The purpose of this study was to investigate how kindergarten teachers look at their obligation to report and the possibilities and obstacles they see in reporting a child they think might be a victim of maltreatment. This study has a qualitative approach and six interviews were conducted with the help of both managers of kindergartens and kindergarten teachers. To analyse the empirical data that revealed itself during the interviews we used Johanssons (2007) and Svensson, Johnsson och Laanemets (2008) definition of discretion and the concept of “street level-bureaucrats”. The result showed that our informants experienced the meeting with children who they suspect is being maltreated is important and emotional and they thought that they had a moral responsibility towards these children. It also showed that the relationship the teachers had with the children's parents made a difference in how to act about reporting or not. Its also showed that the workplace itself and the knowledge and experience you have could interfere with reporting. In conclusion we think that more studies should be done in this area and that more knowledge about this should be included in education, which our informants also agreed on.

This study examines the applicability of Michael Lipsky’s (1980) concept of “street-level bureaucracy” to the profession of social work in 2019. Street-level bureaucrats are public service workers “who interact with citizens in the regular course of their jobs; have significant independence in decision making, and potentially have extensive impact on the lives of their citizens” (Lipsky, 1980:3). They are faced with uncertainties in their work related to inadequate resources, unclear policies, and caseloads/workloads that defy what may be possible to achieve by any one worker. Workers develop routines and “coping mechanisms,” to manage their environments. The routines that they develop then become effective public policy for their clients. The street-level bureaucracy theory has been widely applied, but generally with the assumption that street-level bureaucrats are homogenous across occupations and settings. Recent research suggests the need for more nuanced approaches, especially with regard to the effects of professionalism, individual characteristics of workers, and the variety of circumstances in which they interact with clients. Yet most research utilizes small numbers of cases, making it difficult to measure differences among types of workers. The present study addresses that gap with a large survey of social workers in Louisiana. Findings show that these street-level bureaucrats do exercise discretion, but circumstances in which they do so vary significantly, even within a single profession. Further, ways in which they exercise discretion differ from those described by Lipsky. Instead of using coping mechanisms to buffer themselves from an otherwise overwhelming environment, the respondents in this study report consultation with peers and management to find ways to serve client needs. These findings have implications for both the study of street-level bureaucracy and the practice of social work. Keywords: Discretion, decision-making, street-level bureaucracy, social work, coping mechanisms

Yrkesverksamma inom LSS (Lagen om stöd och service till vissa funktionshindrade) har i sin yrkesroll flera olika faktorer att förhålla sig till och tillmötesgå. De har LSS individualistiska förhållningssätt, organisationens regler och riktlinjer samt den enskilde stödanvändaren. De utgör ramen för yrkesrollens handlingsutrymme, inom vilket yrkesverksamma tar beslut. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur yrkesverksamma inom LSS upplever och hanterar sitt handlingsutrymme och vad som styr hur de används. För att uppfylla studiens syfte har kvalitativa intervjuer använts och därefter analyserats med Michael Lipskys teori gällande gräsrotsbyråkrati och det teoretiska begreppet handlingsutrymme. Resultatet visade att yrkesverksamma upplever att handlingsutrymmet innebär svårigheter men också möjligheter att tillmötesgå de olika parterna, trots det hanteras det genom maktutövning gentemot den enskilde. Vidare visade resultatet att yrkesverksammas erfarenheter styr hur handlingsutrymmet används, och påverkas av deras kunskap- och kompetensnivå samt möjlighet till reflektion. / Social workers within the Swedish act concerning support and service for persons with certain functional impairments (LSS) has in their profession several factors to take into account. They have the individualistic approaches of LSS, the organization´s rules and guidelines as well as the people receiving support. They provide the framework for the profession, within professional’s discretion. The aim of this study was to investigate how professionals experience and manage their discretion and what governs their use. In order to fulfill the aim of the study qualitative interviews have been used and subsequently analyzed by Michael Lipskys theory of street-level bureaucracy and the theoretical concept discretion. The result showed that professionals felt that their discretion meant difficulties but also opportunities for accommodate various parts, despite being handled by power. Furthermore, the result showed that occupational work experience control how the discretion is used and influenced by their knowledge and competence, as well as the possibility of reflection.

Uppsatsen syftade till att undersöka vilket handlingsutrymme socialtjänstens handläggare i en mindre kommun har vid utredning av insatsen boendestöd. Sju informanter, två stycken enhetschefer och fem stycken handläggare, från två enheter deltog i en intervjustudie kompletterad med tre stycken vinjettfall. En av enheterna arbetar gentemot beroende och den andra mot socialpsykiatri. I resultatet framkom en viss skillnad i hur enheternas personal förklarar och beskriver sitt handlingsutrymme. I den aktuella kommunen saknas lokala riktlinjer för insatsen boendestöd vilket påverkar handläggarnas handlingsutrymme och handlingsfrihet på flera sätt enligt informanterna. Några informanter känner sig begränsade i sitt arbete på grund av avsaknaden av lokala riktlinjer medan andra ger intryck av att känna sig friare i sitt arbete. För att beviljas boendestöd från socialpsykiatrin krävs en längre tids kontakt med psykiatrin, medan det inte krävs någon dokumentation gällande ett missbruks varaktighet för att beviljas boendestöd från beroende.

Background: Formal CEO board membership is a unique feature of Swedishboards. The share of firms having Formal CEO board membership hassignificantly decreased in the last 20 years and thus, this feature might haveevolved to be used as a signal of high CEO quality. CEO quality is in turnlikely to, through Formal CEO board membership, serve as a moderator of therelationship that both CEO power and CEO discretion has to firm performancewhich has previously been somewhat ambiguous. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explain how the CEO’s power anddiscretion is related to firm performance and if this relation is moderated byFormal CEO board membership. Method: To fulfill the purpose of this thesis, a deductive research approachwas used. The theoretical model used is built on four theories namely,Stewardship theory, CEO power, CEO discretion and Signaling theory. With a five-year interval stretching between 1998 to 2018, the quantitative empiricalmethod relies on compensation and financial data from Swedish firms. Conclusion: The results indicate that the relation that both CEO power andCEO discretion have to firm performance, consistent with the theoreticalmodel, is positive. The results further indicate that Formal CEO boardmembership as a signal of CEO quality can moderate these relationships. Thisfinding is, however, exclusive to the years after 2008.

Orosanmälningar som gäller barn och unga ökar, vilket innebär ett ökat tryck på socialsekreterare som arbetar med förhandsbedömningar. Samtidigt pågår organisatoriska förändringar inom socialtjänsten i Sverige, där effektivisering, standardisering och nya metoder är centrala. IVO har vid granskningar av socialtjänstens enheter för barn och unga hittat brister i arbetet med förhandsbedömningar, som pågått under en längre tid. Denna uppsats bygger på en kvalitativ studie där har vi undersökt professionellas arbete med förhandsbedömningar för att få en förståelse för under vilka premisser detta arbete sker. Vi har även undersökt socialsekreterares upplevelser av arbetet med fokus på utmaningar och utvecklingsområden. Som datainsamlingsmetod har vi använt oss av fokusgruppsintervjuer med vinjetter, samt en semistrukturerad intervju, där vi intervjuat socialsekreterare som jobbar på socialtjänstens mottagningsenheter inom tre kommuner i norra Sverige. Resultaten visar att socialsekreterare använder olika tillvägagångssätt i arbetet med förhandsbedömningar, samt att det finns olika förutsättningar för hur arbetet med förhandsbedömningar kan bedrivas. Detta förklaras främst genom påverkan av politiska beslut, organisationens ramar, ärendets- och arbetets karaktär, och socialsekreterares handlingsutrymme. / Reports concerning children and young people's welfare are increasing, which means increased pressure on social secretaries who work with pre-assessments. At the same time, organizational changes are ongoing in social services in Sweden, where efficiency, standardization and new methods are central. IVO has, on reviews of the social service units for children and young people, found shortcomings in the work with pre-assessments, which have been going on for a long time. This exam is based on a qualitative study where we have examined the work of professionals with pre-assessments to get an understanding about under which premises this work takes place. We have also examined social secretaries' experiences of the work focusing on challenges and development areas. As a data collection method, we have used focus group interviews with vignettes, as well as a semi-structured interview, where we interviewed social secretaries working at the social services reception units in three municipalities in northern Sweden. The results shows are that social secretaries use different approaches in the work with pre-assessments, and that there are different conditions for how the work can be conducted. This is mainly explained by the influence of political decisions, the organization's frameworks, the nature of the case, the nature of the work and social workers discretion.

The aim of this study was to explore job-coaches and work consultant’s discretion in work with activation of social assistance recipients. Semistructured interviews have been conducted with 4 job-coaches and 4 work consultants within 2 different municipalities. The interviews have been analyzed using Lipsky's theory on street-level bureaucracy and new institutional organization theory. The results of the study showed that job-coaches and work consultant’s report having a large discretion in the work with activation. Further results show that their experienced discretion in their work is not assessed as being affected by the level of education and age but that the work experience is seen essential. On an organizational level a large supply of activation measures and routines giving support was viewed as important. On a political level political priorities was viewed as an important aspect in regards to the discretion. / Syftet med den föreliggande studien har varit att undersöka jobbcoachers och arbetskonsulenters handlingsutrymme i aktiveringsarbetet med socialbidragsklienter. Semistrukturerade intervjuer har genomförts med 8 jobbcoacher och arbetskonsulenter i två kommuner. Intervjumaterialet har analyserats med hjälp av Lipsky´s teori om fornlinjebyråkrati och nyinstitutionell organisationsteori.  Studiens resultat visade att jobbcoacher och arbetskonsulenter upplever en stor handlingsfrihet i arbetet med aktivering. Vidare resultat visar att det upplevda handlingsutrymmet i arbetet bedöms inte påverkas av utbildningsnivå och ålder men att yrkeserfarenhet upplevs som betydelsefull. På organisationsnivå ansågs ett stort utbud av aktiveringsåtgärder och stöd inom verksamheten vara av vikt. På politisk nivå ansågs politiska prioriteringar som en viktig aspekt när det gäller handlingsutrymme.

The aim of this study is to understand from a professional perspective the importance of the biological children’s participation in the family home process and how family home social workers use their room for maneuver to involve the biological children in the family home process. The method used to answer the aim and the research questions was semi-structured interviews with seven women that work as family home social workers and the empirical material was analyzed through a thematic analysis. The theoretical framework we used to analyze the results was Lipsky's theory of Street-level bureaucracy and discretion. The main findings of this study were that family home social workers think that the participation of biological children is important both for the child's own wellbeing, for the whole family's dynamics and for the outcome of a family home placement. The most common methods used by family home social workers to involve biological children are relationship building and different types of conversations depending on the children's age and maturity. The study showsin the family home investigation, there are formalized guidelines that the family home social workers work according to but there are no general guidelines in the work with biological children in the further family home placement. That results in a discretion for the family home social workers. The study shows opportunities for improvement in making the biological children more involved in the family home process and that the biological children's participation is important for the work of family home social workers. Our results both confirm and contrast previous international and national research presented in the study.

Bakgrund: Ortopedingenjören har som uppgift att med sin kompetens och erfarenhet tillhandahålla en ortopedteknisk lösning som motsvarar patientens behov och önskemål. Handlingsutrymmet är det utrymme som en ortopedingenjör har till att ta självständiga beslut i sin yrkesutövning och är därmed summan av kompetens, bedömningar och rutiner inom verksamhetens ramar.  Syfte: Syftet med examensarbetet är att öka kunskapen om ortopedingenjörens upplevda handlingsutrymme i Sverige och Norge i relation till förskrivningsregler för protes på nedre extremiteter.  Metod: Examensarbetet baserades på en enkätundersökning med frågor gällande ortopedingenjörens upplevda handlingsutrymme utifrån mixed method. Enkäten publicerades via SOIF, Facebook gruppen Ortopedteknik i Sverige och NITO ortopedi.  Resultat: Faktorer som formade handlingsutrymmet, i situationer när ortopedingenjören upplevde stort inflytande, var främst patientrelaterade. De faktorer som beskrevs forma handlingsutrymmet vid upplevelsen av mindre inflytande var främst ekonomi och lagar/riktlinjer. Majoriteten av ortopedingenjörerna upplevde att de ofta kunde uppfylla patientens önskemål med avseende på sitt handlingsutrymme. Det förekom en delad mening om en förändring i förskrivningsprocessen behövde ske eller ej. En stor del av ortopedingenjörerna upplevde att de alltid haft möjlighet att påverka ett beslut vid förskrivning av en protes eller proteskomponent, medan ett mindre antal ortopedingenjörer har upplevt en eller flera situationer där beslutet inte kunnat påverkats. Slutsats: Ortopedingenjörer har varierande upplevelser gällande sitt handlingsutrymme, faktorer som formar handlingsutrymmet och möjligheten att påverka handlingsutrymmet vid förskrivning av proteser för nedre extremiteter. / Background: The task of the prosthetist is to provide an orthopaedic solution that meets the patient´s needs and wishes with expertise and experience. The discretion of action is the space that a prosthetist must make independent decisions in his professional practice and are thus the sum of skills, assessments and procedures within the discretion of the business. Purpose: The purpose of the study was to increase knowledge of the prosthetist perceived discretion in Sweden and Norway in relation to the prescription rules for lower limb prosthetics.  Method: The study was based on a survey that addressed questions regarding prosthetist perceived discretion for action through a mixed method. The survey was published via SOIF, the Facebook group Orthopaedics in Sweden and NITO orthopaedics. Results: Factors that affected the action of discretion, in situations when the prosthetist experienced great influence, were mainly related to the patient. In opposite, when the prosthetist experienced less influence, the main factors that affected a decision regarding a prosthetic where economy and laws/guidelines. The majority of prosthetists felt that they were often able to fulfil the patient’s request regarding to their discretion of action. In consideration to if the prescription process were in need of change or not, the opinion was divided. Many of the prosthetists have always experienced that they’re in charge of decision making or at least have been able to affect the decision. While a small number of prosthetists have experienced one or multiple situations where they could not affect the decision.  Conclusion: Prosthetists have varying experiences regarding their discretion, factors that shape the discretion and the ability to influence the discretion when prescribing prosthetics for lower limb.

The purpose of this paper is to deeper understand Swedish school counselors’ work to build trustful relationships with pupils and the counselors’ possibilities to discover child sexual abuse. This will be studied, considering that the school holds many different professions. This paper will also look into the social workers opportunities and obstacles in the profession. The result of the study has developed from qualitative interviews with five school counselors where they were asked questions about their experiences and current work situation. The result showed that all of the school counselors had both suspected and discovered child sexual abuse among the pupils. They try their hardest to be as efficient as possible and to build relations, although they consider time to be their biggest obstacle. The economy and the interest principals and politicians take in the counsellors, turned out to have an impact on the priority the school counselors’ work will have.