children’s advocacy centres (cacs) in sweden experiences of parents and children bodil rasmusson...

Children’s Advocacy Centres (CACs) in Sweden

Experiences of parents and children

Bodil RasmussonSchool of Social Work

Lund UniversitySweden

e-mail: [email protected]

ISCI Conference, Sidney 2009

Lund university /Faculty of Social Science/School of Social Work/ November 2009

Background - CACs

In United States since 1985 At Iceland since 1998 In Norway since 2007 ”Barnahus” in Sweden:

– first initiatives 1998 and 2004 - piloting initiated by the Government at 6 sites

2006-2007- the number is growing


Objectives and basic Ideas

Child friendly environments

Interdisciplinary collaboration

All professions under one roof

Reduced amount of interviews with children

Higher quality of investigations

Increased numbers of decisions to prosecute

Increased numbers of legal proceedings


”Barnahus” in Linköping


Waiting room Stockholm


Consultation room Stockholm


Room for forensic interviews Linköping


Medical examination room Linköping


Evaluation of the piloting 2006-2007

Aim

Give voice to children and parents who have been in contact with or been directly affected by CACs

(one of the six studies)


Research questions

Children’s and parent’s experiences from meetings with the authorities?

Have the objectives of CACs been fulfilled from the perspectives of children and parents?

Who take charge of children’s rights – where and when?


Methods and sample

Qualitative interviews with

• 12 children, 8-15 years

• 22 parents (both perpetrators and injured parties)

representing all the six sites


Theoretical frame of reference

Child perspective - Society’s child perspective- Adult’s child perspective- Children’s own perspective

Children’s rights- Tensions in the law (children vs parents)- Children as informants, coactors and

actors- The child as an individual and as a

member of a family


Themes for the interviews

Place and environment Reception from the staff at CAC Previous contacts with professional helpers Information Experiences of the assessment processes

and the possibilities for support, treatment and help

Good advices


Results – environment and staff

The physical environment and reception apprehended very positive

Environment too ”childish” according to teenagers

Negative reactions from children to the video cameras


Results – information and understanding of the procedures

Difficult for younger children to understand the forensic interviews

Difficulties for parents to understand the procedures and roles of different professionals

Access to information not always satisfactory


Results –support and treatment

Treatment, support and crisis intervention for the whole family not always satisfactory

Access to support and treatment dependent on resources and organisation at each CAC

Suspected perpetrators could feel excluded


Results –support and treatment

Sometimes reasons to talk about ”agencies” assault on children and families

Number of contacts with professionals could not always be reduced

Children could be informants, actors and coactors but are mostly objects for protection


Voice from a parent

There will be too many authorities. I didn’t understand how serious it was from the beginning and the consequences. There will be four different investigations – by the police, social services, child psychiatry and one about the custody…


Voice from a parent

About meetings with the police at CAC:

It is very fine that it is not at the police station. Police is something frightening to children, I am convinced. It is so dramatic./…/ Good treatment when you enter the door and that is important. And then that they don’t use uniforms…


Voice from a girl, 16 years old

About her contact with the social services:

They had no plan for what to do, they just went on. I felt that they were always in a hurry. They had a lot to do. When you talk with them they seemed so stressed. Especially one of them, the other one is a little bit better, seems a little bit more calm. But it feels a bit sad. My boyfriend called her but she scolded him and told him that he shouldn’t bother …


Voice from a girl, 15 years old

About the support from the social worker at CAC:

I hurt myself before and she told me – ”when you get

that feeling, just postpone it and tell yourself that you

can do something else first, take a shower, do your

homework and meet friends”. This has been in my

thoughts since then. It has helped me a lot.


Challenges for CACs

Balancing of different perspectives – child, parents’ and family – separately and together

Inventions in the short and long term Developing organisations according to the

best interest of the child And…..


Thank you!

children’s advocacy centres (cacs) in sweden experiences of parents and children bodil rasmusson...

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