Child protection under Swedish law—legal duality and uncertainty : [Barnskydd i Sverige—rättsliga dilemman]

• Society’s responsibility to protect children from harm as prescribed by the UN Child Convention raises complex questions about the fundamental rights of both children and parents, as well as when and how authorities are to intervene in order to protect children from maltreatment. Many child protection systems around the world attract considerable criticism, due in part to how the law responds to child protection matters. This article examines the Swedish child protection system from a critical legal perspective with the ideas conveyed within Therapeutic Jurisprudence as a theoretical starting point. The aim is to describe and analyze the legal challenges and dilemmas that meet this system. A legal ambiguity about when and how responsible authorities are to intervene, leading to significant uncertainty for both children and parents, is identified. Furthermore, the strong focus by Swedish authorities on voluntary measures to resolve child protection matters can lead to vulnerable children not receiving the protection to which they are entitled. Certain of the challenges and dilemmas described here are specific to the Swedish system due to its legal context and family support approach. However, other aspects resonate across legal systems and therefore may be of a more general interest.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Juridik -- Juridik och samhälle (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Law -- Law and Society (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Child Protection

Legal approaches

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Child and Family Welfare

Therapeutic Jurisprudence

Barnskydd

Rättsliga frågeställningar

FN:s barnkonvention

Barn- och familjevälfärd

terapeutisk juridik

Legal Science

rättsvetenskap

Publikations- och innehållstyp

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