"Vem talar för barnet?" : En kritisk diskursanalys av hur barnets bästa konstrueras i svenska styrdokument

The aim of this thesis is to examine how the concept of the best interest of the child is constructed and legitimized in official policy documents from the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare, as well as in publications by Save the Children, both before and after the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) became part of Swedish law in 2020. Using critical discourse analysis, the norms, values and societal assumptions that shape how the concept of the best interests of the child is understood. The findings demonstrate that the concept lacks a clear and universal definition, instead being shaped by adult interpretations, institutional logic, and normative ideas about childhood. The study emphasizes how children’s voices are often conditional or mediated through adults, affecting their participation and influence. By contrasting state discourse with civil society perspectives, the thesis highlights tensions between protection and participation, and between abstract rights principles and concrete institutional practice.