Although Sweden has a long tradition of compulsory school attendance, there are children that do not attend. Previous research confirms that there are many concepts used to describe school absenteeism. Considered that categorization involves an aspect of power that adds attributes to these children based on stereotypic conceptions of the category, this fact seems problematic. By analyzing field related articles, the aim of this study is to reveal linguistic constructions of school absenteeism by means of discourse analysis. Consequences of discourses will be analyzed through previous research about categorization and Foucault’s theory of power. The main results of the study display several approaches to describe school absenteeism, of which we compiled five different discourses. They are presented as the bureaucratic perspective, the disciplinary perspective, the adaptation perspective, the social environment perspective and the family perspective. Each discourse describes a comprehension of deviance and normality, which affects the opportunities of wellbeing amongst children and forms the prerequisite of professional interventions. Providing help to children defined as deviants due to school absenteeism implicates exposure of pastoral power. The study concludes the need for a sensitive language utilization amongst school welfare officers.

The purpose of this study is to investigate how school counselors in high schools work with students that are exposed to honor-related problems and how they experience their work with these students. We have used a qualitative method and semi-structured interviews with seven school counselors who have experience of working with honor-related issues. To analyze the material we have used previous research along with Michael Lipsky's theory of street-level bureaucracy with the concept of discretion and Carl Rogers' theory of the therapeutic relationship. The conclusions we can draw after completing our study is that school counselors experience organizational and honor contextual challenges, but their discretion can help them in their work. To be able to detect vulnerable students, the school counselor uses strategies by being where the students are and asking straight questions. Another important side of the work to succeed at drawing attention to vulnerability is that there is knowledge and that all staff at the school possess this in order to cooperate in identifying vulnerable students. To help students that are vulnerable the dialogue is important both with the students but also the student's parents to be able to talk about the problem and the school counselor contributes with knowledge and information regarding human rights. When the problem is too big for the school counselor's discretion, a strategy for helping will then be to contact other street-level bureaucrats that have the knowledge and discretion to help. Having a trusting relationship is described as the key to being able to discover and help vulnerable students and there are important qualities the school counselor can possess, which increases the conditions for being able to discover, help, create relationships and meet the challenges the work requires.

I Sverige dör i genomsnitt 22 barn under 18 år i suicid årligen, varav en handfull är under 15. För att motverka suicidalitet och suicid bland barn krävs att viktiga samhällsaktörer har kunskap och kompetens att agera kring problematiken. För professionella generellt lyfts att kunna identifiera riskfaktorer, att samtala med barn, att ha kännedom om åtgärder och ageranden etc. som viktiga suicidpreventiva aspekter. I skolans värld är det skolkuratorn som ska bidra med psykosocial expertis för att främja barns hälsa. Utifrån syftet att få en överblick över hur grundskolekuratorer själva skattar sin kunskap och kompetens beträffande suicidalitet och suicid hos barn som går i grundskolan, har i denna undersökning 36 kommunala grundskolekuratorer i Malmö Stad svarat på en självskattningsenkät bestående av 18 frågor kopplade till ämnet. Studiens frågeställning är “Hur skattar kommunala grundskolekuratorer i Malmö Stad sin kunskap och kompetens beträffande suicidalitet och suicid hos barn som går i grundskolan?”. Resultatet visar att det, mer eller mindre, föreligger skillnader i hur dessa upplever sin kunskap och kompetens inom de olika områdena. Inom vissa områden har skillnaderna visat sig vara större - som i att prata med barn i grupp om suicidalitet och suicid, vari vissa skattade sig lägst och andra högst. Inom andra områden var skattningarna generellt mer samstämmiga - som i att fråga ett barn om suicid vid misstanke om detta samt i samarbetet med utomstående aktörer. Trots att majoriteten fått utbildning inom området så upplever en ännu starkare majoritet att de skulle behöva mer sådan. Resultatet visar även att skolkuratorerna generellt skattar sin kunskap något högre än sin kompetens. / In Sweden, an average of 22 children under the age of 18 die in suicide anually, of which a handful are under 15. To counteract suicidality and suicide among children, professionals in society requires knowledge and competence to act against the issue. For professionals in general, important areas such as knowledge about and ability to identify risk factors, conversations with children, knowledge about how to act etc. are highlighted. In the school world, the school counselor shall contribute with psychosocial expertise to promote children’s health. Based on the purpose of getting an overview of how elementary school counselors rate their knowledge and competence regarding suicididality and suicide among elementary school childen, in this study, 36 municipal elementary school counselors in Malmö Stad have answered a self-assessment survey which included 18 questions related to the subject. The question of the study was “How do elementary school counselors rate their knowledge and competence regarding suicidality and suicide among elementary school children?”. Result shows that there are differences in how the school counselors rated their knowledge and competence within the different areas. In some areas the differences were greater; such as talking with groups of children about the issue; where some rated themselves at lowest and some at highest. In other areas the responses were a bit more consistent; when asking a child about suicide thoughts if such suspicions exist and in the cooperation with external actors. Although the majority have received education within the subject, a larger majority experiences a greater need of this. It also appears that in general, the counselors rated their knowledge to be a bit higher than their competence.

Debatten om ungdomar och pornografi är starkt polariserad och det finns en utbredd oro hos allmänheten kring pornografins påverkan på ungdomar. Enligt tidigare forskning råder det ingen konsensus vad gäller pornografins eventuella konsekvenser. Det finns lite forskning kring hur professionella, som arbetar med ungdomar, förhåller sig till ämnet. Syftet med denna studie var därmed att belysa hur det sociala arbetet kan se ut gällande ungdomars exponering för och konsumtion av pornografi samt fördjupa förståelsen för huruvida det kan ses som ett socialt problem. Detta genomfördes med en kvalitativ metod, genom sex semistrukturerade intervjuer med skolkuratorer som jobbar med ungdomar mellan 13 och 19 år. Det empiriska materialet analyserades med hjälp av sociala problem som ett teoretiskt ramverk för att förstå huruvida ungdomars pornografikonsumtion kan ses som ett socialt problem utifrån skolkuratorernas perspektiv och erfarenheter. Resultaten visar på att arbetssätten kring ämnet skiljer sig åt mellan skolkuratorerna. En del berör ämnet som permanenta inslag i undervisningen, medan andra inte gör det. Gemensamt för de alla är att de betonar vikten av att ha ett öppet och icke-dömande förhållningssätt för att avlasta från skam. Resultaten visar även på såväl positiva som negativa aspekter av porrkonsumtion. Utifrån resultatet råder det oklarheter om ungdomars exponering för och konsumtion av pornografi kan förstås som ett socialt problem. Men samtidigt är det ett viktigt ämne att beröra för att förebygga och minimera eventuella negativa konsekvenser. / The debate regarding adolescents and pornography is highly polarized and there is a widespread concern amongst the general public regarding its influence on adolescents. According to previous research, there is no consensus regarding the possible effects of pornography, and the research on how professionals, working with adolescents, handle the topic is limited. ​​Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine and highlight social worker’s ways of working within the field of exposure and consumption of pornography amongst adolescents, and furthermore, to deepen the understanding of whether this should be considered a social problem or not. This was conducted through a qualitative method, with six semi-structured interviews with school counselors, working with adolescents between 13 and 19 years of age. The empirical data was analyzed using social problems as a theoretical framework to illustrate whether adolescents’ consumption of pornography is seen as a social problem from the school counselors’ perspectives. The results show that the methods used regarding the subject differs between the school counselors. However, they all emphasize the importance of having an open and non-judgmental approach in order to relieve the adolescents from shame. The results also show that there are both positive and negative aspects of pornography consumption. Based on the results, there is an uncertainty to whether the exposure and consumption of pornography amongst adolescents can be considered a social problem. However, it is important to discuss the topic with adolescents to prevent and minimize any negative consequences.

The purpose of the study has been to examine school social workers´ professional practice in order to create an understanding of the opportunities and obstacles that exist for school social workers in their work against cyberbullying. This study has been based on a qualitative method where eight semi-structured interviews with school social workers from different municipalities in Sweden. The empirical data has been analyzed on the basis of previous research and the theoretical framework: professional theory and discretion. The results show that the school social worker´s professional role is characterized by overall job descriptions and a responsibility for adolesecents´ well-being. Cyberbullying appears to be complex and difficult to access, while at the same time it is important to prevent. The school social worker pursues prevention through collaboration with teachers and guardians and through class exercises. Factors that affect the school social worker's opportunities to work preventively are time and school management.

The aim of this study has been to get a better understanding of school counselors experience of their room for maneuver in a pedagogical environment. Consequently, examine the meaning of legitimacy and cooperation with other professions within the school. Our study emanates from six semi-structured qualitative interviews with school counselors that have been analyzed from a thematic analysis. The study consists mainly of three key concepts room for maneuver, cooperation and legitimacy. The result shows that there is a duality around their perception of these key concepts. School counselors find both strengths and difficulties in their profession and role at the school. Our conclusion is that school counselors need a clearer job description and support from mainly principals to enable the work more health-promoting and preventive in school. The school counselors described a desire for a central manager with an educational background more similar to theirs in order to make it easier for them to find their role at the school. ,

Sexual harassment is a significant problem in school despite policies and guidelines designed to combat the issue. The aim of this study is to illustrate, through feminist theory, how gender and power structures affect school counselors in their work to prevent sexual harassment. With the use of qualitative method we have collected our material through focus group interview with school counselors working at junior high schools. Subsequently, we analyzed the material by using narrative content analysis, and created a collective narrative by combining the school counselors stories. The theories we use include structural theory, feminist theory, and the concept of hard and soft repression. Our results show that school counselors have a structural understanding of sexual harassment, but they face different kinds of resistance in their work to combat the issue: including resistance from themselves, from the organisation, and from society as a whole. Structural understanding is paramount to understanding the importance of a preemptive approach.

Skolkuratorns unika roll i skolan bidrar med ett psykosocialt perspektiv i syfte att främja elevernas välbefinnande och utveckling. Hur elevhälsoarbetet utformas kan dock se olika ut beroende på skolans behov och förutsättningar. Studiens syfte är att undersöka skolkuratorns upplevelse av hur elevhälsoarbetet med fokus på det främjande och förebyggande arbetet bedrivs och organiseras för eleverna i grundskolan. Författarna har utfört en kvalitativ studie genom fem semi-strukturerade intervjuer med skolkuratorer. Utifrån intervjumaterialet har en tematisk analys genomförts. De viktigaste slutsatserna innefattar bland annat att det främjande och förebyggande arbetet är prioriterat samtidigt som det akutstyrda arbetet tar mycket tid och resurser. En annan slutsats som nås är att samverkan har en stor betydelse för ett gott elevhälsoarbete. Utöver dessa slutsatser framkommer även ett flertal komplexa utmaningar som präglas av resurs- och ekonomibrist samt en brist på tidseffektivitet. Utifrån studiens resultat anser författarna att ytterligare forskning angående implementering av evidensbaserade metoder bör genomföras. Detta då skolkuratorer ofta inser vikten av dessa metoder men lyfter samtidigt fram att de inte alltid är tillräckligt anpassade till skolmiljön. / The school counselor's unique role in school contributes with a psychosocial perspective to promote pupils' well-being and development. However, how pupil health work is designed may differ depending on the school's needs and conditions. The aim of the study is to investigate the school counselor's experience of how pupil health work, with a focus on the promotive and preventive work, is conducted and organized for the students in elementary school. The study uses a qualitative method and the authors organized five semi-structured interviews with school counselors. The main conclusions include, among other things, that promotion and prevention are a priority, while emergency-controlled work takes a lot of time and resources. Another conclusion is that collaboration is of great importance for good pupil health work. In addition to these conclusions, several complex challenges are also emerging, characterized by resource and economic deficiencies and a lack of time efficiency. Based on the results of the study, the authors believe that further research on the implementation of evidence-based methods should be conducted. This is because school counselors often realize the importance of these methods but at the same time highlight that they are not always sufficiently adapted to the school environment.

Barn som upplever våld i hemmet ses som ett samhällsproblem då det kan leda till negativa konsekvenser för både individ och samhälle. Det uppges finnas ett stort mörkertal kring barn som utsätts för våld i hemmet. Skolplikten i Sverige gör att de flesta barn spenderar mycket tid i skolan vilket ger skolkuratorerna en chans att upptäcka och arbeta med dem. Tidigare forskning belyser att bristen på kunskap kanha stor påverkan för barnen, att skolans arbete är en viktig del, att skolkuratorns rollär komplex. Det är viktigt att barn får prata om sina upplevelser och relationsskapandet är en stor del i att kunna ge stöd.Studien syftade till att undersöka skolkuratorers upplevelser av mötet med barn som misstänks uppleva eller har upplevt våld i hemmet. Syftet var även att undersöka hur skolkuratorer upplever sina möjligheter att stötta dessa barn genom socialpedagogiskt arbete. Utifrån en kvalitativ ansats har vi utfört fem semistrukturerade intervjuer med skolkuratorer från olika delar av Sverige, dessa arbetade med barn mellan åldrarna 6 och 19. Alla hade högskoleutbildning som var relevant inom socialt arbete. Resultatet visade att många av dem arbetade på likvärdigt sätt i mötet med dessa barn. Skolkuratorernas upplevelser av vad som var betydelsefullt för att genom socialpedagogiskt arbete stötta dessa barn beskrevs likvärdigt. Det som framkom viktigt var, tillgänglighet, ärlighet, relationsskapande, kunskap, förståelse och att utgå från barnet. I diskussionen kom det fram att skolkuratorerna arbetar likvärdigt och mycket med relation och tillgänglighet. Det betydelsefulla var att vara tydlig med sina intensioner för trygghetsskapande. De hinder vi förväntade oss upplevde skolkuratorerna inte som hinder. Däremot kunde sekretessen vara ett hinder om det inte fanns samtycke.

Denna studie utforskar hur skolkuratorer bemöter och hanterar hedersrelaterat våld och förtryck inom svensk skolmiljö. Mot bakgrund av att hedersförtryck identifieras som ett växande problem i Sverige, problematiserar forskningsstudien befintliga kunskapsgap kring skolkuratorers interaktioner med berörda elever. Utifrån tidigare forskning identifieras en stark avsaknad av riktlinjer och en misstro mot socialtjänstens förmåga att adekvat hantera sådana fall. Studien bygger på semistrukturerade intervjuer med skolkuratorer, analyserade genom tematisk kodning. Resultaten visar att skolkuratorer står inför utmaningar relaterade till främst kulturella och religiösa dynamiker, resultatet belyser även ledningens engagemang och riktlinjer. Analysen som utgår från Lipskys teoribildning gällande gräsrotsbyråkrati belyser utmaningar och framgångsfaktorer gällande samverkan och handlingsutrymme. Diskussionen belyser vikten av ökad kunskap och stöd samt utveckling av specifika riktlinjer för att effektivare kunna stödja elever i riskzonen. Studien bidrar med insikter för både teoretisk förståelse och praktisk tillämpning i socialt arbete inom skolan, samt föreslår riktningar för framtida forskning inom området. / This study explores how school counselors address and manage honor-related violence and oppression in Swedish schools. Considering that honor oppression is seen as a growing problem in Sweden, the research study highlights gaps in knowledge regarding school counselors' interactions with affected students. Based on previous research, a significant lack of guidelines and distrust in social services' ability to properly handle such cases were identified. The study is based on semi-structured interviews with school counselors, analyzed through thematic coding. The results show that school counselors face challenges related to cultural and religious dynamics, and also highlight the involvement of management and guidelines. The analysis, drawing on Lipsky's theory of street-level bureaucracy, outlines challenges and success factors in collaboration and decision-making space. The discussion emphasizes the importance of increased knowledge and support, and the development of specific guidelines to better support students at risk. The study provides insights for both theoretical understanding and practical application in social work within schools and suggests directions for future research in the field.