Children have every right in the world : a qualitative study on how social service staff working with children experience implementation and incorporation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child

The Convention on the Rights of the Child was ratified in Sweden in 1990, it has been transformed into Swedish legislation and implemented in the work of the social services. This study’s aim was to identify and describe how social services staff are working with children experience their work based on the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Through a qualitative method, the purpose is answered based on three questions from seven social workers’ experiences. The issues take into account the child’s best interests, the child's participation and the possible differences the social worker’s experience after the Convention has been incorporated into Swedish legislation on 1 January 2020. Through a thematic analysis, results and analysis are presented based on collected empirics, previous research and theories from the child's perspective, space of action and implementation space. The study's results show that social workers have worked based on the articles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and that their work is based on children's participation to assess the child’s best interests. The social workers experience no drastic difference in their way of working after the incorporation of the Children's Convention. Instead the change is expected to take place in court decisions and at other social service units