The purpose of the study is to examine what effects the law has on principals’ approaches to mandatory reporting of child maltreatment (Social Services Act 14:1§). Moreover, the aim is to study if the regulation gets the impact intended. To respond to the purpose, legal science methods in the form of sociology of law were employed aided by qualitative semi-structured research interviews. The interviews comprised six principals in six different schools in the Stockholm area. The interviews were analyzed based on sociology of law theory, earlier research and relevant regulations in social law. The outcome indicates that principals’ understanding of the intentions behind mandatory reporting of child maltreatment is limited in some aspects. There is a difference between the interviewed principals’ official approaches and how they answer that they apply mandatory reporting in practice. When deciding how to apply the mandatory reporting, the child’s best interest is weighed against the parents’ right not to be reported to the authorities unless there is a real concern in the child. The principals suggest that in situations when a report does not lead to action, the reporting creates a bad relationship between the parents and the school. According to the principals, these situations affect the children and their wellbeing

Accessibility and use of social services by the Romany minority in Prachatice is a very topical issue. All social services provided are specified in the Social Services Act. The main mission of the aforesaid Act is to protect the rights and legitimate interests of individuals who are disadvantaged in the enforcement of their interests for various reasons. These reasons may include age, race, health handicap, critical life situation, insufficiently stimulating social environment, etc. The objective was to map social services used by the Romany minority in Prachatice. In order to fulfil the objective of the thesis, the following three research questions were put. RQ 1: What are the problems concerning which the Romany minority contacts social services organizations? RQ 2: Do the social services offered in Prachatice reflect the issues of the Romany population? RQ 3: What social needs of the Romany people in Prachatice remain unsatisfied? For the research part a qualitative methodology was used, which allowed to depict the dynamics of opinions and attitudes of all informants. The data were collected by means of a semi-structured interview technique. The research examined both the views of Romany citizens of Prachatice and the views of social workers from the local social services organizations. The data were collected from 17 informants in total. The obtained data were processed while using the grounded theory. As an important finding that resulted from my research, I deem the fact that the Romany population in Prachatice knows only nine social services organizations and uses only five of them (Most naděje, Céčko, Coolna, Lungo Drom, Phénix). Moreover, they use the social services of these organizations only sporadically or not at all. The social services used by the Romany people include leisure time activities, social consultancy, visits at schools, provision and arrangement of meals, provision of accommodation, individual planning, crisis intervention, safekeeping of valuables, financial assistance, outreach work, exchange program, indicative testing, pre-school preparation and catch-up lessons. The Romany people would welcome greater interest of social services organizations and their responsiveness. They would also appreciate more leisure time activities in their quarters, better facilities of the quarters and their surroundings, more culture for Romany people and a Romany club led by a Romany social worker. They would also welcome a Romany social worker in some other social services and at the Municipal Police of Prachatice. Informants lack contact with the majority society and better time availability of the urban mass transport and, last but not least, would welcome changes in the municipal government. Social workers would welcome a social service in Prachatice with a psychologist and psychiatrist available for children and adults, higher frequency of visits of the citizens' association Fokus České Budějovice, establishment of social accommodation facilities and a day-care centre for homeless people, social service for children up to three years, strengthening of the ground social work, and a social service aimed at hiring Romany people for temporary jobs. Based on the results derived from the interviews performed and from the data obtained, it is possible to formulate the following three hypotheses. H1: The service most used by the Romany population is social consultancy. H2: Organizations providing social services respond to the Romany issues. H3: Prachatice needs to strengthen ground social work. The findings revealed by this thesis may be used by the social services organizations in Prachatice as feedback from the Romany minority concerning the given issues. Thus the organizations can respond to the need of particular services, which may result in more frequent use of social services in Prachatice.

The society faces the challenge of ensuring high-quality, available and economically affordable social and health care for their elderly citizens at a time when, given the demographic trend, the proportion of people aged 65 and more who are dependent on assistance of other people increases and when at the same time public financial resources are limited. The aim of the thesis is to determine what changes occurred in the use of support services for seniors in Central Bohemia Region in connection with Act No. 108/2006 Coll.The research results show that clients of social care services are most often eligible for care allowance in the 1st degree at maximum and use it mostly partially.Seniors most often seek social care services but these are generally focused on individual simple activities and they lack effort to carry out comprehensive assessment of a client´s situation and planning of care. Cooperation of support services with local authorities in the area of Central Bohemia Region might help.

Subject of this thesis is to evaluate effectivity of Strategic plan of social integration in the town of Jáchymov. Thesis is focused on the process of planning and effectivity of measures suggested in Strategic plan. Beside the main focus it also assesses the overall social situation of Jáchymov. It collects and describes activities aiming on social integration. It describes and evaluates the process of design and implementation of strategic plan. Connection of both areas provides a better insight into the whole topic. Based on the results of research this thesis provides possible measures to improve the quality of planning process of social services and to improve the living conditions of Jáchymov's inhabitants. This thesis can serve as a guideline to initiate proceses associated with social services planning or community activities planning. Key words: Jáchymov (Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic) Strategic planning and strategic plan, Community planning Social integration Social services

To categorize groups of people is a necessity in our society. Categorization of people is used by decision makers and authorities. In the national social service legislation, categorization can be used to instruct municipalities to prioritize vulnerable groups of clients in need of support and services. The negative aspect of categorizing is that people are being labeled in a certain way, which can affect how people are being treated. The current Social Services Act in Sweden contains specific regulations to certain groups in society. One of the proposals in the extensive investigation for a new Social Services Act is to tone down these certain groups. The investigation for a new Social Services Act was sent out for consultation to 193 relevant community actors, including municipalities, government authorities and interest groups. These are given the opportunity to submit opinions and comments before the legislation is amended. This study is based on the received responses from the community actors through a qualitative text analysis. 55 of the received 157 responses addressed categorization of the target groups in the legislation. The results show that the majority of the 55 responses are in favour of target groups being toned down. In the responses there are arguments that highlight an increased individual perspective and a holistic view in social work. Other actors highlight risks with toning down the target groups, such as an increased difficulty for individuals to claim their rights and that it increases the risk of inequality. The results also show that there is a difference in the responses depending on whether the respondent is a municipality, a government authority or an interest group. The municipalities are in favour of the target groups being toned down while we find government authorities and interest groups on both sides of the argument. It also shows how different organizations take their interests into account in a consultation procedure.

In the Social Services Act in Sweden, it is stated that every child has the right to be given information and the opportunity to express its will and opinion. The child’s possibility to participate in the process of investigation should be considered with respect to the child´s age and maturity. By reasons of this we have chosen to examine how this is practiced in Swedish courts regarding eight cases where the out of home care of children according to 1 and 2 §§ in LVU is being judged. This has been done through a qualitative study with an attempt of using an argumentation analysis method. The main result of our study is that in the cases we studied the children had participated to a larger extent than described in previous research. Anyhow, when it comes to taking children’s, opinions in account, the cases we studied showed still great flaws and need of improvements. The conclusion of our study is that children's participation is a complex issue where more research is needed. Having this said, we believe that the subject of children’s participation must be more highlighted if a greater change is going to happen in the society. / I Socialtjänstlagen står det beskrivet att varje barn har rätt att bli tilldelad information och ges möjlighet att framföra sin talan. Barnets möjlighet att delta i utredningsprocessen bör övervägas utifrån barnets ålder och mognad. Med anledning av detta valde vi att granska hur denna lag följs i 1 och 2 §§ LVU genom att studera åtta beslutsunderlag med en kvalitativ argumentationsanalys. Huvudresultatet av vår studie visade på en hög delaktighet hos barnen i förhållande till det som framhållits i tidigare forskning, dock såg vi att beaktande av barnens vilja fortfarande var bristfällig. Den slutsats vi kom fram till i vår studie var att frågan om barns delaktighet inom Socialtjänsten framstår som ett komplext område innehållande stora brister i förhållande till hur lagen är formulerad. Med detta sagt ansåg vi att ämnet måste belysas mer i forskning för att en större förändring av barns delaktighet ska kunna utvecklas.

Sammanfattning Elförsörjning är en av samhällets mest vitala funktioner och el förbrukas daligen av konsumenter. För att konsumentens ska kunna elförsörjas krävs det bland annat att denne ingår avtal om köp av el med elhandelsbolaget. Avtalet ålägger konsumenten en betalningsskyldighet för den förbrukade elen. Försummar konsumenten sin betalningsskyldighet kan elhandelsbolaget, i enlighet med 11 kapitlet ellagen och avtalet, vara berättigat att vidta avbrott i elöverföringen. För att rätten till avbrott i elöverföringen ska få vidtas krävs att vissa förutsättningar är uppfyllda. Dessa förutsättningar utgör en del av konsumentskyddet på elmarkanaden och elhandelsbolaget hindras därmed från att hur som helst vidta avbrott i elöverföringen. Detta konsumentskydd består av ett antal förutsättningar och är alla förutsättningar inte uppfyllda får avbrott i elöverföringen inte vidtas. Exempel på när avbrott i elöveföringen inte får vidtas är när socialnämnden åtar sig betalningsansvaret för elskulden. I realiten torde enbart vissa ekonomiskt utsatta konsumenter beröras av bestämmelserna om avbrott i elöverföringen. Därmed torde socialnämndens betalningsåtagande vara avgörande för dennes fortsatta rätt till el. Socialnämnden beviljar enbart ekonomiskt bistånd som sista möjliga utväg. Därmed kommer enbart vissa av de ekonomiskt utsatta konsumenterna att behålla rätten till el medan övriga berövas denna rätt. Elhandelsbolagets rätt till avbrott i elöverföringen tillförsäkras redan genom lag vilket innebär att standardavtalet är överflödigt. Avtalets grundläggande funktion är att kunna garantera att konsumenten betalar. Därmed bör konsumentens betalningsskyldighet lagstadgas. / Abstract Electricity supply is one of society's most vital functions and electricity is daily consumed by consumers. To be supplied with electricity the consumer must enter into a contract agreement with the electricity trading company. The contract imposes the consumer to pay for the consumed electricity. If the consumer neglects to pay the electricity trading compa-ny may be, in accordance with chapter 11 The Electricy Act and the contract, entitled to discontinue the electricity transmission. Before the company terminates the electricity transmission certain conditions must be met. These conditions are part of the consumer protection on the electricity market and consequently the electricity trading company is hindered from taking unfound disconnection. This protection consists of a set of condi-tions and for the disconnection to be justified all of those conditions must be met. An ex-ample of a condition that hinders the electricity company from pursuing disconnection is if the Social Welfare Board agrees to take on the liability for the electricity debt. In reality on-ly some economically vulnerable consumers are going to be affected by the provisions re-garding disconnection of transmission of electricity. In such cases the Social Welfare Boards’ commitment to pay is crucial for the consumers’ right to continuing consuming electricity. The Social Welfare Board grants the financial assistance as a last possible resort. Therefore only some of the most financially vulnerable consumers will be able to retain electricity, while others are deprived of this right. The Electricity Trading Company’s right to disconnect the transmission of electricity is en-sured already by law which means that the contract is superfluous. The Contracts’ basic function is to ensure that the consumer pays. Therefore the consumers’ obligation to pay should in an explicit manner be legislated.

Det här examensarbetet undersöks hur en kommunal förskola och ett föräldrakooperativs bemötande och åtgärder ser ut när det gäller barn som blivit utsatta för fysiska övergrepp. Arbetet utgår från frågeställningarna: Har de två förskolorna riktlinjer för att hantera problematiken kring fysiska övergrepp mot barn? Vilka likheter finns det i riktlinjerna när det gäller bemötande och åtgärder? Vilka skillnader finns det i riktlinjerna när det gäller bemötande och åtgärder? En jämförelse mellan de två förskolorna görs genom en textanalys av två dokument, föräldrakooperativet har en kris och beredskapsplan och den kommunala har ett policydokument som belyser anmälningsplikten. Analyserna kommer att sker ur ett hermeneutiskt synsätt samt i en kvalitativ bearbetning. Arbetet tar även upp anmälningsplikten förskolan står inför när misstanke eller oro uppkommer hos personalen. Här kan man även läsa om hur Socialtjänstlagen 14 kapitel 1§ lyder inför anmälningsplikten. Resultatet visar att det finns skillnader mellan förskolorna när det gäller bemötande och åtgärder men även att det finns osäkerhet i hur personalen ska agera. / This thesis explores how a local nursery school and a parents cooperative attitude and actions looks like when it comes to children who are victims of physical abuse . Work is based on the questions: Have the two preschools guidelines for dealing with the problem of physical abuse of children? What similarities are there in the guidelines when it comes to attitude and actions?  What are the differences in the guidelines when it comes to attitude and actions? A comparison between the two preschools done through a textual analysis of two documents , parents' cooperative has a crisis and contingency plan and the municipal has a document in which an obligation. The analyzes will be conducted from a hermeneutic approach and in a qualitative processing. The work also deals with notification requirements preschool faced suspicion or concern arises among staff. Here you can also read about how the Social Services Act 14, Chapter 1, § reads before notification. The results show that there are differences between the preschools regarding treatment and measures but also that there is uncertainty in how staff should act

The master's thesis Social rehabilitation services from the users' point of view is concerned with social rehabilitation through users of the service who play an important role in its successful realization. The theoretical part of the thesis defines basic issues. Development of social services in the Czech Republic and their current legislative form is described. The importance of social rehabilitation from the view of coordinated rehabilitation is explained. However, the main part is focused on particularities of social rehabilitation in the sence of social services. Current trends in social services, related especially to a planned amendment of the Social Services Act, are referred to in the end. The practical part of the thesis is written in the form of a qualitative research. The method of questioning and semi-structured interviews were used for the purposes of the research. Fourteen people were chosen intentionally for the survey. The data gained from the interviews were analysed with the method of open coding. The main aim of the thesis was to evaluate the importance of social rehabilitation in the context of abilities and skills that users of social services gained. In addition to that, social rehabilitation availability in the region of Písek was discussed. The results of the research showed interesting knowledge about meaning of service for its user. Three organizations, whose target group are people with disability, provide social rehabilitation services in the region of Písek. Obstacles connected to people's disability are the main reason for the interest in this service. The users of social services expect help and support above all, while solving their unfavourable social conditions. These may vary, so the content of social service may vary as well, and their lenght can be different across different providers. Important role in process of providing service has social worker, which leads user to social change and participates on succes of service itself. This master's thesis can be contributive to understanding the importance of social rehabilitation for disabled people's living. It brings information about users' experience with the realization of social rehabilitation services and about their satisfaction. It can also help to uncover weaknesses and obstacles during the realization of the services.

Children who experience violence is one aspect of the work of social secretaries and is a complex assignment in their work. The purpose of this essay has been to understand how social secretaries describe their work within their discretion on children who experience violence. More specifically focus has been on cases where there is a lack of consent to voluntary interventions according to the Social Services Act and when compulsory care is not possible. Previous research about this specific situation is limited which makes this study necessary. The questions of this study had a focus on how social secretaries use their discretion in these cases, which challenges they meet in their work and also their reasoning on today´s legislation regarding children who experience violence. The method of this study has been qualitative semi-structured interviews with five social secretaries in three different municipalities in Sweden. Our results have been analysed with previous research and two theoretic starting-points, discretion and caring power. This study shows that knowledge about children who experience violence is an important part in the work of social secretaries and is a crucial factor in children’s right to protection. It also shows that parental rights to refuse interventions is a major aspect that prevents the possibilities of social secretaries to protect children who experience violence which the social secretaries describe as a difficult challenge. Another difficult challenge described was when parents deny that their children are experiencing violence and there is a lack of proof in the same time. The social secretaries in this study expressed a wish to have a possibility in the law to force parents of children who experience violence to receive interventions even though there is a lack of consent.