<p>This essay is about persons who have had social assistance and the individual’s experiences of social assistance. The focus is on how the individual develops in a new life situation and if and how they are motivated to get out of it. The essay has an individual perspective where the relation between society and the individual is important. The result is based on four qualitative interviews with a hermeneutic perspective. The result is also based on the individual’s subjective apprehensions and experiences of the social assistance. Those circumstances withdraws that there can not be any general conclusions made of the result that could be representative for a larger number of people. Important theoretical conceptions are social problems and divergent behaviour, stigmatization, labour and faithful moments.</p><p>What I have wished to express in this essay is the people behind the social assistance conception and the numbers in studies about social assistance. It is about people with individual life destiny’s that in the Swedish sociality today have not been able to provide themselves and had to use society’s last safety net, social assistance. The society looks on people with social assistance have a historical negative background. Social assistance was developed from welfare and help to the poor. The historical stigma still exists in the Swedish society and it is still considered shameful not to be able to provide yourself.</p><p>As an unemployed person with social assistance one can need more support and help than just to be paid money because these often have a weak connection to the labour market. The social studies in Sweden describes that the social services assignment is to liberate and develop the individuals and groups own recourses. This means that the social worker should not only make payments. They should also have an interest in the client in some other way. In this essay it is clear that this is not always the case. The most evident result about the individual’s motivation not to have social assistance is the will to support oneself and labour is an important part of the self image and identity.</p>

<p>The purpose with this study was to examine six caseworkers and two clients’ experiences of interaction in the investigative work of social assistance. Moreover, how the interaction between caseworkers and clients are affected by the structure of the social assistance unit. The study also wanted to show how interaction rituals contribute to the change in assessment procedure in the investigative work. The study even aimed to highlight the ways in which social exclusion occurs in investigative work from caseworkers and client’s capital and gender. Finally, the study intended to look at how caseworkers and client’s positions as superior and subordinate affect the interaction of the investigative work and what roles are shaped during their meeting and how the roles form the interaction. The questions were examined using qualitative methodology in the form of semi-structured interviews. I´ve based the paper on social exclusion processes and applied organizational sociology. The theoretical perspectives used in this thesis work is moreover Ahrne’s organization theory, Collins’s theory of interaction rituals, Goffman’s role theory, Bourdieus’ theory of distinction and capital concept and Mulinari and de los Reyes intersectionality concept. Main conclusions I could draw from the survey results and analysis are that the caseworkers and clients’ experiences tend to resemble each other in many aspects. Overall the caseworkers and clients experience that the interaction is multidimensional; however, the interaction is founded in the authority structure. The interaction is represented by the caseworker’s dominant position, where their overall superior role exists in which the underlying dual roles as helpers and personal authorities also occur. Unlike the caseworkers the clients hold a dominated position, where their overall subordinate role exists in which the underlying dual roles as clients and as individuals occur. This means that the interaction is primarily governed by the caseworkers and client’s freedom of movement is restricted. Clients welfare and their meaningfulness of everyday life including their financial situation are thereby affected by the interaction of the investigative work as a result of the interaction leading toward that the client is justified social assistance or not.</p>

<p>Between 1990 and 1992/1993 there was a dramatic change in the Swedish labor market, resulting in an increased number of unemployed and social assistance recipients. As a response to this situation, many municipalities developed local activation programs. One of these programs, the “Uppsala model” – practiced in the City of Uppsala and characterized by a “paternalistic discourse” with sharp means tests, control and sanctions – was quite controversial. The general purpose of this dissertation is to study<b> </b>the effects of this activation method on the claimants and to study these effects with regard to the intentions underlying the method. The central questions are whether this method contributed to a greater number of claimants leaving the system for work or education, after a shorter period of time and on a more permanent basis compared to an alternative and more “traditional” method characterized by a “redistributive discourse”. Another central question is whether the method was effective under different economic conditions. The data used in the analyses were taken from two social welfare offices and included 509 able-bodied individuals who applied for allowances in either 1990 or 1992, reporting unemployment as the main reason. The main results indicated no systematic differences between the two methods with respect to outcome variables such as length of time on social assistance, probability of obtaining a regular job or an education. There were some indications (non-significant) of an increased probability of returning with claims for social assistance and after a shorter period of time, associated with the paternalist Uppsala model. The great importance of the labor market to recipients` possibilities to leave the social assistance system for work, irrespective of working method, was also shown in the study.</p>

Between 1990 and 1992/1993 there was a dramatic change in the Swedish labor market, resulting in an increased number of unemployed and social assistance recipients. As a response to this situation, many municipalities developed local activation programs. One of these programs, the “Uppsala model” – practiced in the City of Uppsala and characterized by a “paternalistic discourse” with sharp means tests, control and sanctions – was quite controversial. The general purpose of this dissertation is to study<b> </b>the effects of this activation method on the claimants and to study these effects with regard to the intentions underlying the method. The central questions are whether this method contributed to a greater number of claimants leaving the system for work or education, after a shorter period of time and on a more permanent basis compared to an alternative and more “traditional” method characterized by a “redistributive discourse”. Another central question is whether the method was effective under different economic conditions. The data used in the analyses were taken from two social welfare offices and included 509 able-bodied individuals who applied for allowances in either 1990 or 1992, reporting unemployment as the main reason. The main results indicated no systematic differences between the two methods with respect to outcome variables such as length of time on social assistance, probability of obtaining a regular job or an education. There were some indications (non-significant) of an increased probability of returning with claims for social assistance and after a shorter period of time, associated with the paternalist Uppsala model. The great importance of the labor market to recipients` possibilities to leave the social assistance system for work, irrespective of working method, was also shown in the study.

The overarching aim of this dissertation is to study divergences in assessments of social assistance in Swedish social welfare offices. ‘Assessments’ here refers to whether applications for social assistance are granted or not, as well as the size of subsidies. Another aim with the dissertation is to explore whether differences in assessments have changed over time. A primary focus in this study is the importance of elements of changing character, e.g. varying organizational and individual conditions. Among these elements, the main focus is on the relation between organizational factors and professional discretion among social workers. Primary data used for the study has been assembled among social workers (n=121) in eleven municipalities in the northern Stockholm area. The main section of the questionnaire used for assembling data consists of six vignettes, each describing a different situation. Data is supplemented with secondary material that derives from a similar study conducted in 1994. Overall, findings show considerable divergences in the way social workers make their assessments. Some of the divergences are explained by different organizational conditions, e.g. varying levels of specialization and size of caseloads. Individual factors, such as sex, age and varying professional characteristics, e.g. work experience, influence the assessments only to a limited degree, while attitudes among social workers play a larger role. The study also indicates a substantial decrease in generosity over time. This might to some extent be explained by changed and elaborated set of regulations in the sphere of social assistance. Further, the individual divergences in assessments have increased over time. A plausible interpretation of the results is that an increasing number of regulations combined with professional discretion, entails a larger scope for social workers’ opinions and individual screening among rules.

Several Swedish studies have suggested that within the group of clients contacting social welfare offices for social assistance, approximately one third are having problems with heavy drinking. The overall aim of the dissertation was to study how social workers approach these problems in single, male clients. That is; are the drinking problems of these clients approached and if they are, when and why does this happen? The subject has been investigated in four studies. In study I (n=66) and II (n=103) social workers were to respond, in a written questionnaire, on how they would act on a hypothetical client described in vignettes. The results from these studies suggest that there is no consensus among social workers of how to act towards the clients drinking problem and that social workers personal values seem to influence their choice of action taken. In study III, data was collected from case files on male single clients in nine municipalities. Case files in which alcohol related notes were present (n=297) were investigated. The results indicate that social workers are more active as regards demands on clients to moderate or stop their alcohol consumption if the clients are able to work, than if they are not. Study IV was based on focus-group interviews in eight municipalities. In each municipality, a work group of social workers dealing with social assistance were interviewed on one occasion. The social workers approach to the client’s problems was described as a mobile point within a two-dimensional system. The legislative dimension concerned the clients’ right to be equally treated versus the right to have their application judged individually with every circumstance considered. The other dimension was related to traditional social work with the client’s integrity versus the need for support and control. The results were contextualised mainly from three aspects, the influence from raised demands on a “knowledge-based” practice, the prerequisites consistent of the specific frames for social work and changes in the public discourse constituting the frame of socially acceptable drinking habits.

The purpose with this study was to examine six caseworkers and two clients’ experiences of interaction in the investigative work of social assistance. Moreover, how the interaction between caseworkers and clients are affected by the structure of the social assistance unit. The study also wanted to show how interaction rituals contribute to the change in assessment procedure in the investigative work. The study even aimed to highlight the ways in which social exclusion occurs in investigative work from caseworkers and client’s capital and gender. Finally, the study intended to look at how caseworkers and client’s positions as superior and subordinate affect the interaction of the investigative work and what roles are shaped during their meeting and how the roles form the interaction. The questions were examined using qualitative methodology in the form of semi-structured interviews. I´ve based the paper on social exclusion processes and applied organizational sociology. The theoretical perspectives used in this thesis work is moreover Ahrne’s organization theory, Collins’s theory of interaction rituals, Goffman’s role theory, Bourdieus’ theory of distinction and capital concept and Mulinari and de los Reyes intersectionality concept. Main conclusions I could draw from the survey results and analysis are that the caseworkers and clients’ experiences tend to resemble each other in many aspects. Overall the caseworkers and clients experience that the interaction is multidimensional; however, the interaction is founded in the authority structure. The interaction is represented by the caseworker’s dominant position, where their overall superior role exists in which the underlying dual roles as helpers and personal authorities also occur. Unlike the caseworkers the clients hold a dominated position, where their overall subordinate role exists in which the underlying dual roles as clients and as individuals occur. This means that the interaction is primarily governed by the caseworkers and client’s freedom of movement is restricted. Clients welfare and their meaningfulness of everyday life including their financial situation are thereby affected by the interaction of the investigative work as a result of the interaction leading toward that the client is justified social assistance or not.

This essay is about persons who have had social assistance and the individual’s experiences of social assistance. The focus is on how the individual develops in a new life situation and if and how they are motivated to get out of it. The essay has an individual perspective where the relation between society and the individual is important. The result is based on four qualitative interviews with a hermeneutic perspective. The result is also based on the individual’s subjective apprehensions and experiences of the social assistance. Those circumstances withdraws that there can not be any general conclusions made of the result that could be representative for a larger number of people. Important theoretical conceptions are social problems and divergent behaviour, stigmatization, labour and faithful moments. What I have wished to express in this essay is the people behind the social assistance conception and the numbers in studies about social assistance. It is about people with individual life destiny’s that in the Swedish sociality today have not been able to provide themselves and had to use society’s last safety net, social assistance. The society looks on people with social assistance have a historical negative background. Social assistance was developed from welfare and help to the poor. The historical stigma still exists in the Swedish society and it is still considered shameful not to be able to provide yourself. As an unemployed person with social assistance one can need more support and help than just to be paid money because these often have a weak connection to the labour market. The social studies in Sweden describes that the social services assignment is to liberate and develop the individuals and groups own recourses. This means that the social worker should not only make payments. They should also have an interest in the client in some other way. In this essay it is clear that this is not always the case. The most evident result about the individual’s motivation not to have social assistance is the will to support oneself and labour is an important part of the self image and identity.

This study is about a social workers’ knowledge of shame. Shame in this context is the embarrassment and humiliation that many people feel when they have to apply for financial assistance which equates to approximately half a million people each year in Sweden. The aim of this study is to understand if and how social workers in this field become acquainted with shame, and how it is exposed and then handled by the social workers in the meeting and work with clients. In order to achieve the purpose of the study, we also to some extent, need to study knowledge and how social workers obtain knowledge in social work. To analyse the results and to answer the aim of the qualitative study, the study relied on the concepts of knowledge and embarrassment. Informal interviews were conducted with both managers and social workers at two smaller social offices. Results showed that respondents, as previous research shows, think it is important to use new knowledge and new science in their daily work, but contend that there is a lack of time that makes it difficult for them to assimilate these things. There were different opinions among the social workers and the managers as to what information and research was being communicated. The study showed that none of the respondents knew any research of shame or about how clients perceive the visit to the social services office. The social workers indicated that there was shame clearly evident in the meetings, but that it differs between different categories of people. Remarkably, the respondents stated that they believed that immigrants do not feel shame, while previous research shows that immigrants belong to the group of people that feel most ashamed of having to apply for financial help. How social workers handle shame in meetings with clients differs, and the development of knowledge occurs in different ways. The study concluded that there is a substantial sort of knowledge, and that this takes place along with needs and interests. / Den här studien handlar om handläggares kunskap om skam. Den skam många människor känner som är tvungna att ansöka om ekonomiskt bistånd, vilket cirka en halv miljon människor är i Sverige varje år. Studiens syfte är att förstå om och hur handläggare inom ekonomiskt bistånd får kunskap om skam, hur den eventuellt märks och i så fall hanteras av handläggarna i mötet och arbetet med klienter. För att kunna nå studiens syfte måste vi även i viss mån studera kunskap och hur handläggare får kunskap i det sociala arbetet. För att analysera resultaten och kunna besvara den kvalitativa studiens syfte har studien utgått ifrån begreppen kunskap och skam, och informella intervjuer har genomförts med både handläggare och chefer på två mindre socialkontor. Resultaten visade att respondenterna, enligt vad tidigare forskning visar, anser att det är viktigt med ny kunskap och forskning, men menar att det råder en tidsbrist på arbetsplatserna som gör att de har svårt att tillgodogöra sig detta. Det visade sig råda delade meningar mellan handläggare och chefer när det gäller vilken information och forskning som förmedlas. Studien visade vidare att ingen av respondenterna kände till någon forskning om skam, eller om hur klienter upplever besöket på socialkontoret. Handläggarna uppgav dock att skammen tydligt visar sig i mötet, men att den skiljer sig mellan olika kategorier av människor. Anmärkningsvärt var att respondenterna uppgav att de inte tror att utlandsfödda känner skam, medan tidigare forskning visar att just utlandsfödda tillhör den grupp som känner mest skam över att behöva ansöka om ekonomisk hjälp. Hur handläggarna hanterar skam i mötet med klienter skiljer sig åt, och utvecklandet av kunskap sker på olika sätt utefter erfarenhet. Studien visade vidare att det sker en kraftig sortering av kunskap, och att denna sker utefter behov och intresse.

The purpose of this study was to study and analyze in order to increase understanding of how social-secretaries choices and assessments described in the hypothetical situations that relate to families receiving social assistance welfare. The main issues we searched answer to each Mainly, we sought to answer the following questions: What considerations are made regarding the child's best interests in the handling process relating to social assistance and in what way is a childperspective taken into account in decision justification. Problem formulation can be summarized in the variety of decision making on welfare and vulnerability of poor children. In our approach to collecting empiri we used out of vignette-studies and interviews. We interviewed seven social secretaries from a social welfare unit. For our help in the analysis of the collected material, we have made use of Michael Lipskys streetlevel bureaucracy. The conclusion we came to was that the social secretaries agreed that there is disagreement how a child perspective is taken into account but all agree that the child's perspective must be addressed in some form in the management of social welfare.