Through the centuries the parental authority has dwindled from the absolute power of the father to the rights of autonomy of the child. At present in the South African law the parental authority is still largely determined by the common law and can be described as the sum total of rights and obligations which parents enjoy in relation to their children. Guardianship and custody are the separate incidents of parental authority. The Child Care Act 74 of 1983, The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa 108 of 1996, The Guardianship Act 192 of 1993, The Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act 92 of 1996, the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989 by South Africa on 16 June 1995 and case law have contributed to increasing limitations on the exercise of parental authority. A balance needs to be found between the parental authority and the rights of the child to ensure that neither is absolute. Parents need to respect the evolving capacities of the child and children need to respect the guidance of the parents. / Jurisprudence / LL.M

Resumé This thesis, dealing with rights of a child and duties of a parent, is based on the fact that it is primarily the parents who have to fulfill their duties towards children while a child has primarily the right that a parent fulfills duties towards him. This condition is justified by the fact that children are in relation to adults, in this thesis towards parents, traditionally considered as a weaker "element". Because of that, the attention is firstly paid to the rights of a child in a wider context. In the very beginning we take into consideration a historical context of the child's rights development that shows the contrast between a premodern period when a child was considered as almost powerless and without rights and a "progressive " 20th century when a lot of international documents concentrate solely on rights of a child. As a follow-up to the child's rights development, the attention is aimed on explanation of the terms "best interests of the child" and "child's welfare". The thesis also deals with participatory rights in relation to the law court and in relation towards parents. Because the role of a family is very important in a development and education of a child, the thesis also focuses on juridical protection of the family and explains the term "family" in the European system of the...

Considéré depuis des siècles comme un sujet dénué de réflexion et d’autonomie, l’enfant comorien reste soumis à une protection spécifique communautaire. Celle-ci est complétée par une protection étatique inspirée des instruments juridiques relatifs aux droits fondamentaux de l’enfant qui la renforcent d’une manière constante. L’enfant comorien grandit dans une société multiculturelle, marquée par la pauvreté. La protection dont il bénéficie s’appuie à la fois sur les traditions éducatives propres aux Comores, et sur la modernité, représentée par les apports juridiques liés à la colonisation et à la ratification de textes internationaux. Notre thèse se propose d’analyser les droits de l’enfant comorien dans un contexte complexe, caractérisé par la pluralité des sources juridiques. De ce fait, nous avons choisi deux angles d’approche : d’une part, nous avons essayé d’analyser les droits de l’enfant en fonction de l’organisation de la société comorienne et des balises de la protection de l’enfant sur le plan de la juristique, de l’histoire du droit, de l’anthropologie, de la sociologie et de l’ethnologie. Ceci nous a également permis de réfléchir à la protection de l’enfant tout en tenant compte des deux systèmes (formel et informel). D’autre part, nous avons tenté d’analyser l’application de la CIDE dans une société multiculturelle dominée par l’oralité. Ont également été analysés les textes internes et internationaux, les acteurs de la protection de l’enfance et leurs failles. Cette étude prétend amener l’Etat et la société civile à réfléchir à un modèle optimal de protection qui mettrait en conformité le droit positif avec les conventions dûment ratifiées, tout en tenant compte des réalités du pays . Une telle hypothèse nous a conduite à proposer un réaménagement du droit positif en matière de droit de l’enfant afin de parvenir à une réforme tant législative que judiciaire et en conformité avec le droit international. / Regarded for centuries as a subject devoid of any reflection, Comorian children are protected by a specific type of community protection. This is complemented by protection from the state which, inspired by the legal instruments relating to fundamental rights of the child, reinforces this community protection in a consistent manner. Comorian children grow up in a multicultural society, marked by poverty. The protection offered to these children is based on both the Comoros’ own educational traditions, and on modernity, represented by legal contributions related to settlement and ratification of international agreements. Our thesis analyzes the rights of Comorian children in a complex environment, characterized by a plurality of legal sources. Therefore, we chose two angles of approach. Firstly, we analyzed children’s rights based on the organization of the Comorian society and the markers of child protection in terms of legal sociology, history, law, anthropology, sociology, and ethnology. This also allowed us to reflect on the protection of children taking into account both formal and informal systems. Secondly, we analyzed the implementation of the CRC in a multicultural society dominated by the spoken word. We also analyzed domestic and international texts; actor’s involved in child protection, and their flaws. This study aims to have the state and civil society reflect on an optimal model for protecting children that would comply with ratified conventions, all while taking into account the realities of the country. This hypothesis led us to propose a reform of the law regarding children’s rights to achieve both legislative and judicial reform, all in accordance with international law.

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

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 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

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.

Syftet med denna uppsats har varit att undersöka vilka faktorer som styr socialsekreterares arbete med barns rätt och delaktighet samt vilken betydelse barnkonventionen har i socialsekreterarens arbete och om det har skett någon förändring sedan barnkonventionen inkorporerades som lag.  Studien baserades på fem kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer. Tre av intervjuerna genomfördes med personer som arbetar som socialsekreterare och två intervjuer med personer som i dagsläget arbetar som biträdande enhetschefer på en familjeenhet. Resultatet av studien har bearbetats utifrån en tematisk analys, för att sedan analyseras utifrån de teoretiska perspektiven systemteori, ekologisk systemteori och gräsrotsbyråkrati samt de teoretiska begreppen barnperspektiv och barns perspektiv. Det som framkommit av studien gällande våra frågeställningar om faktorer som möjliggör och hindrar socialsekreteraren i arbetet för barnets rätt och barnets bästa, har summerats i två huvudteman med tillhörande subteman. Resultatet av studien har visat att barnkonventionen länge varit en självklar del i socialsekreterarens arbetssätt, både praktiskt och teoretiskt. Därför har lagförandet av barnkonventionen inte gjort någon större skillnad hos socialsekreterarna på familjeenheten. Däremot visar studien att de större förändringarna som skett efter att barnkonventionen blivit lag snarare handlar om andra aktörers arbete, vilket i sin tur har medfört en betydande skillnad i socialsekreterarnas arbete för barnets rättigheter och bästa. Studiens övergripande slutsatser kan sammanfattas i följande punkter; Samhällssystemen styr socialsekreterarens förutsättningar att utföra sitt arbete, Barnkonventionen har gett verktyg för andra aktörer att inta ett barnrättsperspektiv, De organisatoriska förutsättningarna på varje enhet spel en stor roll samt Politikens prioriteringar påverkar socialsekreterarens förutsättningar i stor utsträckning. Avslutningsvis visar resultatet av vår studie att det är många andra faktorer än bara lagar som påverkar förutsättningarna för att socialsekreteraren ska kunna utföra sitt arbete på ett adekvat sätt och att det i nuläget finns fler hinder än möjligheter för en socialsekreterare att arbeta för barnets rättigheter och bästa. / The purpose of this thesis has been to investigate the factors that are influencing govern social workers' work with children's rights and participation and the importance of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in the work of social workers and whether any changes has occurred since the Convention on the Rights of the Child was incorporated into law. The study was based on five qualitative semi-structured interviews, three of which were conducted with social workers and two with current assistant unit managers in a family unit. The empirical data was analysed using thematic analysis, and the analysis was guided by the theoretical perspectives of systems theory and street level bureaucracy, as well as the theoretical concepts of child perspective and children's perspective. The study has shown that the Convention on the Rights of the Child has always played a natural part in the social workers' working methods, both practically and theoretically. However, the study also reveals that the major changes that have occurred since the Convention on the Rights of the Child became law are more related to the work of other actors rather than the social workers encountered in this study.  The overall conclusions of the study can be summarized in the following points; Social systems determine the social worker's ability to perform their work, Political priorities affect the social worker's conditions to a great extent, The Convention on the Rights of the Child has provided tools for other actors to adopt a child rights perspective, The organizational conditions in each unit play a major role. In conclusion, the results of our study show that there are many factors other than just laws that affect the conditions for the social worker to be able to perform their work adequately, therefore there are currently more obstacles than opportunities for a social worker to work for the rights and best interests of the child.