Co-operation for the best interest of the child?

Description

This qualitative study explored the effects of the reform regarding maintenance support, which became effective in 2016. These amendments implied that maintenance support should, to a greater extent, be transformed into maintenance allowance, whereby the handling of support is transferred from the authority level to the parents who are expected to initiate a dialogue to secure the best interest of the child(ren) in financial terms. Possible occurrence of gender-based violence and financial oppression, when the financial acting space of one partner is restricted by the other, could, however, be assumed to complicate the implementation.

By interviewing custodial parents about their experiences of maintenance processes after the amendments, this study explored and analyzed if, or how, experiences of violence and financial abuse has affected these processes and what implications this had on the financial situation for these parents and their children. The study also comprised interviews with case officers at the Social Insurance Agency in order to explore the organizational perspective on the maintenance reform, and the differences they have led to in terms of client interactions and the handling of issues related to allowance and parental custody.