HJEMLIGHED SOM VELFÆRDSPARADOKS: Om iscenesat autenticitet i døgninstitutioner for anbragte børn

The article is built upon a fi eldwork in Danish children’s homes which analyses what it means to social workers and children to be a homey institution. The ideal of hominess is presented as a paradoxical idea producing several contradictions and dilemmas in the everyday life of the institution. The article presents the historical background for this problem, with a focus on the ideal of authenticity both as a product of, and a counter-strategy to, modernity. Keywords: Home, hominess, social work, children’s homes.