Renegotiating the Swedish child welfare system through claims to represent children

This study addresses rights-based claims to represent children. Applying Saward’s theory of the representative claim, it analyses a Swedish Government Report to explore how actors are constructed and positioned through such claims. The analysis suggests that Swedish children’s rights organisations (NGOs) position themselves as representatives of children. These claims centrally depict children as having been let down by public authorities, particularly child welfare services. The article argues that the claims studied reflect an individualised approach to children’s rights in Sweden. Furthermore, the article offers methodological reflections on how children’s voices are used in constructing claims to represent them.