Thesis (Ph.D. (Social Work))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

This study is investigating what conditions can strengthen an alliance and which obstacles there are. Coercion aspects can also influence an alliance and are therefore also written about. The asymmetrical relationship between the social worker and the juvenile delinquent is investigated also with in regards to the tacit and explicit coercion when they are entering care. The study is focusing on the consequence/influence programs that the juvenile delinquents can be sentenced to because of their crimes. Counseling is a major part in these programs. For the definition of alliance I have used Bordin´s definition, it includes mutual agreement about the task and goal. It also includes bonding between the two parts. This study also uses Hill´s definitions sham alliance, mutual adaption and alliance breakdown. This study´s result shows that in order to achieve a strong alliance it is important for the social worker to handle the conditions in a non-judgmental way and be clear about the rules and regulations. It is also important to get the juveniles parents involved in the treatment.

This essay reflects on the thoughts and experiences of social workers in child protection agencies when it comes to talking about sexuality with teenagers, age 13-20, who is being subjected to inquiry. The research is qualitative and based on five semi-structured interviews. It has a phenomenological position and has been analyzed hermeneutically through cognitive and gender theory. Previous research shows that youths who get in contact with child protection often have issues about their sexuality. This study show that social workers in the agencies lack knowledge about this issue and that they seldom talks about it with the teenagers or their own colleagues. They are however aware of risks involved with the youth’s sexual activities and the problems that may evolve from it. Despite this they sometimes avoid the subject. Their reason is that they are afraid of investigating more than necessary and by doing so offend the clients. Sexuality for them is a private area and they feel that they need motivation for asking certain questions. The study also shows that they find it easier to talk with teenagers of the same gender as themselves. The teenagers therefore get varied help and treatment.

Syftet med studien har varit att undersöka samverkan mellan fältsekreterare, polis och socialsekreterare samt vilken funktion fältsekreterarna fyller för polis och socialsekreterare i deras ungdomsinriktade arbete. Uppsatsen har sin utgångspunkt i projektet Lokal operativ samverkan i stadsdelarna Gottsunda/Valsätra i Uppsala. Studien rör sig inom det komplexa område som samverkan innebär. Skapar fältsekreterarna nya förutsättningar för hur yrkesgrupperna tillsammans kan arbeta mot ett gemensamt mål? Tidigare forskning har visat att samverkan mellan socialtjänst och polis är beroende av en gemensam problemdefinition och samsyn. Fältsekreterarna verkar i en mittenposition där de förväntas arbeta både utifrån socialtjänstens formulerade önskemål och utifrån ungdomens behov. Fältarbetet kretsar ofta kring att skapa relationer till en grupp som har en negativ bild av myndigheter och att förmå dessa att ta emot samhällets stöd. De teoretiska perspektiv som appliceras för att förstå och tolka samverkan och de interaktioner som sker inom den är systemteori och symbolisk interaktionism. Det är en kvalitativ studie som har genomförts i form utav semi- strukturerade intervjuer. Sex personer har intervjuats; fältsekreterare, polis och socialsekreterare. Intervjuerna analyserades genom en innehållanalys, där skillnader och likheter mellan uttalandena kartlades. Resultatet bekräftar en del av den tidigare forskningen. Respondenterna i studien lyfter fram vikten av en gemensam samsyn. I en samverkan är det viktigt att samverkansparterna fyller skilda funktioner och kompletterar varandra. Respondenterna beskriver att de har skilda perspektiv som kan gynna samverkan. De verifierar att det finns en myndighetsskepsis hos målgruppen, därför strävar fältsekreterarna efter att skapa ett förtroende hos ungdomarna. Fältsekreterarna fungerar för polis och socialsekreterare som en förebyggande aktör. De är myndigheternas ögon utåt. De tre undersökta yrkesgrupperna kan betraktas som ett system, där de fyller olika funktioner men tillsammans arbetar de mot ett gemensamt mål. Samverkan i sig bidrar till en ökad förståelse för varandras arbeten. Den slutsats som kan dras av studien är att det i samverkan är viktigt att ta tillvara på varandras kompetenser och funktioner. Genom att göra detta kan man på bästa sätt möta omvärldens behov. Fältsekreterarna är ytterligare en aktör som verkar i området, de kan skapa en bredare kunskap hos polis och socialsekreterare. / The aim of this study has been to illustrate the collaboration between out-reach workers, police and social workers. The purpose of the study has also been to explore the impact out- reach workers has on the work of the police and social services. Out- reach workers are social workers whose main work is to locate and help youth in their own environment. The basis has been a project in Uppsala, Lokal operativ samverkan. By adding the out- reach workers to the already existing collaboration between police and social workers the conditions changes. Research on the subject has shown that the collaboration is dependent on a joint vision. Out- reach workers exist in the middle, they must meet expectations from the social workers but their main task is to work for the youth in the community. They often meet youth in vulnerable situations. The work includes creating a functional relationship between the youths and the societies agencies. The applied theories have been system theory and symbolic interactionism. The study has a qualitative approach. Six persons have been interviewed using semi-structured interviews, including police, out- reach workers and social workers. Over all the result confirms earlier research on the subject. An agreement about the task is essential for the participants. It’s important to have different roles and to complement each other, to appreciate the different functions. The participants describe how different perspectives further the collaboration. The out- reach workers aim to strengthen the relationship between the youth and the authorities. They function as a preventive and observing agent in the community. The police, the social workers and the out- reach workers function as a system that works against a common vision, but with different tasks. Finally the study shows that it’s vital to take advantage and to esteem the differences in assignments in the collaboration. By doing this the agents can meet the need of the community. The out- reach workers can broaden the knowledge about the youths in the collaboration with the police and the social workers.

Author: Jessica Liljekvist and Emmelie Wiss CedergrenTitle: A miserable wretch that you should feel sorry for – If social workers see persons who prostitute themselves as victims or agents. [Translated title]Supervisor: Marie ErikssonAssessor: Anders Giertz Our purpose with this study was to examine if social workers see persons who prostitute themselves as victims or as agents. We also wanted to examine how social workers see male and female persons who prostitute themselves. This study is based on the qualitative method and the result was analyzed with social constructionism, postmodern feminism and labeling theory. Eight social workers were interviewed in three different cities in Sweden. They were asked thematic questions about gender, victimization and agency and how their organizations and parliament affected their approach to prostitution. The results in the study showed that the majority of the social workers saw persons who prostitute themselves as traumatized victims. They pointed out that they had trouble seeing any agents in prostitution. Our results showed that they had a polarized approach to victimization and agency with different ratings. Trafficking victims had the highest grades of victimization. The lowest ratings were given to men and elderly persons who prostitute themselves. Men were seen as participants who got pleasure out of the prostitution. Women were exploited.

No description available.

No description available.

Although  “naming and shaming” paedophiles are growing in Sweden, professionals working with the rehabilitation and treatment of paedophiles describe that the naming and shaming might not prevent child sex abuse. On the opposite naming and shaming alienates the perpetrator from any ordinary life. The alienation could lead them to only having other paedophiles as friends. Previous studies show that professionals are often distancing themselves from working with paedophiles, even if there is competence. Studies also show that paedophiles are seldom seeking help due to of fear of stigmatization. The aim of this study was to describe social workers perception of “paedophiles” and to find out the action contingency among social workers regarding clients that express such feelings. A qualitative method with semi-structured interviews was used. Seven social workers and one psychologist were interviewed. Previous research has been confirmed as many professionals actively choose not to work with perpetrators even though they believe the perpetrators deserve adequate help. The data was analysed referring to Hasenfelds theory of human service organizations and the concept of cognitive dissonance. Organizations that are not specifically built to treat perpetrators and paedophiles are apparently not prepared to help them.

Traditionally and historically certain jobs have been recognized as male or female professions leading to the assumption that the barrier crossing men and women working in these gender atypical jobs are being less masculine and less feminine. The aim of this study is to examine similarities and differences among male social workers and female police officers in the experience of being a gender minority in their workplace and how it effects the construction of their gender identity. Working with a qualitative approach and using semi-constructed interviews the study was conducted by interviewing a total of five social workers and four female police officers, in six different communities, about their personal experiences of being a gender minority in a gender atypical job. The result shows both differences and similarities between the genders and their occupation; on a personal level neither of the respondents seemed to have a problem working in a gender atypical job although admitting that working in a “female” and “male” profession  had effects on their personality but not on how they viewed themselves as men or women. On a group level the respondents experienced both differences and similarities; both genders talked about being stereotyped into taking on certain tasks but also about having advantages of being male or female in certain situations. Further on the female police officers talked about being pushed aside to give room for the male colleagues while the male social workers experienced the opposite; being more acknowledged. On a societal level respondents from both groups were talking about a shift in societies showcasing that the view on men and women and what is considered male and female have been or in a process of being disintegrated. The results were seen from a social constructionist viewing point and were interpreted and analyzed using following theories and theoretical concepts: Stereotype, gender, role theory, identity, gender identity and the theory about the mirrored self.

Psykisk ohälsa hos unga är ett problem som ökar i dagens samhälle. För att främja en bättre psykisk hälsa hos dessa finns kuratorer på skolor, ungdomsmottagningar samt barn- och ungdomspsykiatriska mottagningar. I denna studie har frågorna ställts om kuratorernas bilder gällande de vanligaste orsakerna till psykisk ohälsa hos unga, eventuella könsskillnader samt resurser för att ge stöd. Utifrån sex intervjuer som genomförts med kuratorer på ovan nämnda arbetsplatser visade resultatet att många unga idag lider av problem i hemmet eller skolan, höga krav, depression, ångest, ätstörningar, självskadebeteende, arbetslöshet samt hemmasittande. Av dessa visade sig ätstörningar och självskadebeteende vara vanligast hos flickorna, medan istället hemmasittande och skoltrötthet dominerade hos pojkarna. Övriga orsaker var relativt jämnt fördelade mellan könen. Viktigt är dock att ta hänsyn till mörkertalet av dem som inte söker hjälp. I många avseenden behövde resurserna förbättras, framför allt i form av tid för ungdomarna samt för kompetensutveckling och handledning. / Mental illness among adolescents is a problem which increases in our society. By promoting a better mental health among these, there are social workers working at schools, Youth Clinics and psychiatry receptions for children and adolescents. This study asked the questions about which versions the social workers had about the most usual reasons for mental illness amongst adolescents, if the social workers had noticed any differences of the mental illness between young boys and girls and if the social workers thought that they had sufficient resources to offer the adolescents good help. By six interviews done with social workers on the workplaces above, the results showed that many adolescents today have problems at home or in school, problems with high claims on themselves, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, self-harm, unemployment and sitting at home. Of these reasons for mental illness, eating disorders and self-harm had been found to be most usual amongst the young girls, and sitting at home and school fatigue amongst the young boys. The other reasons for mental illness were pretty much the same amongst boys and girls. Still, it is important to take into account that there are hidden statistics of the young people who do not search for help against their mental illness. The resources needed to be improved in many aspects, mostly by more time by the social workers to help the adolescents and more skills development and tutoring for the social workers.