Comité des Ministres du Conseil de l'Europe élabore, au moyen de recherches criminologiques et comparatives, de colloques et de conférences, des recommandations et lignes directrices conduisant à l'harmonisation des droits nationaux autour de principes directeurs. Mue par son engagement dans l'européanisation du droit pénal des mineurs, la Cour européenne des droits de l'homme intégra les instruments internationaux et européens pertinents dans sa jurisprudence. Ce qui prend un caractère primordial dans les pays où l'application de la Convention est problématique et les violations des droits de l'homme récurrentes, parmi lesquels la Turquie. En conséquence, et malgré les modifications apportées dans la législation turque depuis 2005, nous ferons apparaître dans cette étude que ce membre du Conseil de l'Europe méconnaît encore l'autonomie de l'enfant, promeut toujours la punition en modèle éducatif, use régulièrement de la détention, et appréhende finalement de manière balbutiante la primauté de l'éducation sur la répression prônée par les principes directeurs. / The work by the Council of Europe -founded following the Second World War to rebuild a common democratic and legal order-in the field of juvenile justice has been influenced by the national developments emerged in the early twentieth century and has been focusing on enhancing the experiences of the existing special judicial bodies in some European countries of which were established for distinguishing the treatment of juvenile delinquent from adults. Since then, the Comrnittee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, which observes the concerns of the member states on juvenile delinquency as well as their changing criminal justice policies, adopts recommendations and guidelines in order to establish guiding principles leading to harmonization of the national systems through organizing meetings, conferences and conducting comparative research on criminology. Similarly, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) gives reference to the relevant international and European instruments in its jurisprudence so as to contribute to the Europeanisation of juvenile justice. This becomes especially important in countries like Turkey-where the implementation of the ECHR is problematic and human rights violations are recurring. Consequently, this study shows that despite the legislative changes made since 2005, Turkey, which is a member of the Council of Europe, still ignores the autonomy of the child, promotes punishment like an educational method, resort to detention as a regular measure, and finally displays an reluctant and abstaining attitude in giving priority to education over punishment as established by the guidelines.

Thesis (PhD. (Clinical & Applied Psychology)) --University of Limpopo, 2013 / This study aims at developing an optimal psychological assessment procedure for determining primary residence allocation for children whose parents are divorcing. The research consisted of two studies: the first study focused on “translating” 13 identified legal constructs formulated by Justice King for safeguarding the best interests of children and the identification of suitable psychometric instruments that can be used to determine how effectively a particular family is functioning. These 13 legal constructs were converted into psychological constructs by three independent clinical psychologists. Following this a psychological assessment procedure for children and parents within a divorce context was developed incorporating the newly developed psychological constructs. The 2nd phase consisted of a sample of 39 families (26 families in the experimental group and 13 families in the control group). Six months later after primary placement the families were followed up in order to determine the psychological “health” of the families concerned using the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale (RSE); Index of Family Relations (IFR); Eyberg Child Behaviour Inventory (ECBI) and the Family Assessment Device (FAD). The means obtained from both the experimental and control groups were compared using the MANOVA analysis. The results from the RSE concluded that the self-esteem of children in the experimental group, improved significantly to those in the control group. The IFR indicated that families in the experimental group had improved significantly at resolving family problems. According to the ECBI the children in the experimental group with behavioural problems improved significantly after primary placement. In all children in the control group did not improve significantly. The Family Assessment Device therefore indicated significant family cohesion. In summary the results indicate that the families in the experimental group were functioning at a higher level in comparison to the control group six months after primary placement.

The aim of this study was to investigate how the best interest of the child was considered and reasoned with in cases where one parent has been using violence against the other parent and child has been exposed to this. The focus of our study was to see how the different units in social services cooperate for the best interest of the child and also how they reason their own assessment in these cases. The empirical data of this study consists of 8 qualitative interviews with social workers in family law or child protection services. We have chosen to base our study with three scientific theories, which are: collaboration theory, interorganizational organization theory and the theory of professions. The outcome of this study has been coded and themed in diverse steps to pinpoint the fundamental categories. These categories are: factors of importance in collaboration and factors that affect what is considered to be the best interest of the child. Based on our results and the empirical data studied, we have drawn a conclusion that there are many different and complex factors that can influence the decision making of a child's contact with an abusive parent. The interpretation and collaboration can be influenced by different factors such as the goals and purpose of the unit. It can be stated through our study that there is a positive view of collaboration between family law and child protection services. However, it can also be stated that the collaboration does not occur to the same extent as one would have liked within the units and that this could be due to various factors. We have also noticed that there has not been a lot of research on our topic regarding the interaction between family law and child protection services, especially regarding cases of violence. There is a need for more research regarding an internal collaboration within the social services that can be implemented as there are shortcomings in practice that have emerged in our study. We believe that the social workers in the social services and the families in question would have benefited from a more comprehensive research on how to interact with each other for the best interests of the child.

The child’s participation in any legal matter involving him/her is crucial whether received directly or indirectly through a legal representative. The significance of the child’s views in legal matters is accepted internationally and is entrenched in South African law. This is the main feature of the present research. In Roman law the paterfamilias was the complete antithesis of the best interest of the child with his paternal power entirely serving his own interests. The best interests of the child progressively improved his/her participatory rights and the dominance of paternal authority in Roman, Germanic, and Frankish law eventually gave way to parental authority and assistance in Roman-Dutch law. This advanced the child’s participation in legal matters and under Roman-Dutch law, his/her right of participation included legal representation by way of a curator ad litem. The child’s best interests were consistently viewed from an adult’s perspective and resulted in an adult-centred assessment of his/her best interests. Statutory intervention increased the child’s participatory and representation rights, however, the tenor of these items of legislation remained parent-centred. The Appeal Court later dispelled any uncertainty regarding the paramountcy with respect to the best interests of the child. During the 1970s in South Africa, the emphasis began shifting from a parent-centred to a child-centred approach in litigation between parents in cases involving their children. An open-ended list of factors comprising the best interests of the child accentuated this shift. Courts were encouraged to apply the paramountcy rule in legal matters concerning children and to consider the views of children in determining their best interests. The new democratic constitutional dispensation in South Africa, followed by the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter, obligated South Africa to align children’s rights with international law and standards. The South African Law Reform Commission set out to investigate and to formulate a single comprehensive children’s statute. The resultant Children’s Act 38 of 2005 is the most important item of legislation for children in private law in South Africa. The Children’s Act provides for the widest possible form of child participation in legal matters involving the child. It revolutionises child participation requiring no lower age limit as a determining factor when allowing the child, able to form a view, to express that view. The child’s right to access a court and to be assisted in doing so further enhances his/her participatory right. Effective legal representation is the key in ensuring that children enjoy the fundamental right of participation equal to that of adults in legal matters involving children. Comparative research of child laws in Australia, Kenya, New Zealand and United Kingdom confirms that South Africa is well on the way in enhancing children’s participatory and legal representation rights in legal matters concerning them. This illustrates that only the child’s best interests should serve as a requirement for the legal representation of children in legal matters. Continued training is essential to ensure the implementation of the Children’s Act and requires a concerted effort from all role-players. / Thesis (LLD)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Private Law / unrestricted

Fallet ”Lilla hjärtat” föranledde en granskning samt en förändringsprocess av socialnämndernas sätt att arbeta med tvångsvård av barn. Förloppet som följde ledde fram till promemorian Barnets bästa när vård enligt LVU upphör som är framtagen av en utredare på Socialdepartementet. Utredaren presenterade fyra förslag på förändring av lagstiftningen som ämnar att stärka barnets bästa. Jag har genomfört en diskursanalys av promemorian med utgångspunkt i forskningsfrågan: Hur påverkar en specifik händelse, omdebatterad såväl medialt som politiskt, det sociala arbetets styrning? Det är tydligt att de lagförslag som utredaren presenterar har en påtaglig koppling till socialnämndens hantering och debatten kring fallet Lilla hjärtat. Därtill präglas promemorian av en rättslig diskurs som i och med översättningsprocessen från det sociala arbetets praktik till en rättslig praktik förenklar representationen av problemet vilket resulterar i att socialarbetarens maktposition befästs medan barn framställs som passiva mottagare av stöd och skydd. Om lagförslagen antas kommer de påverka den enskilda socialarbetarens handlingsutrymme inom området tvångsplacering av barn. / The case "Lilla hjärtat" led to an evaluation of the social welfare committees' way of working with compulsory care of children. The process that followed led to the memorandum “The child's best interests when care according to LVU ceases” prepared by an investigator at the Ministry of Social Affairs. The investigator presented four proposals for changes in the legislation that aim to strengthen the best interests of the child. I have conducted a discourse analysis of the memorandum based on the research question: How does a specific event, debated both in the media, and politically, affect the governance of social work? It is clear that the legislations presented by the investigator have a strong connection to the Social Welfare Board's handling of the case and the debate surrounding the case Lilla hjärtat. Moreover, the memorandum is characterized by a legal discourse which, through the translation process from social work practice to a legal practice, simplifies the representation of the problem, which results in the social worker's position of power being consolidated while children are portrayed as passive recipients of support and protection. If adopted, the legislations will affect the individual social worker's capacity of action in the area of child protection.

Syftet med studien har varit att genom intervjuer med yrkesverksamma socionomer undersöka socialarbetares erfarenheter och uppfattning kring det sociala arbetet med barn och föräldrar. Studien har särskilt ämnat att studera socialarbetares handlingsutrymme samt dilemman, svårigheter och utmaningar som socialarbetare tvingas hantera i det sociala barnavårdsarbetet. Studien har sin grund i en kvalitativ forskningsansats och har utgått från åtta semistrukturerade intervjuer där professionellas erfarenheter i det sociala barnavårdsarbetet har undersökts. Empirin har sedan bearbetats utifrån en tematisk analys som i sin tur har tolkats i relation till teorier om gräsrotsbyråkratens handlingsutrymme och dilemma. Resultatet påvisar att socialarbetare har ett stort handlingsutrymme vilket ger dem möjlighet att påverka olika beslut samt att handlingsutrymmet är konstant närvarande i socialarbetarens vardag. Studiens resultat belyser också svårigheten i att bedöma barnets bästa och att det råder en tveksamhet i hur socialarbetare arbetar efter barnets bästa. Frågan ställs om barnets bästa alltid är i centrum eller om föräldrars rättigheter tar för stor plats i dagens barnavårdsarbete. Ett annat ämne som framkommer i resultatet är socialarbetarens stora tolkningsutrymme. Resultatet lyfter svårigheterna i att ha ett stort tolkningsutrymme och att det kan innebära att olika socialarbetare tolkar lagar och föreskrifter på olika sätt beroende på vem socialarbetaren är som person. Resultatet belyser också det sociala arbetets komplexitet och vikten av att våga ta hjälp av kollegor när socialarbetare ställs inför olika dilemman. Slutligen berör resultatet bristen på resurser och den höga arbetsbelastningen som råder bland socialarbetare. Resultatet lyfter konsekvenser som kommer med hög arbetsbelastning och resursbrist samt vad som kan tänkas förbättras inom socialt arbetet med barn och familjer. / The aim of the study has been to investigate social workers' experiences and perceptions of social work with children and parents through interviews with professional social workers. In particular, the study aims to delve into the social worker's room for maneuver, conflicts, difficulties and challenges that social workers are forced to deal with in social child welfare work. The study is based on a qualitative research approach and is based on eight semi-structured interviews where professionals' experiences in the social childcare work were examined. Empiricism has been analyzed with a thematic analysis, and with theories of street-level bureaucracy. The result of the study shows that the social worker’s room for maneuver is constantly present in a social worker’s everyday life. The result shows that social workers have a large room for maneuver and a great opportunity to influence different decisions. The result of the study also indicates the difficulty in assessing the child’s best interests and that there is a doubt in how social workers work according to the best interest of the child. The question is asked whether the best interests of the child are always at the center or whether parents’ rights take up too much space in today’s child welfare work. Another topic that emerges in the result is the social worker’s large scope for interpretation. The result highlights the difficulties in having a large scope for interpretation and that it can mean that different social workers interpret laws and regulations in different ways depending on who the social worker is as a person. The result also highlights the complexity of social work and the importance of daring to enlist the help of colleagues when social workers face different dilemmas. Finally, the result concerns the lack of resources and the high workload of social workers. The result highlights the consequences that come with high workload and too few resources and what might be improved in social work with children and families.

I denna uppsats har vi studerat 12 tingsrättsdomar från åren 2017 - 2019, där tingsrätten avgjort frågan om vårdnad, boende och umgänge där den ena föräldern dömts för våldsbrott (bl.a. misshandel och olaga hot) mot den andre föräldern och/eller deras barn. Vi har studerat hur tingsrätten dömer utifrån föräldrabalken 6 kap. 2 a §, men även undersökt i vilken utsträckning tingsrätten har dömt som socialtjänsten föreslagit i sin vårdnadsutredning och vilka de huvudsakliga skälen har varit när tingsrätten upplöst den gemensamma vårdnaden. Resultatet visar att tingsrätten har lutat sig mot bestämmelserna i FB 6 kap. 2 a § i samtliga domar utom i ett fall. Endast i undantagsfall har tingsrätten haft huvudfokus på det våld som inträffat. I de flesta av domarna har förekomsten av våld verkat vara av underordnad betydelse i jämförelse med barnets behov av en nära och god kontakt med båda sina föräldrar. I vår studie har vi även undersökt hur tingsrätten förhåller sig till barnets vilja, med beaktande av barnets ålder och mognad. Endast i en dom skrev tingsrätten att hänsyn måste tas till barnets åsikt med beaktande av barnets ålder och mognad. I det fallet var barnet 14 år. Då det kommer till tingsrättens resonemang kring om den gemensamma vårdnaden ska bestå eller upplösas, kunde vi se att föräldrarnas samarbetsförmåga har haft en större påverkan på utfallet än faktumet att en förälder är dömd för våldsbrott inom familjen. Vad gäller huruvida tingsrätten dömer som socialtjänsten föreslagit, kunde vi se att tingsrätten mestadels dömde som socialtjänsten föreslagit gällande vårdnaden och var barnet skulle ha sitt stadigvarande boende. Angående frågan om huruvida barnet skulle ha umgänge med föräldern som utövat våld, skiljde sig dock tingsrättens dom från socialtjänstens förslag. I en tredjedel av domarna var socialtjänstens förslag på beslut att inget umgänge skulle ske mellan barnet och föräldern som utövat våld. I samtliga av dessa vårdnadsmål dömde tingsrätten ändå till umgänge mellan barnet/barnen och den förälder som dömts för våldsbrott inom familjen. En av studiens slutsatser är att barn, trots att de i lagens mening har en viss makt och rättigheter, i praktiken i princip saknar makt att påverka sin egen livssituation i vårdnadstvister där frågan om vårdnad, boende och umgänge avgörs. Den makten verkar näst intill uteslutande tillhöra vuxna. / In this essay, we have studied twelve district court judgments from 2017 - 2019, where the district court decided on custody, residence and contact. In these cases, one parent has been convicted of abuse against the other parent and/or their children, which includes assault and unlawful threats. We have investigated the extent to which the district court has ruled in favour of the proposals of social services in its custody investigation and what the main reasons have been when the district court dissolved the legal joint custody. The results show that the district court has relied on the provisions of föräldrabalken chapter 6, 2 a §, in all judgments except one. Only in unique cases, the district court has had its main focus on the violence that has occurred. In most of the judgments, the incidence of violence seems to be of secondary importance compared to the child's need for a close and good contact with both of his/her parents. In our study, we have also investigated how the district court relates to the child's will, taking into account the child's age and maturity. Only in one judgment did the district court write that the child’s opinion must be taken into account, due to the age and maturity of the child. In that case, the child was 14 years old. When it comes to the district court's reasoning on whether legal joint custody should be upheld or dissolved, we could observe the parents' ability to cooperate had a greater impact on the outcome than the fact one parent has been convicted of domestic violence within the family. The district court mostly rules in accordance with what social services had proposed regarding custody and residence. However, regarding the question of whether the child should have contact with the parent who has been violent in the past, the district court has ruled against the proposals of social services. In a third of the judgements, social services advised that no contact should take place between the child and the parent who had been violent. In all of these custody cases, the district court ruled to allow visitation between the child and the parent convicted of domestic violence. One of the study's conclusions is that, although children in the sense of the law both have a certain power and rights, are nevertheless almost powerless to influence their own life situation in custody disputes where the issue of custody, housing and visitation is decided. That power, to influence the child's life, seems to belong to the adults.