När förälder plötsligt dör: Om sörjande barns behov och samhällets ansvar - en kvalitativ studier av tre stödverksamheter i Sverige
(2025) SOPA63 20241School of Social Work
- Abstract
- Children who lose a parent face profound emotional and practical challenges, yet societal structures often fail to provide adequate support. This study explores how support for bereaved children is practiced within three Swedish initiatives: The Hospital Chaplaincy (Sjukhuskyrkan) in Uppsala, The Striped House (Randiga Huset), a Swedish support center for grieving children and families, in Gothenburg, and The Child Trauma Team (Barntraumateamet) in Norrköping. Through a qualitative research design, empirical data were collected via semi-structured interviews and complemented by relevant documents. The study applies thematic analysis guided by Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory and Worden’s tasks of mourning to explore five key... (More)
- Children who lose a parent face profound emotional and practical challenges, yet societal structures often fail to provide adequate support. This study explores how support for bereaved children is practiced within three Swedish initiatives: The Hospital Chaplaincy (Sjukhuskyrkan) in Uppsala, The Striped House (Randiga Huset), a Swedish support center for grieving children and families, in Gothenburg, and The Child Trauma Team (Barntraumateamet) in Norrköping. Through a qualitative research design, empirical data were collected via semi-structured interviews and complemented by relevant documents. The study applies thematic analysis guided by Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory and Worden’s tasks of mourning to explore five key themes: individualized and preventive support, the role of the child’s network, collaboration and flexibility in support efforts, emotional strain and empathy in grief work, and knowledge gaps concerning grief among professionals. The findings show that all three organisations provide essential but differently structured support. While Randiga Huset offers long-term psychosocial support through grief groups, Barntraumateamet delivers acute trauma interventions with a clinical focus, and Sjukhuskyrkan ensures continuity by anchoring its grief groups within ecclesiastical and hospital-based contexts. Across the cases, the lack of national guidelines, insufficient professional training, and reliance on project-based funding emerge as significant obstacles. The study concludes that despite existing efforts, structural and institutional shortcomings leave many bereaved children without the support they are legally entitled to. Enhancing professional competence, securing long-term resources, and fostering multi-agency collaboration are necessary steps to meet these children’s needs. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9211509
- author
- Agerius, Emelie LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- SOPA63 20241
- year
- 2025
- type
- M2 - Bachelor Degree
- subject
- keywords
- bereaved children, parental loss, grief support, inter-agency collaboration, professional training, thematic analysis, Swedish social work
- language
- Swedish
- id
- 9211509
- date added to LUP
- 2025-09-03 11:49:14
- date last changed
- 2025-09-03 11:49:14
@misc{9211509,
abstract = {{Children who lose a parent face profound emotional and practical challenges, yet societal structures often fail to provide adequate support. This study explores how support for bereaved children is practiced within three Swedish initiatives: The Hospital Chaplaincy (Sjukhuskyrkan) in Uppsala, The Striped House (Randiga Huset), a Swedish support center for grieving children and families, in Gothenburg, and The Child Trauma Team (Barntraumateamet) in Norrköping. Through a qualitative research design, empirical data were collected via semi-structured interviews and complemented by relevant documents. The study applies thematic analysis guided by Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory and Worden’s tasks of mourning to explore five key themes: individualized and preventive support, the role of the child’s network, collaboration and flexibility in support efforts, emotional strain and empathy in grief work, and knowledge gaps concerning grief among professionals. The findings show that all three organisations provide essential but differently structured support. While Randiga Huset offers long-term psychosocial support through grief groups, Barntraumateamet delivers acute trauma interventions with a clinical focus, and Sjukhuskyrkan ensures continuity by anchoring its grief groups within ecclesiastical and hospital-based contexts. Across the cases, the lack of national guidelines, insufficient professional training, and reliance on project-based funding emerge as significant obstacles. The study concludes that despite existing efforts, structural and institutional shortcomings leave many bereaved children without the support they are legally entitled to. Enhancing professional competence, securing long-term resources, and fostering multi-agency collaboration are necessary steps to meet these children’s needs.}},
author = {{Agerius, Emelie}},
language = {{swe}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{När förälder plötsligt dör: Om sörjande barns behov och samhällets ansvar - en kvalitativ studier av tre stödverksamheter i Sverige}},
year = {{2025}},
}