Securing the child´s best interest for unaccompanied minors living in group homes

Abstract: This study focuses on the part of the policy process called implementation. Theorists like Lipsky (1980) and Rice (2012) assign the street-level bureaucrats a major role in this process. The street-level bureaucrats of object in this study are personnel on group homes for unaccompanied minors. Since the children do not have anyone else to look after them, it is the welfare states responsibility to secure them their best interest. The group home personnel are the last link of this process, and it is through them the children experience the practical policy delivery. A important part of translating a policy into practice is the implementers understanding of the policy. By interviewing group home personnel it has been possible to shed light on the meaning they assign to the policy, hence the values they base their implementation of it on. The results from the empirical material show that the child´s best interest in practice is based on values characterized with warmth, good intentions and respect. It is evident, from the results, to see that the group home personnel have an important role in the implementation of the child´s best interest principle.