PARTICIPATION AND SOCIAL INCLUSION OF ASYLUM SEEKING CHILDREN IN SWEDEN. PROFESSIONALS’ VIEWS

Abstract

This thesis investigates how professionals working in child-focused organizations in Sweden interpret and implement child participation and the social inclusion of asylum seeking children. Using a Child Rights-Based Approach (CRBA), the study employs qualitative methods to critically examine how rights articulated in policy are translated into everyday professional practice. Using a multiple-methods design, the research combines semi-structured interviews with four professionals and a comparative document analysis of key national, international, and civil society documents, including the UNCRC, UNICEF and Save the Children reports. The study is guided by Hart’s Ladder of Participation, Shier’s Pathways to Participation, and Critical Theory. These theoretical frameworks together gave an in depth explanation of the interplay between rights, institutional power, and professional practice. The findings show a strong commitment for child participation in both policy documents and professional practice. However, there is a gap that exists between policy objectives and practice, particularly in the participation of refugee and asylum-seeking children. The interview data revealed five main themes: recognition of children as experts in their own lives, systemic participation gaps, the "limbo" caused by legal uncertainty, moral dilemmas in professional practice, and policy silence. These themes emphasize how structural, legal, and organizational obstacles sometimes hinder asylum seeking children's meaningful participation in decisions that affect them. The study adds to important discussions in social work and children's rights by highlighting the need for more adaptable and inclusive frameworks that can make refugee children's participation truly meaningful and protected in day-to-day practice rather than just being symbolically acknowledged in policy.