The treatment alliance has been described in the field of research to play an important role in the recovery of patients in psychiatric care. However there has been relatively little research concerning the treatment alliance specifically with children. The aim of this study was therefore to examine the role of the treatment alliance and how professionals work with the treatment alliance with children. Data was collected using qualitative interviews with six professionals from different Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Intermediate Care units located in Stockholm. The interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. The themes that emerged were; The different dimensions of the treatment alliance, To create entrances and To take care of a treatment alliance. The theoretical tools that were used to interpret the results of this study were role theory and concepts from Child Alliance Process Theory. Our conclusions showed that professionals need to develop a treatment alliance not only with the child but also with their parents. Professionals also described the work with the treatment alliance as a two-part process that contains ways for professionals to develop and nurture the treatment alliance with children.

Studiens syfte är att undersöka hur professionella behandlare i en form av öppenvårdsinsats skapar och upprätthåller behandlingsallians med barn i sitt dagliga arbete. Syftet är även att undersöka behandlingsfrämjande faktorer samt relationens betydelse i behandlingsarbetet. Urvalet består av fem behandlare som arbetar med barn på en skola med behandling i Sverige. Material har insamlats med hjälp av semistrukturerade intervjuer och analyserats med stöd av tematisk analys. De teoretiska utgångspunkterna som användes för att tolka resultatet var anknytningsteori och systemteori. Resultatet visar att behandlare arbetar med ett individanpassat förhållningssätt för att kunna passa varje barn som kommer till verksamheten. I grund och botten skapas behandlingsallians av en god relation som därefter utvecklas till behandlingsallians. Därmed ses relationen som en nyckel för behandlingsallians. Upprätthållande av behandlingsallians visar även det vara olika beroende på mottagare. Det som framkommer vara gemensamma behandlingsfrämjande faktorer för både skapande och upprätthållande är involvering av barnets vårdnadshavare, bidrag i form av verksamhetens ekonomiska stöd samt det kollegiala sammanhanget. För att barn ska ha rätt till det stöd denne behöver för att kunna utvecklas är det därför av yttersta vikt att behandlare arbetar för att passa barnets behov och inte tvärtom. / The purpose of this study is to study how professional social workers create and sustain treatment alliances within the outpatient care programs for the children during their daily work.The purpose is also to study treatment support factors including the importance of relationships in treatment work. The selections of the study consists of five treatment workers working alongside children in a school with treatment in Sweden. Data has been gathered with semi-structured interviews and analysed with thematic analysis. The theoretical methods used to interpret the results were attachment theory and systems theory. The results show that treatment workers work with an individualized approach customized for each child. Treatment alliance are created from a good relationship which then develop into a treatment alliance. Therefore a good relationship between treatment worker and child is vital for a treatment alliance. Upholding of a treatment alliance also has to be different according to each receiver of the treatment. What is shown to be mutual treatment support factors is the amount of involvement from the children's caretakers, economic support from the organization and collegial context. In order for the children to have claim to the support needed for them to develop, it is of utter importance that treatment workers adjust their methods to each child's needs and not the other way around.