When parental responsibility becomes a problem and a key in finding solutions the state`s intervention in marginalized residential area.

Children with an ethnic minority background growing up in marginalized residential areas are often considered ‘at risk’, coming to their future opportunities, as a default within the welfare system. This can in some ways be explained by ruling discourses of how their support system or parents are not able or do not have the capability to support them when it comes to getting an education or work. In this paper presentation we address the question of how the parenting role of children and young people living in marginalized residential areas in Denmark has become an issue in relation to the contemporary politics of the area and an increasing states intervention in parenting. The analysis draws on empirical data from interviews with parents and policy documents from the national strategies for marginalized residential areas. Drawing on the empirical and analytic categories of 'good' and 'bad' parenting inspired of Norbert Elias (Elias, 1998), we explore how parenting skills and parental responsibility become central to problem solving. We conclude that the states interest and belief in that parents can contribute to solving social problems of the society is an increasing interest/ growing interest which produce new categories of parenting and inequality in the discourse. Despite of this the parents themselves shape their children’s lives, make decisions for them, and aspire regarding their children’s futures that impact their actions.