The aim of this study is to investigate how länsstyrelsen as a supervisory authority to private compulsory care-institutions works, to guarantee adequate institutional care of unprivileged children and youth with special problems. In order to reach this aim the following questions are to be answered: • Describe länsstyrelsen´s supervision of private compulsory care-institutions (HVB-hem) • How does the officials at the three chosen county administrative boards find about the responsibility To answer the questions of this bachelor thesis I have chosen to apply qualitative methods, by interviewing five supervisory authorities from länsstyrelsen, in three different county administrative boards in Sweden. The findings of the study show that officials sometimes find it hard to know the exact meaning and differences between accountability and to be accountable. It also shows that they tend to think that the relationship between länsstyrelsen and the private compulsory care institutions is complicated. Because the officials have two part relationships, they have on the one hand a consultative role and on the other hand the supervising role. Keywords: Länsstyrelsen, Hem för vård eller boende (HVB-hem), Ansvar, Ansvarsutkrävande, Socialtjänstlagen

In recent years, there has been an establishment of private actors as providers of social work,and since then, the branch of private actors has expanded significantly. This has led tocountless discussions and questions about what it means for social work. The media andsocial scientists question how appropriate it is for private providers to operate social work.One problem that is addressed in research is the concern of private actors focusing onincreasing demand. The second main problem is the concern that Social Services becomes thecustomer instead of the child who is actually in need of help from a Residential care unit(RCU). This essay examines how managers at private RCU:s experiences the benefits anddisadvantages of running a RCU in the private sector, by interviewing seven managers. It alsocompares the interviewees' answers to theories of professionalism in order to examine howworking in the private sector affects professional values of social workers. The results showthat there are both benefits and disadvantages to running a privately owned RCU. The mostsubstantial benefit is that it is easier for managers to make decisions because of the closework with the owners of the RCU. This makes it easier for managers to make large changesand implement new working methods, which also means that private organizations can bemore flexible. Furthermore, the personnel working with the children also have greater impactover the organization. The largest disadvantage that is experienced is the difficulty of runningan organization with requirements of earning a profit. This also has an impact on theprofession of being a social worker. To work in a business that requires a profit can bechallenging as that goes against professional values. The interviewees, however, mean that itis easier to follow professional values, such as care for others, while working in the privatesector due to the personnels’ greater impact over the organization and how to manage their own work.

Min studie handlar om hur personal på HVB–hem arbetar med motivation för att öka barn och ungas delaktighet i sin behandling under placeringstiden. Syftet med studien var att fånga upp personalens upplevelser och perspektiv av hur man arbetar med motivation och delaktighet för de placerade barnen. Till min studie har jag genomfört sex semistrukturerade intervjuer med personal som arbetar på HVB–hem som jag därefter bearbetade med metoden tematisk analys. Till min analys har jag använt mig av teorierna empowerment och självbestämmande teorin. Resultatet visar att personal har olika tolkningar gällande arbetet med motivation och delaktighet och att man kopplar detta till olika praktiska moment som att påverka sin vardag genom husmöte och i sitt veckoschema. Vidare visar resultatet att motivation och delaktighet hör ihop och att båda behövs för att ungdomarna ska kunna göra en förändring och att behandlarnas verktyg för motivationsarbetet är belöningssystem. Resultatet visar att det finns flera hinder i arbetet som till exempel ifall ungdomen är SoL eller LVU- placerad och att personalen upplever sig begränsade utifrån de lagar som HVB–hemmen styrs utav. Ett annat hinder i arbetet som framkommer i resultatet är att ungdomar riskerar att utveckla fler riskbeteenden när de placeras tillsammans med andra ungdomar på HVB–hem. Gemensamt för alla informanter är att alla har utbildning och kompetens för arbetet men att personalen behöver fortsatt vägledning kring arbetet med öka barnens motivation och delaktighet i sin behandling. / My study is about how staff at out of care homes work with motivation to increase children and young people´s participation in their treatment during the placement period. The aim of study was to capture the staff´s experiences and perspectives of how to work with motivation and participation for the placed children. For my study, I have conducted six semi-structured interviews with staff who work at out of care homes whick I then processed using the thematic analysis method. For my analysis, I have used the theories of empowerment and self-determination theory. The results show that staff have different interpretations of the work with motivation and participation and that this is linked to different practical ascpects in order to influence their everyday life through house meetings and in their weekly schedule. Furthermore, the results show that motivation an participation are associated and that bot hare needed for the young people to be able to make a change. The motivational tools for the staff is a reward system. The results show that there are several obstacles in the work, such as if the young person is SoL or LVU – placed and that the staff feel limited based on the laws that the out of care homes are obligated by. Another obstacle in the work that the results show is that young people are at risk of developing more risky behaviors when they are placed togheter with other young people. Common to all informants is that they all are educated and have competence for the work, but that the staff needs guidance reagarding the work for increasing the children´s motivation and participation in their treatment.

Studien är en undersökning av personalens upplevelser och erfarenheter av psykisk ohälsa hos ensamkommande flyktingbarn. För att kunna genomföra undersökningen har individer som idag arbetar eller har arbetat på HVB-hem intervjuats.Studien har använts sig av två olika teorier, den ena är Antonovsky (2005) i form av KASAM och den andra av Lazarus (1999) i form av Coping för att kunna analysera empirin, det vill säga intervjuerna.För att kunna genomföra undersökningen och för att det ska vara tillförlitligt har kvalitativ forskningsintervju tillämpats. De intervjupersoner som intervjuas har eller har haft erfarenhet av att arbeta med ensamkommande flyktingbarn från Afghanistan med psykisk ohälsa. Totalt har fem intervjupersoner intervjuats.Resultatet av studien visar att samtliga intervjupersoner har haft erfarenhet av ensamkommande flyktingbarn med psykisk ohälsa. Deras psykiska ohälsa har uttryckt sig på olika sätt, det kan vara i form av olika känslor i form av aggression, isolering, gråt samt distansering från HVB-personalen. Resultatet visar även att HVB-personalen upplever att de ställs inför dagliga utmaningar eftersom de ensamkommande flyktingbarnen inte delar med sig om sina känslor och stänger in sig istället för att dela med sig sina känslor med personalen. I och med de distanserar sig och isolerar sig från personalen finns andra stöd som de ensamkommande flyktingbarnen kan få, bland annat hjälp från BUP.

Through the small-scale and imaginative application of a Speculative Institutional Ethnographical study, fictionalised stories have been created based upon observations in the field at three different Youth Care Home Facilities in Sweden. The locations and characters in these stories are composite narratives comprised of actual details from multiple real life places and people, amalgamated to form fictionalised narratives so as to protect the anonymity of real life people. The researcher’s primary motivation with the research is to develop a better understanding of the way in which individual differences between staff members working at these facilities impact their decision making in an environment which is supposedly value-neutral. It is argued that a multitude of factors will influence staff members perceptions of youths at these homes and that a degree of bias or partiality is unavoidable. An awareness of this and a development of critical reflexivity is encouraged. Through drawing data from real life observations in the field to create credible, realistic fictionalised stories, the research project is combining academic and creative writing processes in an innovative and progressive way. The goal of the research is not to prove or disprove a specific hypothesis but rather to explore an issue and develop a better understanding of the complexity and nuances of working at a Youth Care Home facility in view of Intersectional Gender Studies.

Den evidensbaserade praktiken har blivit en alltmer påtaglig del av socialarbetares praktik. Betoningen på evidensbasering inom socialt arbete i Sverige har implementerats främst genom statliga myndigheter ner i professionen, vilket har bemötts med en generell skepsis av yrkesfältet. HVB-hem för barn och unga är en del av den sociala barnavården som påverkas av den statliga kunskapsstyrningen. Studiens analys fokuserar på hur behandlingspersonal på HVB-hem för barn och unga upplever att den evidensbaserade praktiken påverkar den professionellas möjlighet att bedriva behandlingsvård. Nio semistrukturerade intervjuer har genomförts med behandlingspersonal som arbetar på HVB-hem för barn och unga och som har haft en två-årig eftergymnasial utbildning. Informanternas utsagor har analyserats utifrån professionsteori och symbolisk interaktionism. Resultatet har påvisat att behandlingsarbetet kan innebära en varierande behandlingskontext och att flertalet förutsättningar påverkar yrkesutövningen. Den evidensbaserade praktiken kan däremellan utgöra ett gemensamt yrkesspråk och förhållningssätt på HVB-hem för barn och unga, som kan tolkas och tillämpas olika. Möjligheten att tillämpa evidens kan ses grunda sig i behandlingspersonalens utbildningsbakgrund och yrkesfärdighet. För att kunna arbeta med evidens implicerar det att den professionella kan läsa, förstå och tillämpa evidens inom behandlingsvården. Å ena sidan kan den evidensbaserade praktiken som idé bedömas vara en självklarhet för behandlingspersonal på HVB-hem för barn och unga. Å andra sidan kan definieringen och tillämpningen av den evidensbaserade praktiken bedömas vara oklar och komplicerad i en kontextbunden praktik, som HVB-hem för barn och unga inte sällan är.

Syften med studien var att undersöka och få en fördjupad förståelse kring socialsekreterares kompetens i arbetet med ensamkommande barn, detta utifrån socialsekreterare och HVB- personalens perspektiv. Studien undersökte även vikten av kulturkompetens och hur samarbetet fungerade mellan aktörerna. I denna kvalitativa studie har nio intervjuer genomförts, med fyra HVB-personal och med fem socialsekreterare. En semistrukturerad intervju valdes eftersom en semistrukturerad intervju har fler öppna frågor och bredare tema, vilket ledde till att respondenterna hade möjlighet att påverka intervjuns innehåll. Vi strävade efter ett resultat och en analys där respondenternas egna ord och upplevelser stod i centrum. Studiens teoretiska utgångspunkter postkolonialism och intersektionalitet gav studien de perspektiv som möjliggjorde en analys av den insamlade empirin. Slutsatsen utifrån studiens syfte och frågeställningar tydde på att socialsekreterare behöver mer erfarenhet i arbetet med just ensamkommande då utbildningen inte sträcker sig över ämnet ensamkommande och migration. Kulturkompetens visade sig vara av stor vikt i arbetet med ensamkommande för att kunna förstå deras kultur och bakgrund samt vad individen bär med sig. Samarbetet mellan aktörerna fungerade bra men kunde förbättras, aktörerna var dock oense om vem som oftast tog initiativet till kontakt. Det som försvårade för aktörerna var att rollerna kunde uppfattas som otydliga och brist på resurser. / The purpose of the study was to investigate and gain an in-depth understanding of the municipal social workers competence in the work with unaccompanied children, this from the perspective of the municipal social workers and the HVB-staff. But also the importance of cultural competence and how the cooperation between the authorities worked. In this qualitative study, nine interviews were conducted, with four HVB-staff and five municipal social workers. A semi- structured interview was chosen to be conducted because it has more indefinite questions and a broader theme, which led to the respondents having the opportunity to influence the content of the interview. We strived for a result and an analysis where the respondents’ own words and experiences were in focus. The study’s theoretical starting points postcolonialism and intersectionality gave the study the perspectives that enabled an analysis of the collected empirical data. The conclusion based on the purpose of the study and issues indicated that municipal social workers need more experience in working with unaccompanied children as the education does not extend to the subject of unaccompanied children and migration. Cultural competence proved great importance in the work with unaccompanied minors in order to clearly understand their culture and background, what the individual carries with them. The cooperation between the authorities worked well but could be improved, however, the respondents disagreed on who most often took the initiative to contact. What made it difficult for the respondents was that the roles could be perceived as unclear and lack of resources.

I denna studie har erfarenheter och framtidsvisioner vad gäller utbildning och arbete i Sverige bland unga kvinnor som kom till Sverige som ensamkommande flickor undersökts. Ambitionen med studien är att öka kunskapen kring gruppen unga kvinnor som kommit till Sverige som ensamkommande flickor. Kvalitativa djupgående intervjuer samt en hermeneutisk forskningsansats, präglad av författarnas förförståelse, har använts i studien. I studieresultatet framkommer att de unga kvinnorna upplever mindre stöd samt en ökad ensamhet efter att de har flyttat från HVB-hemmet till eget boende. Studieresultatet visar även på att de unga kvinnorna upplever segregation i skolan samt har kunskapsluckor kring arbete och utbildning. I studiens slutsats formuleras möjliga förbättringar för att öka unga kvinnors kontaktnät innan de flyttar till eget boende, för att motverka segregation i skolan samt förslag på att införa regelbundna samtal. Förbättringarna syftar till att öka unga kvinnors möjligheter att nå sina mål, nå ökat välmående samt en förbättrad integration. / This study have set out to oppose the experience and outlook on future regarding education and work within the group of young women who came to Sweden as unaccompanied refugee children. The purpose of the study is also to increase knowledge about young women who came to Sweden as unaccompanied refugee children. Qualitative in-depth interviews with a hermeneutic research approach characterized by the author’s preconceptions have been used for the study. The key features of the study is that young women after they have moved out of the residential care home to their own apartments experience feelings of loneliness and lack of support. Experiences of segregation in school and knowledge gaps regarding education and work is also key features in the study. In the conclusion of the study possible improvements are suggested to improve young women’s contact network before moving to their own apartments, counteract segregation in school and suggest an establishment of regular dialogues. The improvements aims as a way to increase young women’s abilities to reach their goals, increase their wellbeing and improve integration.

The dissertation analyses access to welfare resources within the areas of schooling, leisure and peer relations for youth in out of home care. The study was conducted in three counties in mid Sweden and is a replication of the recurrent Swedish surveys of living condition of children in general populations. By using the same design, children aged 13–18 (n=272) in foster care and residential care were approached. Throughout the analysis results are compared with conditions for peers living at home, based on data from the 2004/2005 survey on living conditions for children (Child-ULF). Furthermore the results are linked to the young people’s experience of psychosomatic complaints and emotional wellbeing and discussed within the theoretical framework of childhood sociology. Questions regarding society’s ability to convey resources to youth while in care as well as young persons’ potential to exercise determination while in care are also discussed. The study shows that youth in care in general have access to fewer resources than those in general populations in the studied areas. For youth in residential care the differences compared to peers living at home are substantial, while conditions for youth in foster care are more alike those of young people in general. Youth in residential care have fewer school related resources and fewer contacts with friends than peers living at home. Youth in foster and residential care are more subjected to bullying than the general population. The overall conclusions are that society, in the form of foster parents and residential staff fails in certain areas to convey resources to youth in care. The young people’s lack of resources poses limitations to their potential to exercise self-determination while in care. The study points out areas where targeted efforts might be needed to improve the living conditions for youth in out of home care and perhaps broaden their potential to exercise self-determination while in care as well as after. / Välfärd i samhällsvården? En levnadsnivåundersökning av barn och ungdomar i socialtjänstens dygnsvård

Sexual and reproductive rights, like other human rights, are to be respected, protected and fulfilled by the state. Public authorities and welfare organizations thus have an obligation to conduct a work practice accordingly. Social services' supportive and promotive mission for individuals' living conditions should include SRHR in general, not least in the work with children and youths. Yet previous research points out many obstacles that obstruct a practice grounded in sexual and reproductive rights within different social work environments. This in turn makes it difficult to achieve better sexual and reproductive health. The aim of this study is to obtain a deeper understanding of how professional​​s at residential care centers within Malmö Stad experience the work related to youths sexual and reproductive health. Additionally the aim is to highlight the challenges involved in incorporating sexual and reproductive rights of placed youths. In order to achieve the purpose, a qualitative method was applied. Semi structured interviews have been conducted with six employees within said organizations. These objects of study all had professional experience in working close to the clients on behalf of social service's assignments. The empirics has been analyzed and interpreted based on theoretical concepts such as street-level bureaucracy and discretion. The findings are also related to previous research and state of knowledge presented in the study. The result indicates that all of the informants experience difficulties in executing a social work practice grounded in SRHR. These difficulties are experienced at different levels such as in relation to clients, colleagues, management and the mission itself. Unclear or lacking of priorities, different normative attitudes among staff, deficient or various knowledge and ambiguity seem to be prevalent factors. These results suggest that discretion plays a substantial role in regards to the SRHR grounded practice within residential care.