Since 2007, about 300 unaccompanied children have annually disappeared in Sweden. This study investigates whether authorities are aware of the problem and how they look at risks, responsibilities and causes of disappearance of unaccompanied children. This is done through a combination of text analyzes of relevant reports as well as qualitative interviews of selected social service professionals and the National Method support against prostitution and human trafficking. The empirical findings have been analyzed with the help of Michael Lipsky’s (2010) Street-Level Bureaucracy theory and Carol Bacchi’s (2009) what’s the problem represented to be – approach. There seem to be a mixed awareness amongst those who are dealing with the problem that unaccompanied refugees disappear. There seems to be, however, a national goal as well as a local interest, to improve the preventive work against the problem that unaccompanied refugee children disappear. Yet the results show that other aspects and participants are to be considered for an extensive understanding of the problem.

The purpose of this study is to investigate/evaluate how employment officers handle the refugees who have different backgrounds and therefore different conditions for entering the labour market. Semi-structured interview was used and a total of seven employment officers participated and the result shows that all the participants experienced cultural clashes in their work. Everyone has their own way for solving this issue, for example to inform the clients how the employment officer works or helping the clients with their issues and questions. The aspects of ethnicity and gender are important especially for female clients during conversation for establishment since the living conditions between the genders are not always equally. Depending on the clients individually qualifications the employment officers will decide how to help the clients. Furthermore, the employment officers considered that those efforts offered to the clients are sufficient. However, establishment within two years is hard to achieve, especially for clients who are illiterates and women who have been housewives their whole life. The result should be interpreted with caution due to the few participants.

Det finns begränsat med forskning kring hur biståndshandläggare inom äldreomsorgen arbetar med ensamhet hos äldre personer. Med anledning av detta är studiens huvudsakliga syfte att undersöka hur biståndshandläggare i Dalarnas kommuner arbetar med att utreda sociala behov till följd av ensamhet hos äldre personer samt att ta reda på vilka kommunala sociala insatser som erbjuds för dessa individer och på vilka grunder. Studien är genomförd utifrån en kvantitativ ansats, där vi har använt oss av en enkät, som innehåller frågor som avser att besvara syftet. Tolkningsramen för analysen av det empiriska materialet utgörs av Lipskys teori om gräsrotsbyråkrati. Studiens resultat visar att det finns behov av att både utöka och utveckla kommunernas utbud av sociala insatser för äldre personer samt att utveckla rutiner för hur man ska arbeta med ensamhet hos äldre personer. Studien påvisar ett behov av mer forskning, både internationell och nationell, kring hur biståndshandläggare arbetar med att identifiera ensamhet hos äldre personer. / There is limited research on how care administrators in elderly care work with loneliness among older people. For this reason, the study's main purpose is to examine how care administrators in Dalecarlian counties are working to investigate the social needs as a result of loneliness among older people and to find out which municipal-based social interventions that are offered for these individuals and on what grounds. The study was conducted based on a quantitative approach, were we have used a questionnaire that includes questions designed to answer the study’s purpose. Interpretative framework for the analysis of the empirical material consists of Lipsky 's theory of street-level bureaucracy. The study’s results show that there is a need to both expand and develop the municipal-based social interventions for the elderly and to develop procedures on how to work with loneliness among older people. The study demonstrates a need for more research, both international and national, about how care administrators are working to identify loneliness among older people.

I denna studie är syftet att skapa en förståelse kring vad som utmärker socialsekreterarnas eftervårdsarbete med ungdomar placerade på särskilda ungdomshem. Studien använder sig av semistrukturerade intervjuer som datasamlingsmetod där socialsekreterarna delat med sig av sina erfarenheter och kunskaper. Utifrån intervjuerna har det i analysen gått att urskilja tre teman som beskriver vad som utmärker socialsekreterares eftervårdsarbete. Dessa teman är: Bibehålla ungdomarnas utveckling, Motstånd i eftervården och Förväntningar på ungdomarnas framtid. De olika insatserna som socialsekreterarna lämnar samt de framgångar och motgångar de har erfarenheter av i eftervården har tolkats utifrån resilience och gräsrotsbyråkrati. Med stöd av dessa teoretiska utgångspunkter framkommer områdena boende, sysselsättning, behandling och socialt nätverk, som socialsekreterarna anser främjar ungdomarnas chans att klara sig efter avslutad placering. I studien framkommer även att socialsekreterarna upplever motstånd från ungdomarna och på vilket sätt de bemöter detta. Studien belyser även att socialsekreterarna arbetar med att integrera ungdomarna i det övriga samhället och vilka förväntningar de uppfattar de kan ställa på dessa ungdomar. / In this study the aim is to create an understanding of what characterizes social workers measures in leaving care for young people in secure units. The study uses semi-structured interviews as a qualitative data collection method where social workers shared their experiences of working with leaving care for young people in secure units. Based on the interviews, our analysis found three themes that describe what characterize social workers’ work. The themes are: Maintain young people’s achievements, Resistance in leaving care and Expectations for young people’s future. What kind of measures the social workers provided along with what they experienced benefited or hindered their work has been analyzed on the basis of resilience and street-level bureaucracy. With the support of these theoretical perspectives housing, employment, treatment and social network was found to be a part of the social workers’ measures to promote young people’s chances for an independent living. It was also found that social workers experiences resistance from young people and how they worked with these setbacks. The study also highlights how the social workers’ strived to integrate young people back into society.

<p>This thesis is a case study that examines what political decisions have been taken and how these policies have been implemented. Further this thesis discusses how legitimacy of local policy makers and implementors is affected. The subject studied have been the social service of Jönköping municipality and the intervention of safe-housing aimed at women who have been, or are subject to violence by person close to them. In our study we have examined local policy within the territory of the intervention and how this policy is implemented. A qualitative method with semi-structured interviews was used in combination with quantitative methods to examine protocols from the social welfare board and an action program named <em>"Skydd och stöd för misshandlade kvinnor och deras barn” [Protection and support for abused women and their children].</em></p><p>The purpose of this study has been to highlight how the social services implemented the local policy of safe-house accommodation in Jönköping municipality from the legitimacy and discretion perspectives. Theoretical concepts used in the study is legitimacy, discretion and implementation. To analyze our data we use the street-level bureaucracy theory (Lipsky 1980). Our survey showed that the intervention safe-house accommodation was not mainly governed by local policy, instead, it was directed by street-level bureaucracy.</p>

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This thesis is a case study that examines what political decisions have been taken and how these policies have been implemented. Further this thesis discusses how legitimacy of local policy makers and implementors is affected. The subject studied have been the social service of Jönköping municipality and the intervention of safe-housing aimed at women who have been, or are subject to violence by person close to them. In our study we have examined local policy within the territory of the intervention and how this policy is implemented. A qualitative method with semi-structured interviews was used in combination with quantitative methods to examine protocols from the social welfare board and an action program named "Skydd och stöd för misshandlade kvinnor och deras barn” [Protection and support for abused women and their children]. The purpose of this study has been to highlight how the social services implemented the local policy of safe-house accommodation in Jönköping municipality from the legitimacy and discretion perspectives. Theoretical concepts used in the study is legitimacy, discretion and implementation. To analyze our data we use the street-level bureaucracy theory (Lipsky 1980). Our survey showed that the intervention safe-house accommodation was not mainly governed by local policy, instead, it was directed by street-level bureaucracy.

This study regards the Swedish documentation system, BBiC, which is translated from the English version LACS. BBiC is created to make sure that the children’s needs are put in centre of attention in child protection investigations. The BBiC-system becomes problematic regarding unaccompanied refugee children because of the parent-perspective which is a keystone in the system. Therefor BBiC creates discretion for the social worker which is not BBiC: s original intension. The study’s aim was to understand how BBiC: s creates discretion for the social worker that works with unaccompanied refugee children. In the results of the study we show that the social workers discretion expands when using BBiC in the work with unaccompanied refugee children. Because of the lack of guidelines from Socialstyrelsen, BBiC is used differently in different municipalities. The social workers sees BBiC in different ways, some see BBiC as a complete system and has adapted BBiC well to the work with unaccompanied refugee children and therefore the discretion increases. Some has only adapted BBiC as a way of thinking and still has a large discretion. We use Lipskys theory about street-level bureaucracy and discretion. We selected the theory and its concept because it is relevant to analyze how BBiC has created discretion for the social workers that work with unaccompanied refugee children. With a large discretion there is also a risk of injustice safety for the unaccompanied refugee child. Therefor the legitimacy of municipality can be questioned. We preformed semi-structured interviews in eight municipalities in southern Sweden and had twelve interviewees. We have also done literary studies regarding Socialstyrelsens reports about BBiC and the research that concerning the implementation of BBiC.

Miljöbalken är en svensk ramlag som syftar till att skydda människors hälsa och miljön på ett hållbart sätt, men i och med att balken är en ramlag kanden också ge upphov till tolkning. Förordningar och föreskrifter tillsätts för att tydliggöra miljöbalkens regler och minska detta tolkningsutrymme. Enyrkesverksam grupp som i sitt dagliga arbete kommer i kontakt med miljöbalken är miljö- och hälsoskyddsinspektörer. Denna kvalitativa intervjustudiesyftar till att undersöka hur inspektörers arbete och upplevelse av tolkningsutrymmet har förändrats sedan miljötillsynsförordning 2011:13 trädde ikraft, då förordningens syfte är att tydliggöra ansvarsfördelningen av kemikalietillsynen. Inspektörernas upplevelser av tolkningsutrymmet analyserasmed hjälp av Michael Lipskys teori om närbyråkrati. Studien visar på att majoriteten av miljö- och hälsoskyddsinspektörerna upplever ett tolkningsutrymme i miljöbalken, och att inspektörerna kandefinieras som närbyråkrater då de har ett stort inflytande på hur lagen implementeras. Resultatet visar även att det inte har skett någon förändring iinspektörernas arbete sedan miljötillsynsförordning 2011:13 trädde i kraft, vilket kan bero på en tröghet i implementeringsprocessen.

The overall purpose of this essay was to provide a better understanding of the importance of discretion for social workers in direct social services. To answer the purpose three questions were formulated: (1) How do social workers define and describe their discretion and their ability to independently accomplish their work? (2) How do social workers experience that workplace organization, policies and economic conditions interact with their discretion and (3) How do social workers experience that the interaction with the client can affect how they use their discretion in the individual case? The method used was qualitative interviews. The theoretical framework was Michael Lipskys (1980) Street-level bureaucracy and the four themes organization, professional role, skills and interaction. The results showed that the respondents, although they did not consider themselves to be affected by the economy still adapted to budget restrictions when they said that they were cost conscious in their work. This adjustment to budget framework could possibly be what made them not feel limited in their work. The organization around the direct social work varied, in spite of this showed the result a broad consensus in the experiences of discretion in direct social work.