The aim of this dissertation is to investigate the incidence of instability in out-of-home care for children and how children experience this instability. The dissertation consists of two studies. The quantitative study is based on an examination of social work case files of 213 children who began 317 placements in 2005 and 2006. Every placement was followed for a maximum of two years. The qualitative study used interpretive phenomenology as method and is based on interviews with 12 purposively selected children who had experienced placement breakdown at some point during 2011 or 2012. The quantitative study shows that the majority of children had experienced problems in their home environments prior to placement. The quantitative study indicates that different types of instability are associated with children’s ages. All children in the qualitative study described a wish for close relationships with consistent adults and an opportunity to feel that they belong somewhere.
90 s., utgitt av Institutionen för socialt arbete i 2013.