Arguing over decisions. When laymen decision-makers in Swedish child protection go against the proposals from professional social workers

Decision making in child protection concerns society’s most vulnerable children and their families and involves power dynamics where state representatives sometimes take decisions against the will of parents, for the benefit... [ view full abstract ]

Decision making in child protection concerns society’s most vulnerable children and their families and involves power dynamics where state representatives sometimes take decisions against the will of parents, for the benefit of children. In the Swedish child protection system a politically appointed board or committee are responsible for decisions about placements in out-of- home care for children. In cases of compulsory care final decision are later taken in an administrative court. The decisions are based on investigations and proposals from municipality social workers. The aim of this paper is to analyse cases where the layperson board go against the proposals from the social workers. The research questions consider a) how often this occurs; b) on what grounds such decision are taken; c) how the argumentation is perceived from the perspective of the laypersons.

This paper builds on a study of layperson boards in Sweden, including a national survey (99 municipalities) , a close observation study of 33 committee meetings in three municipalities, and interviews.

The results show that it happens very seldom that layperson go against the proposals. The idea of making other decisions than proposed by social workers can be categorized in different ways, from asking for more information (delaying the decision) to actually making a different decision when it comes to placing a child in care. Argumentation from laypersons normally involves the need for democratic control over professionals and the protection of the interest of community members. There is however great ambivalence among the laypersons about making these decisions and whether or not professionals can be trusted to handle these decisions themselves.