”I Think that the Best Interests of the Child is a Term We Often Use, But May Not Define as Much" : A qualitative study of social worker´s experiences and dilemmas in the LVU process and consideration of the child´s best interests

Compulsory care of a child is one of the most intrusive interventions that can be made in a child's life, but a protective task that social services have been obliged to carry out. In the case of compulsory care of a child, the social secretary is faced with a number of different difficulties and dilemmas that can be linked to coercion in LVU legislation and consideration of the child's best interests. The aim of this qualitative study is to investigate social workers, in social services' child and family investigation, experience of how the child's best interests are taken into account in LVU processes och what thoughts and ethical dilemmas arise for social workers in connection to the LVU process in the meetings with children and parents, and also how can this be understood in relation to their professional role. By using an interview based qualitative method, this study strives to reach a deeper understanding of social workers' experience of the subject matter. The results of this study shows that the experience of the child's best interests is a concept that social workers must constantly define and describe as situational, based on the child's situation. A common description of the child's best interests is that it is a concept that needs a definition and frame of reference, as the lack of a definition makes it more difficult for social workers to consider what is in the child's best interests. This study reaches the conclusion that social workers experience the LVU process to be harmful to the relationship between both children and parents, and parents and social services. Based on this, the social workers felt that it was a huge ethical dilemma to use LVU, as the implementation of the LVU law was both emotionally stressful and comes with its limitations. This despite knowing that LVU should function as a protection for the child and its best interests