Barnets bästa i komplexa vårdnadstvister : En kvalitativ intervjustudie ur familjerättssekreterares perspektiv

Sammanfattning: The aim of this study was to investigate how family law caseworkers in Sweden handle the mediation process in child custody disputes. Three themes were emphasized: the child’s best interest, strategies to maintain the child’s best interest and family conflicts and high-conflict families. To get an understanding of how these themes relate to child custody disputes, I conducted semi-structured interviews with family law caseworkers, since working with custody cases is part of their daily work. I chose a qualitative method because I was striving for diverse and comprehensive responses about family caseworkers’ practical experience in dealing with custody disputes. When asked about the definition of the child’s best interest, all respondents agreed that it is an open concept, implying that the definition depends on the specific circumstances surrounding the case. Generally, the respondents were of the opinion that the child’s best interest is synonymous with joint custody. The respondents stated that they employ different strategies to ensure that the child’s best interest is maintained, which is a result of their relatively high discretion. They stressed that while their primary focus is on dialogue with the parents, they use child testimonies as an additional guidance when determining what constitutes the child’s best in the case at hand. However, they also pointed out that a child’s wishes do not always coincide with the child’s best interest. When it comes to high-conflict families, the respondents concluded that the term has not been established in practice, although the problems associated with such families were recognized. After I presented the formal definition outlined in American research, the respondents agreed that the definition is useful in practice.