A report on a study project presented to the Department of Social Work, School of Human and Community Development, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Master of Arts by course work and research report in Occupational Social Work. September 2016. / Social work in South Africa is challenged by high caseloads, dangerous working environments and poor remuneration (Social Work Indaba, 2015). These challenges combined with high voluntary staff turnover rates (40.4% in 2006) have negative consequences for the protection of South Africa`s vulnerable children (Earle-Malleson (2009). In this context, supervision is often proposed as a potential cure-all for the tensions in social work. This study utilises an instrumental case study design to describe and explore child protection social workers’ perceptions of supervision and retention. The key aim of the study is to interrogate the role of effective social work supervision on a social worker’s decision to leave the employment of a child protection organisation in Gauteng. Twelve participants were identified through a combination of purposive and snowball sampling. Utilising a semi structured interview schedule, face to face interviews were conducted with each participant. The data obtained from the interviews was transcribed and analysed thematically. The research findings yielded concerning results on the supervision the participants had received with only 25% of the participants indicating that they found their supervision supportive and educational. High levels of organisational disengagement were noted, which created an organisational climate of neglect. This contributed indirectly to ten participant’s decision to resign as a lack of supervision heightened their frustrations with the system and their increased perceptions of child protection work as monotonous. A lack of a supportive and educational focus also closed off opportunities for participants to grow as social workers and learn adaptive coping skills. This led to some participants feeling emotionally overwhelmed. Both of these factors were cited as reasons for exiting child protection organisations. These findings reaffirm the importance of supervision as a reflexive process and provide insight into the targeting of interventions aimed at retaining child protection social workers in South Africa. Keywords: Child protection; retention; effective supervision; job embeddedness; social worker; disengagement; voluntary staff turnover / GR2017

Social services for persons dependent on care in the light of the Czech legislation Abstract The diploma thesis deals with the issue of social services in the Czech Republic especially for persons with disabilities. The thesis focuses on current issues that arise due to partial amendments to the Social Services Act and the Act on the Provision of Benefits for Persons with Disabilities. In particular, the thesis is concerned with the topicality and sufficiency of social services and the benefits provided to disabled people. The thesis itself is divided into 10 chapters and further subchapters. Firstly, the topic is set in the historical context and the history of social services from their first occurrences to the present is approached. Further, the division of social security and the inclusion of social services into this system are described in more detail. As the thesis is primarily focused on people with disabilities, the following chapter defines disability and presents different views on it. Following issues include benefits for people with disabilities as well as other related non-financial benefits for them. Subsequently, the thesis discusses the issue of care allowance, concerns with its amendments and sufficiency. The core of the thesis concerns the social services themselves, their division,...

Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur transpersoner upplever bemötande inom socialtjänsten. Enligt tidigare forskning har transpersoner olika upplevelser av bemötandet inom socialtjänsten. De har upplevt att de mötts med oförståelse och okunskap, blir felkönade och blir inte tilltalade vid sitt rätta namn. Positiva upplevelser handlade om respekt av transpersonernas könsidentitet och att de blev tilltalade med rätt pronomen. Det här är en kvalitativ studie som genomförts med hjälp av semistrukturerade intervjuer per telefon med fyra personer. Studien har gjorts med induktiv metod och ett analytiskt ramverk som innehåller olika teorier och begrepp har valts utifrån datamaterialet. För att analysera studiens resultat har jag valt begreppet bemötande. Jag har även använt mig av socialkonstruktivistisk teori- Berger & Luckmanns sociologiska teori, begreppet heteronormativitet och teorin om den heterosexuella matrisen. Den heterosexuella matrisen handlar om förväntningar att alla är heterosexuella och övertygelsen om att det endast finns två separata kön som ställs i motsats till varandra. Studien har visat att transpersoner har olika upplevelser av bemötande inom socialtjänsten. Transpersoner har upplevt att de inte är tagna på allvar, bemöts med oförståelse och särbehandlas. Majoriteten av studiens respondenter har upplevt att de inte passar in i en given mall, det vill säga i heteronormen. Transpersoner har upplevt att sexuell läggning och könsidentitet ses av socialtjänstens handläggare som något socialt konstruerat och därför inte medfött, utan valt. Heteronormen och den homosexuella läggningen har lyfts av transpersoner som anledning till handläggarnas ovilja att hjälpa dem. Positiva upplevelser av bemötandet har handlat om att transpersoner har blivit bemötta lika oavsett könsidentitet, att handläggarna visat omtanke, respekt och erbjudit den hjälp som de behövde. Slutsatsen är att bemötandet kan upplevas olika beroende på vilken attityd handläggarna har samt hur transpersonerna själva definierar begreppet bemötande. Upplevelser av bemötandet inom socialtjänsten kan även variera från kommun till kommun. / The aim of the study was to examine how transgender people experience the treatment from social services. Previous research shows that experiences of treatment of transgender people by social services are various. Transgender people have experienced lack of understanding and knowledge, misgendering and being called by the false name. Good treatment that transgender people experienced included respect for transgender people’s gender identity and the use of right pronoun. This is a qualitative study based on semi- structured interviews and made through the phone with four persons. The study has been made with inductive method where an analytical framework with different theories and definitions was chosen taking into consideration the data. Treatment as definition was chosen to analyse the results of the study. I have even used the theory of social constructivism- Berger & Luckmann’s sociological theory as well as the definition heteronormativity and the theory on the heterosexual matrix. The theory on the heterosexual matrix is about expectations that everyone is heterosexual and belief that there are only two sexes that are opposites of each other.   The study has shown that transgender people’s experiences of treatment by social services are various. Transgender people have experienced lack of understanding. Furthermore, transgender people have experienced that they have not been taken seriously and have been discriminated. The majority of respondents has experienced that they do not fit the heteronorm. Transgender people have also experienced that sexual orientation and gender identity are seen by administrative officials as something social constructed, and therefore not innate, but chosen. The heteronorm and homosexuality have been lifted by transgender people as the reason why administrative officials did not want to help them. Good treatment transgender people have experienced was about equal treatment regardless of gender identity. Transgender people have experienced that administrative officials have shown that they respect and care about them as well as they have been offered help they needed. Conclusion of the study is that treatment experienced by transgender people depends on which attitude administrative officials have towards transgender people as well as on how transgender people define the concept treatment. Experiences of the treatment by social services can vary between different municipalities too.

I förskoleklassens, grundskolan och fritidshemmets gemensamma läroplan benämns inte den anmälningsplikt som råder (Skolverket, 2018). Detta trots att det specificeras i kap. 14 i Socialtjänstlagen (2001:453) att yrkespersoner inom skolverksamhet är skyldiga att anmäla vid misstanke att ett barn far illa. Skolverket (2019) benämner hur samverkan mellan skolan och socialtjänsten bör följas för de barn som inte har det bra hemma. Hur denna samverkan ska ske är däremot inget som understryks. Ytterligare kunskap behövs inom området i hur samverkan sker samt de rutiner som finns i förhållande kring anmälningsplikten. Studiens syfte är att få en större kännedom i hur samverkan mellan skolan och socialtjänsten ser ut. Målet är att uppmärksamma de rutiner pedagoger inom skolverksamheten har i samband med orosanmälan till socialtjänsten.   Uppsatsens resultat visar att pedagoger anser att brister finns i samverkan med socialtjänsten. Det synliggörs hur de yrkesverksamma finner samverkan med socialtjänsten som en envägskommunikation och att de känner bristfällighet i återkoppling. Resultatet visar även att mer än hälften av pedagogerna är osäkra kring vilka rutiner som finns gällande orosanmälan på den arbetsplats de har. Genom dessa resultat kan studien bidra med inspiration för förbättringsarbete kring samverkan mellan skolan och socialtjänsten.

Affirmer que la construction européenne fut, dès sa naissance, sourde aux préoccupations sociales serait injuste et faux. Le Traité de Rome instituant la Communauté économique européenne en 1957 avait pour objectif l’établissement d’un grand marché commun. Néanmoins, à côté de cet objectif purement économique, l’article 117 du traité appelait à « l’amélioration des conditions de vie et de travail de la main d’œuvre, permettant leur égalisation dans le progrès ». Dans les années 60, la construction européenne en matière sociale se limite à un ensemble de dispositions visant à garantir la libre circulation des travailleurs et l’égalité entre hommes et femmes. Cette orientation sociale n’est pas une finalité en soi, mais est considérée comme un préalable nécessaire à l’établissement et l’approfondissement du marché commun. Ainsi, malgré l’insertion d’objectifs à caractère social, la Communauté économique européenne a souffert, dès l’origine, de ce que certains ont qualifié d’« asymétrie constitutionnelle ». Cette asymétrie résulte d’un déséquilibre entre politiques de promotion du marché commun et politiques de promotion de la protection sociale, résultat de l’échec du président du conseil Guy Mollet, à l’occasion des négociations précédant le Traité de Rome, de faire de l’harmonisation des règles sociales un préalable à l’intégration des politiques économiques nationales. La pensée néolibérale dominante des années 80 a conforté cette approche résiduelle des considérations d’ordre social, faisant de l’Europe sociale « le parent pauvre de la construction européenne ». Du fonctionnement du marché unique est attendue la croissance économique et, par voie de conséquence, le progrès social. [...] / No English summary available.

Studiens syfte är att undersöka hur socialtjänsten och polisen samverkar för att förebygga ungdomskriminalitet i Eskilstuna kommun. För att samla in material till studien har nio stycken kvalitativa intervjuer, med 10 respondenter, genomförts. Samtliga respondenter arbetar med eller inom samverkan mellan polis och socialtjänst. Resultatet visar att kommunen arbetar aktivt med samverkan på olika sätt, bland annat genom arbetssätten Sociala insatsgrupper och SSPF (Skola, socialtjänst, polis och fritid) på en individnivå. Utifrån en strukturell nivå arbetar kommunen främst med samverkansöverenskommelser och lägesbilder. Trots dessa arbetssätt påverkar de resursbrister som finns samverkan negativt, vilket leder till en mindre önskvärd samverkan. Det beskrivs att sekretesslagstiftningen även är ett hinder för samverkan mellan polis och socialtjänst. Utifrån resultatet dras slutsatsen att det finns flertalet viktiga aktörer i kommunen för en välfungerande samverkan. Ett större perspektiv hade därav varit intressant för vidare studier. / Youth criminality is a important topic nowadays and the aim of this study is how the social services and the police collaborate between eachother to handle the problems caused by youth criminality in Eskilstuna kommun. 10 qualitative interviews were used to gather material. The interview candidates were either working with the social services or the police, or were involved in the collaboration work. The results from this study showed that the municipality work with collaboration in different ways, for example with methods as ‘Sociala insatsgrupper’ och SSPF The result also shows that collaboration occur on a structural level. The study illustrate what encourage and prevent collaboration. Communication, roles and coordination are examples of what encourage. Lack of communication and resources, but also secrecy prevent collaboration. Based on the result, it is concluded that there are several important organisations in the municipality for a functioning collaboration. An extended perspective had therefore been interesting for further studies.

This study aims to answer how social workers conceptualize the risk of violence in their workplace. The data consisted of seven interviews with social workers working in financial aid departments in or around the Stockholm area. Semi structured interviews were used to gather the data which then were processed with a fenomenographic method. The data was analyzed with Lazarus and Folkman theory on coping and Antonovsky’s generalized resistance resources. The findings in this study shows that all respondents have experienced threats or violence in some form in their work. They use strategies to cope with both the situation at hand and the emotions connected to the event. The respondents were affected in their spare time to some extent. It will be argued that there is a form of duality between to not accept violence and at the same time have understanding for client’s vulnerable situation and for the effect social workers decision-making have on the client’s lives.

The diploma thesis is focused on the analysis of accessability of homes for the elderly people in the Pardubice region. The first part is the definition of terms and evaluation of various types of social assistance and an explanation of who is and who can be a provider of social services under the law. The practical part is focused on the analysis of the provision of residential services for seniors in the region. There are also analysed data of individual regions of this area and proposal how to improve the financial situation and the availability of homes for the elderly.

Diploma thesis is focused on volunteering in social services in Jindrichuv Hradec and potential developments. Work is based on mapping of current situation of volunteering in this region. This ascertained information is used for compilation a concept of project which should facilitate further development of volunteer activities. This work is supported thank author's experience which was gained during several years in volunteering.

The purpose of this study was to examine how middle managers within the social services in Sweden perceived their working conditions. The study group included 475 middle managers who were registered in the labour union akademikerförbundet SSR. The study group answered a digital questionnaire based on Karasek’s control and demand model which contained questions concerning their working environment. The result showed that 80 percent of the managers worked more than 40 hours a week and 60 percent of the managers experience high job strain. Four groups with different working conditions were identified through Karasek's control and demand model and the one that showed the most alarming working conditions were analysed further, the high strained group. Within our studygroup we also identified a utterly small group that could be defined as ISO-strained. This working condition is the most harmful working situation for your health since it contains high risk of psychological strain and physical illness.