This thesis has examined unmarried fathers in two parishes of Umeå in northern Sweden during the period 1897-1937. The main focus is on the consequences that ensued the legislation that formalized men’s obligations towards children born out of wedlock, which was passed on June 14th, 1917. The period chosen for this thesis analysis is twenty years before and after 1917. This enables a comparison between the society of the late 19th century and a society smitten by a modernised social reform in the early 20th century. To investigate the subject matter, records of birth and baptismal have been studied with a primary focus on patterns concerning fathers of illegitimate children. Both parishes presented a considerably small number of unmarried fathers compared to married men, throughout the entire period. The town of Umeå had the largest overall share in comparison with the countryside. It was pre-supposed, based on previous research, that the social class to which most unmarried fathers belonged, were in the lower ranks of society. This turned out to be an accurate assumption based on statistics from both parishes presented in this thesis. The statistics did not present any men from the upper class as fathers of children born out of wed-lock. Monetary as well as societal pressure were identified as possible explanations why some men avoided fathering illegitimate children. All in all, the legislation was interpreted as some-what successful in Umeå; achieving an apparent reduction in total shares of unknown fathers, a rising number of pledged paternities and presenting a few examples of men sentenced to fa-therhood in court. The legislation also provided unmarried women with a voice in legal matters concerning their illegitimate children.

The aim of this study was to receive a rapt understanding of how child-welfare officer’s reasons about the meaning of attachment theory, from the child´s best, in placements of a child. The aim was also to examine the possibilities child-welfare officer´s feel they have to work with the child´s best and attachment in focus. The study has a qualitative approach and the empirical material is collected thru semi-structured interviews. The theoretical framework used is attachment theory, the child´s best and street-level bureaucracy. The result of the study shows that child-welfare officers have equivalent knowledge, experiences and thoughts about the meaning of attachment theory for a favorable development in foster children. The study concludes is that more knowledge about attachment theory is necessary and child-welfare officers demands methods to better assess attachment patterns in children. The child-welfare officers express frustration when they talk about matters in the "grey area" and situations where different perspectives clashes and the child´s best end up in the background. / Studiens syfte var att erhålla en fördjupad förståelse för hur socialsekreterare i den sociala barnavården resonerar om anknytningens betydelse, utifrån barnets bästa, vid familjehemsplacering av ett barn. Syftet var också att ta reda på vilka möjligheter socialsekreterare upplever sig ha att arbeta med barnets bästa och anknytning i fokus. Studien har en kvalitativ ansats och materialet är insamlat genom semistrukturerade intervjuer. Den teoretiska tolkningsram som används är anknytningsteori, barnets bästa samt gräsrotsbyråkrati. Studiens resultat visar att socialsekreterare har likvärdiga kunskaper, erfarenheter och tankar om anknytningens betydelse för en gynnsam utveckling hos familjehemsplacerade barn. Studiens slutsats är att mer kunskap om anknytningsteori är nödvändig och socialsekreterare efterfrågar metoder för att bättre kunna bedöma anknytningsmönster hos barn. Socialsekreterarna ger uttryck för frustration när de berättar om så kallade gråzonsärenden och situationer där olika perspektiv är i konflikt och barnets bästa hamnar i skymundan.

Ungefär 20 000 barn är familjehemsplacerade i Sverige. Att bli placerad i ett familjehem och ryckas upp samt separeras från sin hemmiljö kan påverka ett barns anknytningsmönster. Teorin om anknytning påvisar vikten av att barn skapar sig trygga anknytningsmönster vilket leder till ökade möjligheter för fortsatt god utveckling. Den här studien har haft som syfte att få en fördjupad förståelse för hur socialsekreterare beskriver anknytning i förhållande till familjehemsplacerade barn mellan 0-3 år. Med stöd av en fenomenologisk studie har semistrukturerade intervjuer genomförts för att få en djupare förståelse av socialsekreterares syn på anknytning och hur kunskapen om den tillämpas vid familjehemsplaceringar. Studien har påvisat att olika definitioner används, olika förhållningssätt tillämpas och att anknytning som begrepp inte tydligt praktiseras vid familjehemsplaceringar. Slutsatsen med studien är att anknytningen är viktig, speciellt i förhållande till familjehemsplaceringar. Det krävs fortfarande mer forskning och kunskap inom anknytningsteorin i förhållande till familjehemsplaceringar då kunskaperna om teorin kan vara bristande. / Approximately 20 000 children are placed in foster homes in Sweden. Being placed in a foster home and separated from their biological family and environment can affect a child's attachment pattern. The attachment theory demonstrates the importance of secure attachment patterns in children leading to increased opportunities for a healthy development. The purpose of this study is to achieve a deeper understanding of how the social secretary views attachment in relation to children between 0-3 years old placed in foster homes. In order to achieve a deeper understanding of how the social secretary views attachment, and how this knowledge is being applied when placing a child in foster care, I have made a phenomenological study using semi-structured interview. The study has shown that the social secretary's view of attachment varies and the term attachment is not being routinely practiced when placing a child in a foster home. The conclusion of the study is that the attachment theory is important especially when placing a child in foster home.