The right of children to express their views on matters concerning them is a core principle of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, as defined in Article 12. However, research shows that interventions provided by Swedish child and family welfare services are planned and based on parents' perspectives even though research suggests that child participation results in welfare service provision that is better matched to the children's needs. The aim of this study is to explore how child participation is constructed in interventions provided by Swedish child and family welfare services and to study which elements are of importance to this process. The article is based on a qualitative interview study with 14 family social workers and 11 children aged 7-16 with experience of family interventions provided by the child and family welfare services. The results suggest that child participation is a collaborative process in which both the child and the FSW have an active role to play. Participation is constructed through a series of seemingly small, everyday actions in the meeting between the child and the FSW. By actively asking questions and allowing the child to practice participation and influence the process, the FSW can, together with the child, work towards increased child participation in interventions.

This chapter summarizes the main themes of the research in the book, but also looks ahead and discusses possible developments in men’s parenting and fatherhood research in Europe. The chapter highlights how fathering is often discussed and judged in terms of how progressive it is, or how lacking in progress it has been, and this creates analytical limitations on how we understand the experiences and practices of contemporary fathers. The chapter argues that a focus on everyday family life provides a richer understanding of caring masculinities, men’s experiences of fathering and the ongoing cultural reconfigurations of fatherhood. Based on the empirical findings reported in the book, the chapter discusses how the movement towards a stronger link between care, togetherness and men’s parenting practices continues to evolve and that this process must be understood in the context of broader political and social changes in the European welfare states.

Vad betyder det att kunskap är i rörelse? I inledningen till antologin utforskar vi hur kunskap formas, förmedlas och förvandlas i och kring socialtjänsten. Genom röster från praktiker, beslutsfattare, akademiker och brukare tecknas en mångfacetterad bild av vad vetenskap och beprövad erfarenhet innebär i vardagens sociala arbete. Boken bygger på ett material från fokusgrupper och bjuder in till fortsatt dialog om hur kunskap kan utvecklas och användas i en socialtjänst som står inför förändring.

Childhood experiences of sexual abuse can profoundly impact parenting. This chapter focuses on men with such experiences and explores the unique and profound challenges they face in their journey through fatherhood in Sweden. The research, based on interviews with ten men, reveals how fatherhood triggers their traumatic memories and leads to difficulties in managing emotions, discomfort with physical affection and tendencies to be overly protective of their children. The chapter discusses the complexities of disclosing abuse to their children and partners, as well as the fear of judgement or misunderstanding. The results demonstrate that Swedish policies promoting involved and nurturing fatherhood create expectations that can be particularly demanding for men with histories of abuse. However, these policies also encouraged the fathers to develop closer connections with their children by negotiating everyday practices of care, which in turn initiated a healing process. The fathers showed deep motivation to end cycles of abuse and ensure that their children had a safer, healthier upbringing than they experienced.

This article explores children's actions of participation, and how these can be understood, using the concept of agency. The study is based on social constructionist theory and includes interviews with 11 children aged 7-16 who received open care interventions. It finds that children's actions, as described by the children, are formed in relation to situational constraints ranging from actions that are accepted and sometimes encouraged, to actions that challenge the boundaries of what is permitted by their position as children. The article contributes to a broader understanding of children's actions of participation in a social work context.

This chapter sets the stage for the examining what has happened to ideals and practises of involved fatherhood in Europe. It focuses on contemporary scholarship alongside a focus on structural factors which shape fathering experiences and fatherhood. These factors include the workplace, models of welfare, and cultural and political ideals and shifts. Linguistic and theoretical shifts are also introduced as keys aspects of researching and theorizing men’s contemporary experiences of being a father. The chapters in the edited collection have been produced by researchers who have worked together for a number of years and the origins of their collaboration are described.

Vad betyder det att socialtjänsten ska bygga på vetenskap och beprövad erfarenhet? Den frågan står i centrum för denna antologi, som belyser aktuella perspektiv på kunskapens roll i det sociala arbetet.

Utifrån analyser av fokusgrupper med socialarbetare, brukare, chefer, politiker, forskare, lärosäten och nationella myndigheter tecknas en nyanserad bild av hur kunskap rör sig, förstås, värderas och används i socialtjänsten. I de nio kapitlen presenterar författarna vetenskapliga resultat, återger erfarenheter och lokala praktiker från socialtjänst och ger näring till reflektion om socialtjänstens arbete i dag. Resultatet visar både samsyn och stora skillnader mellan olika nivåer och aktörer – från klientnära arbete till statlig kunskapsstyrning.

Boken vänder sig till studenter inom socialt arbete, forskare, yrkesverksamma socialarbetare, beslutsfattare och alla som är intresserade av hur kunskap kan bidra till en mer hållbar och rättssäker socialtjänst.

Antologin är skriven inom ramen för Forskarskolan för yrkesverksamma i socialtjänsten, läs mer på forskarskolanfys.se.

Drawing on extensive empirical research, this book examines paternal involvement in caregiving practices and asks what is currently happening to ‘involved’ fatherhood?

The book investigates fatherhood in various everyday settings, such as outdoor spaces, workplaces and the home, while considering the influence of policy frameworks across different European countries. By analysing fathers’ experiences and the impact of policy on familial roles, it provides fresh insights into the concept of ‘involvement’ and progression towards practices of more equitable fatherhood.

Encouraging new thinking on paternal engagement, this is a critical look at how fatherhood is navigated, negotiated and understood within diverse cultural and policy contexts in everyday life.

Hur utvecklas kunskap i ett landskap där många aktörer rör sig med olika perspektiv och behov? I det här kapitlet utforskas hur kunskap formas, förändras och får ny innebörd när den cirkulerar mellan socialtjänst, universitet och myndigheter. Med fokus på rörelser snarare än överföring synliggörs hur kunskap får liv i möten mellan olika aktörer och perspektiv. Kapitlet lyfter fram både förutsättningar och utmaningar för gemensam kunskapsutveckling i en komplex verklighet där ingen kunskapsform står ensam. 

Men’s domestic violence and/or abuse (DVA) is a widespread social issue. Often, the men are fathers, and the victims are mothers and children. In Sweden, social workers are expected to involve these fathers in child protection investigations and work towards changing their behaviour. Engaging fathers has proven to be a challenging task, however. This article highlights fathers’ experiences of interactions with social workers in the context of child protection investigations initiated as a result of their DVA against the mothers of their children. What challenges does this pose for the fathers and how does it affect their engagement in the investigations? The analysis is based on qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with seven fathers. Guided by a gender theoretical framework linked to shame and social bonds, the fathers’ experiences are organized in relation to three themes: Threatened fatherhood highlights how DVA contributes to fathers violating moral ideals of good fatherhood, which is linked to shame and a threat to their social bonds. Prejudged fathers illuminates how fathers experience subordination in child protection investigations in relation to social workers, who are often female, and their partners’ narratives of DVA, which challenge expected power structures and hegemonic masculinity ideals. Reclaiming a questioned fatherhood shows that when fathers adopt a subordinate position, they can manage both shame and threats to their social bonds and are able to engage in the investigations. Fathers’ engagement is facilitated when they are met by social workers who demonstrate caring and non-judgemental attitudes.