EN BARNDOM GÅR INTE I REPRIS: EN KVALITATIV STUDIE OM UNGAS UPPLEVELSE AV ATT HA VARIT OMHÄNDERTAGEN OCH TVÅNGSPLACERAD PÅ STATENS INSTITUTIONSSTYRELSE SÄRSKILDA UNGDOMSHEM

Abstract

Violence, sexual abuse and suicide occur in the state-run youth homes operated by the Swedish National Board of Institutional Care (SiS). The purpose of this study is to create a picture and explore young people's experience of being taken into care and placed in SiS homes. Furthermore, the aim has been to investigate whether they believe that this is the right kind of responsibility the society has imposed on them, or whether there would have been other types of treatment from society that would have benefited them better in life. This study is based on children's rights and focuses on examining the particular vulnerability of children when they are taken into care and placed in SiS homes. In order to gain a deeper understanding of the subject, the study has used a qualitative research method with two semi-structured interviews. The empirical material has been analyzed based on a thematic analysis with an abductive approach. In the results and analysis part, three different main themes have been highlighted to gain a broader understanding of the young people's experience. These are "the time before being taken into care", "the time during being taken into care and being placed in a SiS home", and "the time after being taken into care and being placed in a SiS home". In each part of the main theme, various sub-themes are discussed to highlight the young people's experience of vulnerability. In the analysis, the concept of social exclusion and the theories of disciplinary power and structural social injustice have also been used as an analytical tool that helps the study to examine the material more thoroughly. The results show that society has failed to protect children and young people who are already in a vulnerable position. Through the young people's experience and based on their subjective words, one can understand that it was a misjudged responsibility that society imposed on them.