It is unethical for researchers to engage with respondents without a shared language that enables mutual understanding. Nevertheless, some researchers oppose the use of interpreters in interviews where no common language exists, arguing that interpreters complicate the process. This objection is often based on a perceived lack of trust in the interpreter, either from the researcher or the respondent. While such mistrust may indeed occur, this text does not assess its validity. Rather, it argues that the notion of the interpreter as an obstacle to trust has become a travelling idea—a widely circulated and normalised assumption within the research community and beyond.

This idea operates as a dismissive practice, reinforcing a monolingual mindset and racialised assumptions. By examining how this perception has gained traction, the text calls for a critical interrogation of how the concept of trust is employed to marginalise the role of interpreters.

The discussion draws on a research project involving 16 in-depth interviews with families in Sweden who were either undocumented or awaiting residence permits. Through vignettes from these interpreted conversations, the text illustrates how interpreters were both agents and outcomes of the interaction, and how trust and security were simultaneously enabled and constrained.

Presentationen bygger på några preliminära forskningsresultat från en pågående (2022-2024) forskningsstudie som är finansierat av Forte. På familjecentraler bedrivs förebyggande socialt arbete riktat mot föräldrar med små barn. En typ av riktat socialt arbete som blivit vanligare och där familjecentralerna efterfrågar mer kunskap, handlar om familjer som har särskilda problem som kan kopplas till migration. Som en följd av migrationen och senare års förändrade asylregler lever många familjer i så kallad temporalitet, en ny typ av levnadsvillkor till följd av väntan på viktiga beslut som rör familjens liv och livsvillkor, som väntan på var man ska bosätta sig, - på den andre föräldern eller- på hur länge man får stanna i Sverige. Studien syftar till att identifiera och analysera hur det förebyggande föräldraskapsstödjande arbetet utformas och anpassas till behoven hos föräldrarna och hur föräldrarna använder sig av och värderar de insatser som erbjuds. Vi kommer att presentera en delstudie från projektet som bygger på mixad metod, där vi har analyserat omfattningen av utmaningar som familjerna tycks ha, samt vilken typ av (osynligt) arbete som utformas för att försöka möta familjernas behov.

Most youths use Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for socialising, but there is a discussion about whether using ICT promotes social participation for youths with intellectual disabilities (IDs). Employing the concepts of social participation and self-determination together with the youths’ perspectives, as conveyed by staff, we examine how social participation might be promoted for youths with ID in institutional settings in Sweden. The findings revealed three overarching themes. The first theme, Developing skills, self-determination and becoming less reliant, illustrates the basic use of ICT. The second theme, Sharing events, socialising and participating with others, draws attention to how youths take technology a step further to interact with others. The third theme, Resources and attitudes, concerns the youths’ need and desires for adequate support and equipment and the mindset of surrounding communities concerning ICT. Our conclusion is that ICT has the potential to promote social participation if the youths have access to personalised equipment and supportive staff. © The Author(s) 2022.

Opportunities to participate are seen by many as a keystone of a good life and a well functioning society. Participation by children has primarily been equated with the perception that children should have a ‘voice’, while participation in the sense of interactivity, being part of and doing things and taking on responsibility for others, has been omitted. In the thesis, it is argued that the emphasis on children having a voice is based in an individually oriented manner that may not be applicable to all children. For children living in societies that are more collectively oriented, participation may not primarily be about making decisions on their own or being able to speak for themselves. Rather participation can encompass doing things together and making decisions in a reciprocal way in which the individual is not at the centre. By broadening the concept of participation to include both decision-making processes and activities in the family, the thesis aims to explore how children from different parts of the world perceive their participation and what contextual factors might affect how children’s participation is expressed. Data are collected within the frame of the international research project Parenting Across Cultures (PAC) and consists of structured interviews with children and background data retrieved from their parents. Interviews were conducted with a sample of 1290 children (age M = 10.37, SD = 0.72; 51% girls) from thirteen cultural groups in nine countries (China, Colombia, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, the Philippines, Sweden, Thailand and the United States). The analysis process has included frequency analysis, factor analysis, multilevel analysis and bivariate analyses. The results indicate that the two forms of participation are not mutually exclusive. On the contrary, for most children they are positively linked: the more children participate in activities, the more they take part in decision-making and vice versa. Results also show that variations in participation are not mainly dependent on the cultural group or country to which the children belong. Instead, overall and individual socioeconomic conditions both appear to be decisive to the way participation is expressed. The more children’s rights are realized and the safer children feel where they live, the more children perceive they participate in both decision-making and activities. At an individual level, however, the results indicate that if children live in hard socioeconomic circumstances in their families, there is a risk they will participate mainly in activities and lack influence in decision-making. It is suggested that there are four possible participation positions for children in the family, with the different forms of participation being more or less prominent. Social workers are therefore recommended not to convey a one-sided discourse on participation based on a particular childhood ideology that emphasizes either the children’s individual rights or their mutual obligations. When children of different backgrounds and traditions meet social work, keeping both aspects of participation in the air at the same time can be a more passable way to fulfil children’s rights in their families. The result also has implications for structural social work. One of the main findings is that children’s feelings of safety where they live are clearly positively linked to participation in both decision-making and activities. Social work aimed at creating safe neighbourhoods can therefore be a key factor for children’s participation, not only for increased involvement in the area in which they live but also for giving children greater opportunities to have a say and engage in activities in their families.