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The mandate of the National Board of Health and Welfare and The National Competence Center for Relatives, Nka, includes producing and disseminating knowledge about children as next of kin and young carers. They play a central role in disseminating information within the field. The aim of this study is to investigate how they communicate information in this domain. A qualitative content analysis was conducted, and framing theory was used to explore the issue. The empirical data consists of 48 publications that the National Board of Health and Welfare and Nka have released in the field. The study’s findings suggest ways to improve the communication of this information by avoiding certain frames. Frames of economy, comparison, powerlessness, moralization, and impact have been identified in the empirical data. It appears that the use of an economic frame is more common when communicating information about children as next of kin to parents with mental illness or substance abuse. Furthermore, a moralizing frame is used to describe families as “well-functioning”.

Keywords: children as relatives, children as next of kin, young carers, framing theory