Syftet med denna studie är att fördjupa förståelsen och få en bild av vad som påverkar nyutexaminerade socialsekreterares dagliga arbete inom området barn och unga. Utifrån syftet har vi sökt svaret genom följande frågeställningar: Vilka organisatoriska faktorer påverkar nyutexaminerade socialsekreterares möjligheter att utföra ett, enligt dem, gott socialt arbete? Vilka handlingsstrategier använder nyutexaminerade socialsekreterare för att möta utmaningar i det dagliga sociala arbetet? Hur ser de organisatoriska och personliga förutsättningarna ut för tillämpning av mod i det praktiska sociala arbetet? Vi har använts oss av semi-strukturerade intervjuer av fem nyutexaminerade socialsekreterare verksamma i olika delar av landet. Materialet har sedan analyserats med hjälp av två copingbaserade teorier, Hirschmans (1970) teori om sorti, protest och lojalitet samt Astviks och Melins (2016) teori om överlevnadsstrategier. Resultatet visade att bristfällig introduktion, hög arbetsbelastning och hög personalomsättning påverkar möjligheterna att utföra ett gott arbete negativt. En hög tillit till ledningen och arbetsgruppen samt goda möjligheter till kollegialt stöd påverkar möjligheterna att utföra ett gott arbete positivt. De handlingsstrategier vi fann att socialsekreterarna använde sig av var att jobba över eller hoppa över raster för att hinna med, stänga av känslomässigt för att orka med arbetsbelastningen, lägga över ansvaret på någon annan och att ta avstånd från kollegor för att orka med den höga personalomsättningen. Möjligheterna att tillämpa mod i det praktiska sociala arbetet påverkas av organisatoriska faktorer som gruppens sammansättning, tillit till ledningen och ledningens bemötande. Personliga förutsättningar som kan påverka användandet av mod är tidigare erfarenheter och vilka personliga egenskaper som socialarbetaren besitter. / The purpose of this study is to deepen the understanding of and gain insight into what influences the daily work of newly graduated social workers in the field of children and youth. Based on this purpose, we have sought answers through the following research questions: What organizational factors affect the ability of newly graduated social workers to perform what they consider good social work? What strategies do newly graduated social workers use to address challenges in their daily social work? What are the organizational and personal conditions for applying courage in practical social work? We conducted semi-structured interviews with five newly graduated social workers working in different parts of the country. The material was then analyzed using two coping-based theories, Hirschman's (1970) theory of exit, voice and loyalty, as well as Astvik and Melin's (2016) theory of survival strategies. The results showed that inadequate introduction and support, high workload and high staff turnover negatively affect the opportunities to do a good job. A high level of trust in management and the work group, as well as good opportunities for collegial support, positively affects the opportunities to perform good work. The action strategies we found that the social workers used were working overtime or skipping breaks to catch up, shutting down emotionally to cope with the workload, shifting responsibility to someone else and distancing them-selves from colleagues to cope with the high staff turnover. The opportunities to apply courage in practical social work are affected by organizational factors such as the composition of the group, trust in management and patterns in leadership behavior. Personal conditions that can affect the use of courage are previous experiences and what personal qualities the social worker possesses

The purpose of this study is to examine the challenges and support for newly graduated social workers during their first two years of professional practice and how this relates to work introduction and professional organization. Previous research indicates that the transition from social work education to becoming a social worker within social services is challenging. Newly graduated social workers require careful introduction and support from experienced colleagues to feel confident in their role. Improved introduction and more tailored support can facilitate the transition to the work. This study focuses on the experiences of newly graduated social workers during the initial professional period. In this study, the theories of symbolic interactionism "I" and "Me", dynamic development process, and reflective practice are used to understand the interaction and socialization within the professional role as social worker. The method used in this study is a qualitative approach to understand the experiences of newly graduated social workers in their professional life. The results of this study indicate a significant change and an overwhelming sense of responsibility compared to the time spent in education. Furthermore, shortcomings in educational preparation for practical work, especially in authority exercises, are highlighted. Practical experience, including internships within social services, facilitates the transition and boosts the confidence of newly graduated social workers. Challenges identified in this study include high workload, uncertainty in client work, and managing prejudices and expectations from clients. The results also show that support from colleagues, supervisors, and training is crucial for professional development. Requests for longer, more structured introductions and reduced workload are emphasized to improve the transition to professional life and promote well-being.

The transition from studies to professional work is a critical period for newly graduated social workers. The development of new public management collides with the moral desire to do good for the clients. The following study is based on eight qualitative interviews with social workers who graduated between the years 2019-2024 and who left their employment in social services. The results show that high expectations of oneself and insufficient support constitute a vulnerability to burnout and/or sickness absence. The results also indicate, according to Hochschild's theory, that social services have many and complex feeling rules to manage, while feelings of shame and pride have been shown to play a significant role in relation to these feeling rules. The study's conclusion indicates that there is an unattainable image of how social workers in the establishment phase should handle the emotional work that the professional role requires. Reduced engagement has been found necessary to succeed in distancing oneself from work and reducing the risk of burnout, but the role of a social worker also entails high expectations of demonstrated engagement in social work to fulfill a good social work. Based on the study’s results, we also advocate that a more comprehensive study on the emotional work of social workers in the establishment phase be conducted, as it could contribute to preventing burnout in the form of intervention strategies within the professional field.