‘I want to go home’: a comparative study of unsafe and safe spaces in two Swedish school-age educare institutions

Abstract

In Sweden, many children between the ages of 6 and 9 years attend Swedish school-age educare (SAEC) institutions before and after school, when their parents work or study. This study aimed to explore and compare safe and unsafe spaces in children’s everyday lives at SAEC institutions. Ethnographic fieldwork, including observations and interviews with the staff and children, was conducted at two different SAECs. Using space, agency, and violence, this study explores how the staff relates to safe and unsafe spaces in children’s everyday lives. Findings revealed differences in how everyday life plays out in the two SAECs, where unsafe spaces, with a risk of violence, more frequently exist in one SAEC than the other. The manner in which staff members perceived safe and unsafe spaces also impacted how children’s agency emerged in different spaces. The study findings have important implications for politicians and decision-makers.