Välkommen till Sverige - Kvalitativa intervjuer med personer som kommit till Sverige som ensamkommande asylsökande barn

Sammanfattning: The aim of this study was to examine how unaccompanied asylum seeking children perceived their time within the social service system in Sweden, and in what way this time period in their life has affected them today. In researching this, its specific aim was to explore if there was any specific way of meeting these children which had a positive effect on their future in their new country. The study consisted of interviews with eight adults, who arrived in Sweden as unaccompanied asylum seeking children and were placed within the social service system. From these interviews, the subject of power quickly became apparent, which is why our analysis was based on different types of power. The power of self in relation to others empowerment, and the power that is exercised around and upon us. To bind these different aspects of power together we used the concepts resilience and salutogenesis as metaphorical bridges. We found that the complexity of the group itself posed a multi-facetted problem when trying to draw conclusions due to personal differences of the children, cultural differences due to their origins and the differing circumstances under which they arrived in Sweden. These differences were factors that influenced the type of reception they thought was most beneficial.