Young people are the most crime-active group in society, and in the recent decade juvenile delinquency has emerged as one of the central problem areas in Swedish public debate. How the work of preventing crime among children and youths should be designed is therefore a highly relevant question. In the city of Stockholm, so-called “serious talks” with young people who are suspected of crime for the first time, are used as a method to reduce recidivism. However, such initiatives have no clear scientific support based on previous studies. The overall purpose of this study was to examine professionals' perspectives on the work with serious talks in the city of Stockholm. To interpret and conceptualize the results, Lipsky's theory of street-level bureaucracies has mainly been used as a theoretical perspective. Key informant interviews were conducted with professionals in 12 of Stockholm City's 13 district administrations. The overall results show that discretion does not necessarily become or is perceived as desirable due to two main reasons. The first is about the practical, that is, vague guidelines and definitions as well as ambiguities regarding implementation and cooperation with the police. The second is about the value of the intervention, ie that the professionals do not really see any concrete meaning with serious talks due to the lack of knowledge support and that there is a low risk of continued criminal behavior among the majority of young people who are called for serious talks. The discretion given to the professionals is thus not perceived as fulfilling, facilitating or meaningful, but as aggravating and something that creates confusion and undermines work motivation. Finally, the results are also discussed in relation to what can be interpreted as the underlying assumptions that justify serious talks among political decision-makers in the city of Stockholm.

This thesis examines teachers' discretion during the COVID-19-pandemic. Unlike many other countries, the Swedish government chose its own way and implicated public restrictions that made it possible for preschools and elementary schools to remain open. While high schools and higher educational institutions, during certain parts of the pandemic were forced to distance education. Drawing on insights from street-level theories and street-level-bureaucraty in crisis, the study explores how the teachers have experienced that the coronapandemic, and the policies pursued as a result of it, have affected their discretion over time. This study adopts a qualitative research design and the data is retrieved from newspaper articles from the two trade unions for teachers. By applying Gioias et al. (2013) method to group the data into overall concepts and dimensions the results of the study show that teachers have constantly had to pay attention to new restrictions and guidelines decided by politicians with input from the Public Health Agency based on the current spread of infection in society. The lack of experience and knowledge of similar situations was limiting the teachers' discretion at the beginning of the pandemic, but as the crisis developed so did the teachers' experience and knowledge which increased their discretion. The teachers have also experienced that their discretion has been limited by the lack of financial resources, lack of time, and lack of information about the virus. They have developed coping strategies into their work to balance the contradictions in their work during the pandemic. Finally, the findings confirm that the teachers have acted on the basis of what has been possible in the current situation at the current time within the framework of the regulations. / Den här studien studerar den del av förvaltningsforskningen som innefattar tjänstepersoner som arbetar närmast medborgarna, närbyråkrater, och hur de agerar utifrån politiska styrdokument under tid av kris. Studien syftar till att studera hur lärare, som räknas in i epitetet närbyråkrater, har upplevt att coronapandemin, och den politiken som förts till följd av den, har påverkat och format deras handlingsutrymme över tid. Med utgångspunkt i Lipskys teori om närbyråkrater och handlingsutrymme presenterar den teoretiska refererensramen vidare forskning om kris och lärares upplevelser av pandemins inledande månader. Denna fallstudie har genomförts med en kvalitativ metod för att djupgående kunna ge en analyserande bild av närbyråkraters agerande i kris. Datainsamlingen har genomförts genom en kodnings-och tolkningsprocess av tidningsartiklar från de två fackförbunden, Lärarförbundet och Lärarnas Riksförbundet. Den studerade tidsperioden är februari 2020- februari 2022. Studiens resultat visar på att lärarnas handlingsutrymme under coronapandemin har reglerats av de nya restriktioner och riktlinjer beslutade av politiker med input från Folkhälsomyndigheten (Fohm) som grundats i den aktuella smittspridningen i samhället. Bristen på information, finansiella medel och tid har begränsat lärarnas handlingsutrymme vilket har resulterat i ett sämre möte mellan lärarna och eleverna. I takt med att pandemin har fortlöpt har lärarnas handlingsutrymme formats av deras växande erfarenhet och kunskap om att bedriva undervisning under en pandemi. Slutligen visar studien att lärarna har agerat utifrån vad som varit möjligt i den aktuella situationen vid den aktuella tidpunkten inom ramen för regelverket.

The following study aims to study how social workers in the processing of social assistance relate to child perspective after the incorporation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It has been also examined how organizational guidelines and rules affect the processing of social assistance. This study has a qualitative research approach, and the empirical data has been collected through five interviews with social workers, who are working with social assistance in two different municipalities in Sweden. The empirical material has been analyzed through Michael Lipsky´s theory of street-level bureaucrats and discretion. All the social workers in this study consider that taking into consideration to child’s perspective is very important in the processing of social assistance but it is somehow ambiguous and complex. As a result, sometimes the social workers do not have the opportunity to consider child perspectives, even though there is now a law stipulated after the incorporation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child into Swedish law. Some of these factors that make the work difficult for social workers in the processing of social assistance are lack of time, rules and laws, indistinct organizational guidelines, etcetera. The results of this study also show that the social workers do not want to talk to or meet the children during the processing of social assistance and the working process can differ between the municipalities, where one municipality has much more difficulty in considering child perspectives due to too much workload and lack of time.

I dagsläget finns det forskning om socialsekreterares handlingsutrymme. Men det saknas forskning som besvarar frågan hur socialsekreterare upplever sitt handlingsutrymme givet de organisatoriska utmaningar som tidigare forskning belyser. I relation till detta saknas forskning som mer specifikt analyserar vilka organisatoriska faktorer och sammanhang som påverkar handlingsutrymmet att agera som policy makers. Den här studien bidrar till att fylla detta forskningsglapp genom att genomföra kvalitativa intervjuer med socialsekreterare. För att vidare tolka det empiriska materialet med hjälp av ett teoretiskt ramverk byggt på Michael Lipskys teori om gräsrotsbyråkrater som policy makers och Roine Johanssons vidareutveckling av Lipskys teoretiska ramverk. Syftet med denna studie har varit att undersöka socialsekreterares upplevelse av vad som påverkar deras handlingsutrymme att utreda och bedöma risk och behov för barn och unga som riskerar att begå eller återfalla i brott. Detta upplevda handlingsutrymme har vidare tolkats och förståtts med hjälp av Johanssons tre teoretiska begrepp grad av regelbundenhet, specialiseringsgrad och avstånd. Begreppen topdown och bottom-up perspektiv används för att förstå hur gräsrotsbyråkratens,handlingsutrymme skapas i mötet mellan organisationens bestämmelser, riktlinjer och praxis (top-down) och deras egen möjlighet att tolka och tillämpa dessa riktlinjer och praxis (bottomup). För att besvara syftet har sex kvalitativa intervjuer med socialsekreterare från den sociala barn- och ungdomsvården genomförts. Studiens resultat visar att det som påverkar socialsekreterarnas upplevda handlingsutrymme är förankrat i vilken grad de ges möjlighet att anta rollen som policy makers eller inte. Vår studie har uppmärksammat gräsrotsbyråkraten, i det här fallet socialsekreteraren, som möter klienten och som samlar in underlaget för en riskoch behovsbedömning. Deras upplevelser är betydelsefulla för att se över det organisatoriska sammanhanget inom socialförvaltningar. Detta för att möjliggöra risk- och behovsbedömningarna som i enlighet med socialnämndens uppdrag verkar för att barn och unga växer upp under goda och trygga levnadsförhållanden.

Tvångsvård är ett omdiskuterat ämne i dagens samhälle och Sverige. Många debatter råder där betoningen ligger på de tvivelaktiga omhändertaganden där barn och unga far illa. I denna studie undersöker vi hur socialsekreterare resonerar kring LVU med fokus på handlingsutrymme, makt samt överväganden och osäkerheter i LVUhandläggning i syfte att undersöka socialsekreterarnas egna tankar och upplevelser vilket är ett perspektiv som i nuvarande forskningsfält är svagt behandlat. Med utgångspunkt i Lipskys teori om gräsrotsbyråkrati har vi utfört semistruktureradeintervjuer med åtta socialsekreterare vid fyra barnenheter och två ungdomsenheter. Vi fann att socialsekreterarna i vår studie beskrev en komplex bild av deras arbete. Stundom upplever de att de har makt och handlingsutrymme, och stundom inte. Detta kunde bero på LVU-handläggningens utformande, samt hur mycket ansvar den enskilde socialsekreteraren fick från sin organisation. Deras arbete genomsyras även av flera genomgående osäkerheter som uppstår i svåra överväganden i LVUhandläggning. Vi såg även att makt hade en stor roll i socialsekreterarnas arbete,framför allt när det kommer till samarbete med familj och hur mötet med barn och unga struktureras. Samtidigt beskrev socialsekreterarna hur LVU-handläggning ibland följs av en känsla av maktlöshet när det inte går som planerat.

The aim of the thesis is to explore how national street-level bureaucrats perceive their role when implementing EU soft law in a Europeanised environment. Existing studies have focused on the role perception of public servants working within implementation of EU hard law, or being diplomats or working on ministerial level. These studies find that there is an additional EU servant role perception, beyond the national servant role perception. It provides the theoretical and empirical expectation that the public servants on the street-level and within EU soft law are national servants and do not hold an additional EU role perception. The study uses theories on Europeanisation, identity and role perception, and street-level bureaucracy to further understand the case. The thesis is based on 13 semi-structured interviews to understand the role perception. The selected case is a least-likely study as it explores role perception of street-level bureaucrats within EU soft law. More precisely, the field of higher education and its internationalisation, as the study selects the Erasmus+ programme and street-level bureaucrats who work with its implementation in Sweden. This, to understand how they perceive their role when implementing an EU programme and in a Europeanised, but also national, environment. The findings of the thesis show that the street-level bureaucrats hold a national role perception but there are respondents who also present a perception of an additional EU role perception, for example five respondents who presented to be working for the EU in addition to the Higher Education Institution. Thus, it does not provide enough support for the theoretical and empirical expectations to be confirmed that street-level bureaucrats within EU soft law only hold a national servant role perception. Hence, it shows that it also exists a perception of also being an EU servant and holding loyalty to the EU.

Av socialtjänstlagen (SFS: 2001:453) kapitel 5, 5§ framgår det att äldreomsorgen ska verka för att äldre ska ha möjlighet att bo kvar i sitt hem med hjälp och stöd från hemtjänst, samt att de har rätt till självbestämmande och integritet. Studiens syfte är att få en fördjupad kunskap om hur självbestämmandet tillgodoses eller begränsas i hemtjänsten utifrån ett personalperspektiv. Studien genomfördes med kvalitativ metod med en hermeneutisk ansats. Studien baseras på åtta stycken semistrukturerade interjuver med undersköterskor. Sju kvinnor och en man deltog i studien. Intervjuerna genomfördes på två olika arbetsplatser där fyra stycken undersköterskor vardera intervjuades. Den teoretiska utgångpunkten i studien grundas i street-level bureaucrats teorin. Teorin anses som lämplig då den utgår från personalens upplevelser. Enligt Lipsky (2010:xii) innebär teorin att individerna som jobbar närmast klienterna, är dem som ser hur arbetet ska utföras på bästa sätt. Lipsky benämner dessa som gräsrotsbyråkrater. Eftersom studiens utgångpunkt utgår från ett personalperspektiv, blir teorin således lämplig i studien. Analysen resulterade i två kategorier som var väsentliga i relation till hemtjänst och självbestämmande. De väsentliga kategorierna var arbetsmiljö och tid. Personalen upplevde att arbetsmiljö och tid hade en avgörande faktor på självbestämmandet. De slutliga resultaten i studien är att självbestämmandets utsträckning beror på klienternas hjälpbehov. Det vill säga att desto mer hjälp och stöd klienten behövde, desto mindre utrymme lämnades åt självbestämmandet. Klienter med mindre hjälpbehov hade i regel större självbestämmande. / Within The Social Services Act (SFS: 2001:453) chapter 5, 5§, it appears that the geriatric care is aimed as an opportunity for elderly individuals to live at their homes with help and support from home care as well as having a right for self-determination and integrity. The aim of this study was to gain richer insights regarding how self-determination is accommodated or limited within the home care, from the perspectives of the personnel. The study was conducted with a qualitative method with a hermeneutic approach. The study is based on eight semi-structured interviews with assistant nurses. Seven females and one male participated in the study. The interviews were conducted on two different workplaces, with four assistant nurses interviewed on each workplace. The theoretical framework in the study was based on the street-level bureaucracy theory. The theory is considered as adequate as it is emanated from experiences of the personnel. According to Lipsky (2010:xii), the individuals who interact directly with clients are those with the best judgement in the execution of their work. Lipsy names them street-level bureaucracy The theory in the current study is considered as adequate as the starting point is emanated from the experiences of personnel. The analysis resulted in two categories, which were essential in relation to home care and self-determination. The essential categories were work-environment and time. The personnel experienced the work-environment and time as an determinant factor on self-determination. The final results in the current study shows that self-determination, at large, is due to clients needs for help. In other Words, the more help and support clients need, the less space for self-determination. Clients with less need for help had, on average, larger selfdetermination.

The purpose of the study was to examine how social workers view their role's responsibilities, opportunities and challenges in young people's school success, in child care investigations. This important aspect in society has not, according to the authors of this essay, been sufficiently addressed in the past, especially not in child care investigations. The study consists of qualitative semi-structured interviews with nine social workers within two municipalities' individual and family care. The result was analyzed against the background of the systems theory and street-level bureaucracy. The result was compared with previous research, based on the concepts of school success, social workers's responsibility, cooperation, efforts, time frame and reporting of concerns. The results showed that school success includes grades, attendance and well-being. The opposite; school failure, seems to be a structural societal problem and not at all the young person's responsibility. In child care investigations, social workers, social services, parents, schools and psychiatry are responsible, but the boundaries within the system are sometimes very diffuse. The informants believe that they themselves, in individual conversations with the young person, and in collaboration with parents, the school and, to some extent, psychiatry, have opportunities to influence school success in child care investigations. Cooperation works to some extent with the school, but is lacking with psychiatry. The challenges with school success are further that school affairs have low interest among social workers, also in the organization, it’s not prioritized as an educational area, lack interventions and involve legal limitations.

The purpose of this study is to describe and analyze how health care providers, working at care facilities providing maintenance treatment programs for opiate dependence, perceive and manage the legal framework governing the treatment. The study is limited to a few particular rules within this framework which over the recent decade have been the subject matter of debate regarding i.a. their alleged lack of relation to scientific research and their frequently disastrous implications for program participants. The empirical material consists of interviews with five respondents working at four different care facilities and has been analyzed by using Lipskys theory on street-level bureaucrats as policymaking agents. The results of the study show that the rules are looked upon and dealt with in a liberal fashion and that the primary loyalty of the maintenance treatment staff is clearly directed towards promoting the well-being of their patients and helping them reach their treatment goals rather than strictly following the rules.

The aim of the study is to describe and analyze how LSS-administrators talkabout user involvement in investigations based on their profession in anorganizational context. Eight LSS administrators have been interviewed.LSS-administrators work in a paradox where they are supposed to be theextended arm of the welfare state, at the same time as they are supposed togive voice to vulnerable individuals and their needs and wishes. The resultsof this study show that five administrators use the word participation whentalking about user involvement. All of them also talk about image support ininvestigations, but in varying degrees. There are also signs in the interviewsthat adaptation and focusing on the best interests of the user are ways ofdoing user involvement. Similar signs can also be seen in that theadministrators may experience difficulties communicating with users andthat it is not always possible to rely on what the representative says withoutchecking with the user. The results also show that there is a varyingperception of how much can be done as an LSS-administrator in relation tohow controlled the work is.