I am a PhD-student, have defended my thesis successfully, in June 2020, but not yet received my degree. My area of scientific interest concerns children and young persons in societal care: Foster care, residential care, state-run institutions and supported living.
Children and young persons in societal care is a group in the welfare society exposed to higher prevalence of early adverse events and poorer prospects in long term as young adults for substance abuse, unemployment, poor health and educational attainment. Much is related to pre-care conditions shared with other children exposed to poor upbringing, but not taken in care. Above that, these children face additional problems related to transitions to new families, social networks, schools, and the bereavement from previous social relations, higher levels of worries of relatives and an unstable social existential situation. Even during care.
There are interventions to support these children, but unfortunately poorly implemented to reach all that could benefit. The placement in a new family or a residential itself is not enough to compensate for the difficulties these children must cope with from before or during care. And, the interventions are not ideal, but needs to be constantly further developed.
For me it is important to find rational and efficient ways to support children we remove from their parents. "We" - as in the society - have overtaken the responsibility for their upbringing and must perform better than what would have been if the children were left in their parent´s care. Failing to do so makes the intervention not justified ethically.
I plan to start working at Barnafrid later 2020, but for now I am writing a popular version in Swedish of my thesis and work for Children´s Welfare Foundation.
Children and young persons in societal care is a group in the welfare society exposed to higher prevalence of early adverse events and poorer prospects in long term as young adults for substance abuse, unemployment, poor health and educational attainment. Much is related to pre-care conditions shared with other children exposed to poor upbringing, but not taken in care. Above that, these children face additional problems related to transitions to new families, social networks, schools, and the bereavement from previous social relations, higher levels of worries of relatives and an unstable social existential situation. Even during care.
There are interventions to support these children, but unfortunately poorly implemented to reach all that could benefit. The placement in a new family or a residential itself is not enough to compensate for the difficulties these children must cope with from before or during care. And, the interventions are not ideal, but needs to be constantly further developed.
For me it is important to find rational and efficient ways to support children we remove from their parents. "We" - as in the society - have overtaken the responsibility for their upbringing and must perform better than what would have been if the children were left in their parent´s care. Failing to do so makes the intervention not justified ethically.
I plan to start working at Barnafrid later 2020, but for now I am writing a popular version in Swedish of my thesis and work for Children´s Welfare Foundation.