Legal Representation for Children

The plan explicitly requires that the child perspective is strengthened in custody disputes and that the best interests of the child shall guide in every situation, with strong trust in young people's ability to make their own decisions. A separate legal representative independent of the parents is a direct way to implement that. The plan also emphasizes legal aid as part of legal security.

• strengthened child perspective in custody disputesdecisive»Barnperspektivet måste stärkas i vårdnadstvister och det ska inte vara möjligt för våldsutövare att behålla gemensam vårdnad.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The child perspective must be strengthened in custody disputes and it shall not be possible for perpetrators of violence to retain joint custody.”
• child's best interest»principen att i varje läge se till barnets« (party programme ↗)“the principle of ensuring the best interests of the child in every situation”
• child's own voice»Vi har ett starkt förtroende för unga människors förmåga att fatta« (party programme ↗)“We have strong trust in young people's ability to make”
• legal aid secures legal security»Rättssäkerheten behöver upprätthållas genom rättshjälp« (party programme ↗)“Legal security needs to be maintained through legal aid”

The party programme binds the party to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and to the principle that the best interests of children shall be considered in all decisions, with the right to equal conditions and a safe upbringing. Independent legal representation for children in custody disputes, separated from parents, is a means for the best interests of the child to actually prevail and for the child to be heard. The plan does not address representation in custody proceedings, so the position is derived.

• the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child as foundationdecisive»Alla barn ska ha rätt till en trygg uppväxt i enlighet med FN:s barnkonvention.« (party programme ↗)“All children shall have the right to a safe upbringing in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.”
• best interests of the child in all decisions»bästa ska beaktas vid alla beslut.« (party programme ↗)“best interests shall be considered in all decisions.”
• safe upbringing without violence»och till en trygg uppväxt fri från droger och våld.« (party programme ↗)“and to a safe upbringing free from drugs and violence.”

The party programme requires that the child's legal security is strengthened and that the Convention on the Rights of the Child becomes Swedish law, and the election manifesto establishes that children's right to security weighs more than violent parents' right to their children. An independent legal representative, independent from the parents, is a direct way to give the child that legal security in a custody process.

• strengthened legal security for childrendecisive»Barnets rättstrygghet måste stärkas om det finns misstankar om våld eller sexuella övergrepp.« (party programme ↗)“The child's legal security must be strengthened if there are suspicions of violence or sexual abuse.”
• the Convention on the Rights of the Child as law»FN:s barnkonvention ska bli svensk lag och politiska beslut bör föregås av en barnkonsekvensanalys.« (party programme ↗)“The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child shall become Swedish law and political decisions should be preceded by a child impact analysis.”
• the child's best interest before the parent's right»I vårt Sverige väger barns rätt till trygghet tyngre än våldsamma föräldrars rätt till sina barn.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“In our Sweden children's right to security weighs more than violent parents' right to their children.”
• protection in the custody process»skydda barn från att tvingas till umgänge med en våldsam förälder.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“protect children from being forced to spend time with a violent parent.”

The election manifesto commits to all being able to have their case heard and that access to counsel shall be improved, and wants to create the possibility for compensation for counsel for individuals who have cause to have their case heard. The party programme makes children's rights and perspective the decisive factor for society's actors. Own legal aid for children in custody disputes follows from these commitments, even though the custody process is not mentioned.

• improved access to counseldecisive»Alla som bor i Sverige ska kunna få sin sak prövad. Ledtiderna för handläggning och myndighetsutövning i domstolar och myndigheter måste kortas och tillgången till ombud förbättras.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Everyone living in Sweden shall be able to have their case heard. Processing times for handling and administrative decisions in courts and authorities must be shortened and access to counsel improved.”
• children's rights at the centre»Samhällets aktörer ska inta individens perspektiv. Av största betydelse är då barnens rättigheter och perspektiv.« (party programme ↗)“Society's actors shall take the individual's perspective. Of greatest importance are then children's rights and perspective.”
• compensation for counsel»Vi vill skapa en möjlighet för enskilda att kunna få ersättning för ombud i förvaltningsärenden då denne haft skäl att få sin sak prövad.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to create a possibility for individuals to receive compensation for counsel in administrative matters when they have had cause to have their case heard.”
• the child's right to be seen»Särskilt viktigt är att värna varje barns rätt att bli respekterad och att bli sedd för den man är.« (party programme ↗)“Particularly important is to protect every child's right to be respected and to be seen for who they are.”

The plan establishes that children shall have the right to their own representative when the family is the subject of social services intervention and that children have the right to be respected as individuals. The same principle — the child's voice separated from the parents' — underpins the counter-proposal's requirement for separate legal representation in custody disputes. The plan additionally wants to strengthen general legal aid and protect children from forced contact with a parent who has abused them.

• the child's own representativedecisive»När en hel familj behöver socialtjänstens stöd ska barn ha rätt« (party programme ↗)“When an entire family needs social services support, children shall have the right”
• children as independent rights-holders»Barn och ungdomar har rätt att respekteras som individer« (party programme ↗)“Children and young people have the right to be respected as individuals”
• strengthened legal aid»Den allmänna rättshjälpen ska stärkas.« (party programme ↗)“General legal aid shall be strengthened.”
• child's protection over parental rights»umgänge med en förälder som utsatt barnet för övergrepp, psykisk eller fysisk misshandel.« (party programme ↗)“contact with a parent who has abused the child, mental or physical assault.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan establishes that the child's best interest must come first, that children must be heard when decisions are made, and that children rarely can assert their rights with the same force as adults. In a custody dispute, it is the parents who stand against each other, which is why independent representation follows from the child's position. The plan at the same time wants legislation to respect the family's sphere.

• child's best interest firstdecisive»barnets bästa ska komma i främsta rummet.« (party programme ↗)“the child's best interest must come first.”
• children cannot assert their rights»sällan kan hävda sina rättigheter själva med samma« (party programme ↗)“rarely can assert their rights themselves with the same”
• children should be heard»beakta ungdomars synpunkter när beslut fattas« (party programme ↗)“take young people's views into account when decisions are made”
• respect for the family's sphere»familjens sfär och rättigheter« (party programme ↗)“the family's sphere and rights”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan does not mention legal aid for children in custody disputes, but it wants to expand the right to victim advocacy for vulnerable groups and states that the legal system must ensure the rights of children who cannot protect their own interests. Protection of individuals' freedoms and rights should moreover be strengthened. Legal aid for the child follows from these principles.

• the legal system protects childrendecisive»att säkerställa rättigheterna för barn och andra som inte kan« (party programme ↗)“to ensure the rights of children and others who cannot”
• advocacy for vulnerable groups»Utöka rätten till målsägandebiträde för äldre brottsoffer« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Expand the right to victim advocacy for elderly crime victims”
• stronger rights protection»Stärka domstolarnas oberoende och skyddet för medborgarnas fri- och rättigheter« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen the courts' independence and protection of citizens' freedoms and rights”
• children's development first»Samhällets viktigaste investering för framtiden är barns utveckling.« (party programme ↗)“Society's most important investment for the future is children's development.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The election manifesto notes that children end up in the lurch when adults fail and that there is today insufficient support for the child, and requires that children's best interests are always considered and increased legal security in child matters. Independent legal representation for children in custody disputes is a means for precisely that support. The plan's own instrument is family mediation at an early stage, which does not exclude the representative but makes the conclusion derived.

• support for the child in disputesdecisive»Barn hamnar inte sällan i kläm när vuxna brister och det saknas idag ett tillräckligt stöd till barnet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Children often end up in the lurch when adults fail and there is today insufficient support for the child.”
• the child's best interests»Att barnets bästa alltid ska beaktas« (2022 manifesto ↗)“That the child's best interests shall always be considered”
• legal security for children»Öka kvalité och rättssäkerhet i utredningar om barn« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Increase quality and legal security in investigations concerning children”
• family mediation as a tool»Skapa tidiga insatser i form av familjemedling för familjer i tvist« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Create early interventions in the form of family mediation for families in dispute”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.