Att Bedöma Barnets Bästa Vid Psykisk Ohälsa : Socialsekreterares bedömningar i praktiken

Sammanfattning

The aim of this study is to explore how social workers reason about the principle of the best interests of the child in cases involving children with mental health issues. The study is based on a qualitative approach and consists of semi-structured interviews with social workers working within social services. The collected material has been analysed using thematic analysis.The results show that assessments of the best interests of the child are often experienced as complex and characterised by uncertainty, particularly in cases where the child’s mental health makes their needs difficult to interpret. Social workers describe that assessments are largely based on holistic evaluations, where several factors are considered, such as the child’s well-being, family situation and access to support. The study also shows that the child’s voice is considered important, but that children’s participation in practice may be limited due to the child’s mental health, age and organisational conditions.Furthermore, organisational factors such as time pressure, limited resources and demands for collaboration are shown to influence social workers’ discretion. The results are analysed using the theory of street-level bureaucracy, highlighting how professional assessments are shaped in the interaction between individual needs and organisational constraints. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of how the principle of the best interests of the child is applied in practice in complex cases involving children with mental health issues.