The focus of this thesis is the factorial survey approach as a method for studying professional judgements in social work. The factorial survey approach, which was first introduced in the social sciences around the beginning of the 1980s, constitutes an advanced method for measuring human judgements of social objects. At the general level, this quasi-experimental approach involves presenting respondents with fictive descriptions of social objects (vignettes), in which selected characteristics describing the objects to be judged are simultaneously manipulated. This thesis consists of four studies: In Study I, I explore the general use of the factorial survey approach in sociology between 1982 and 2006. Study II and Study III consist of factorial survey applications in the field of professional judgement in Swedish substance misuse treatment, as organized by the social services. To be more specific, the aims of these papers are to disentangle predictors of social work practitioners’ choices of inpatient or outpatient substance misuse treatment (Study II), and of social work practitioners’ judgements about eligibility for compulsory care (Study III). Finally, in Study IV, I present a conceptual and an analytical framework for the application of the factorial survey approach to the study of professional judgements in social work.

Since the end of the 1980s, the introduction of market mechanisms in the public sector has been a dominant feature in Sweden. The same is true for the social services in several municipalities, where business style behaviour and organisation, and competition have become salient features of market-oriented social services. The aim of the study is to describe and analyse: the structural conditions for market oriented personal social services; how social workers pursue client centred work in market oriented personal social services; the consequences of this market orientation on the personal social services. The empirical study is a case study of the personal social services in the municipality of Linköping. The purchaser-provider model in Linköping is one of the most advanced and discussed in Sweden. The research comprises a quantitative pilot study and a qualitative main study. The main study is based on twenty semi-structured interviews with experienced social workers and their immediate superiors. The analysis of the interviews reveals that the personal social services are only achieving to a lesser extent the ends that a quasi-market, theoretically, should achieve. The conditions that have to be satisfied to achieve the ends of the quasi-market are only partly met. Bureaucratic control is one important reason why the personal social services are imperfect as a quasi- market. The re-organisation has resulted in a number of, to some extent, positive consequences. The re-organisation has, however, also resulted in some negative consequences. In the thesis these are categorised in terms of fragmentation, antagonism and obscurity. A linguistic change, in market oriented personal social services, appears to have influenced social workers to think and act differently in relation to their work. The most important conclusion drawn from the study is that the market oriented personal social services partly function as a responsive quasi-market for strong, rational and well- informed clients. However, in relation to the most vulnerable, it is failing in many respects. / digitalisering@umu

There is a lack of research in the field of quality improvement efforts based on profound knowledge in social services. The current situation is therefore a significant knowledge gap in terms of studies of this type of systematic quality work and how it is applied in practice. This study therefore intends to describe Pilbackens quality work and further examine if the profound knowledge is consistent with quality work in microsystems by an analysis of Pilbackens work. The present study has been performed by a qualitative method and the material is collected through semi-structured interviews. In order to analyze the study’s result have profound knowledge and the model microsystems been used. The results show that Pilbackens in quality improvement efforts have made numerous changes in its organization. They have via a clear purpose and objective of working with quality in microsystems achieved a number of perceived and documented results. The analysis of Pilbackens quality work shows a compliance with profound knowledge and the ability incorporate microsystems in practice.

The aim of this study was to enlighten social workers experiences of social networks direct influence in Swedish social services, and in which ways those influences are manifested. Some of the issues that are being explored in this study are: The separation of the private sphere and professional duties; boundaries and dual relationships that occurs inside social networks; the use of social networks as a control-instrument in authority exercise towards clients; and social networks arising impact on social work. The empirical material was collected with nine qualitative interviews with social workers stationed at different social service departments in a Swedish municipality. Also one qualitative e-survey was sent out to, and answered by four social workers with a managerial position in the same municipality. The results reveal that several informants have experienced different problematic situations involving clients within the social networks. This study shows that the informants are very restrictive with what information (text and pictures) they publish on their facebook-profiles, because of their position of authority and the awareness of the possibility of always being watched. Several informants reveal a strong attitude against the use of social networks in social work and argue that information about clients fetched at social networks cannot be used. Yet some social workers use social networks at work to search information about clients and verify suspicions, for example in decision-making of governmental economical support. The power that the social workers hold against their clients is being exterritorialised inside the social networks and makes further way for an expanding control-society.

The purpose of the essay is to examine Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual person’s experiences of the Social Services treatment. Our question is: How do Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual person’s experience the treatment in a relief seeking situation at Social Services? We have a social constructive point of view. Our theoretical foundation is heteronormativity, heterosexism, homophobia, coming out/disclosure, intersectionality, master suppression techniques and we discuss Social Services as a system. We used a qualitative research method and have done five semi-structured interviews, with three men and two women aged 17- 31 years. The empirical material has been analysed by using IPA (Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis) model, where we used the interviewees own words through which we composed three major themes; Starting point in the meeting with Social Services, Sexual orientation and the treatment of the Social Service. What kind of contact our interviewees had with the Social Services and how they perceive their sexual orientation and their experiences of how it is to be gay, lesbian or bisexual is of relevance in their contact with the Social Services. It will affect their ability to act and to what extent they will feel able to be open about their sexuality. Our interviewees tell of a treatment by the Social Services which in various ways makes their sexual orientation invisible, ridicules or puts blame and shame on them. We also have a few examples of neutral treatment from the Social Services concerning sexual orientation. In the essay we have divided the care relationship into a systematic level and a personal level. Our interpretation is that Social Services on a systematic level have a heteronormative culture in the organization. This leads to a heterosexistic treatment. The personal level gives the individual social worker a certain amount of flexibility and sometimes it leads to a homophobic treatment but it can also lead to a treatment that makes it possible to break with the heteronorm. We seek a Social Services that actively works towards breaking down the heteronormativity inside the organization.

Studien syftar till att undersöka hur kuratorerna som verkställer vård inom socialtjänsten ser på denna påföljd och på sin roll i verkställandet av densamma, samt hur ungdomar som genomfört vård inom socialtjänsten upplever samma påföljd. Syftet avgränsas genom följande frågeställningar: (i) Hur ser kuratorerna på Ungdoms- och familjeteamet i Örebro kommun på vård inom socialtjänsten och på sin egen roll i verkställandet av denna påföljd utifrån den lagstiftning som reglerar vård inom socialtjänsten, samt den lagstiftning som reglerar socialtjänstens insatser för unga? (ii) Hur har ungdomar som genomfört vård inom socialtjänsten på Ungdoms- och familjeteamet i Örebro upplevt påföljden utifrån samma lagstiftning, och finns det någon skillnad i upplevelsen före och efter genomförandet av denna? En vidare angränsning är att jag har valt att fokusera studien på ungdomar som har blivit dömda för misshandel. För att besvara uppsatsens syfte och frågeställningar har jag genomfört kvalitativa forskningsintervjuer med personalen på Ungdoms- och familjeteamet, samt med ungdomar som har genomfört vård inom socialtjänsten där. Intervjuerna gjordes utifrån på förhand sammanställda intervjuguider och utgick ifrån uppsatsens syfte, frågeställningar samt den lagstiftning som utgör uppsatsens teoriavsnitt. Resultatet visar att kuratorerna inte ser någon konflikt i verkställandet av påföljden vård inom socialtjänsten, främst beroende på arbetsfördelningen mellan dem och socialkontoren. Vidare upplevde inte ungdomarna, i stort, påföljden som ett straff. De skillnader som ändå fanns mellan upplevelsen före och efter påföljden, tycks i mycket handla om en dålig information i samband med rättegången. Slutligen upplevde de flesta ungdomar i studien att påföljden hade gjort skillnad; ett fåtal menade att rättegången och böter hade haft en avskräckande effekt, men de flesta pekade på vårdprogrammet som det som hade gjort skillnad. / The purpose of this paper is to examine how the social welfare officers, who enforce the sentence Treatment within the Social Services, look at this form of sentence and their own role when it comes to enforcing the sentence, and how juveniles who have carried out this penalty look at the same. The purpose is defined by the following questions: (i) How do the social welfare officers at the Youth and Family Team in Örebro look at Treatment within the Social Services and their own role in enforcing this sentence, regulated by law within the social services treatment and within the social services programme for juveniles? (ii) How do the juveniles who have carried out the sentence Treatment within the Social Services at the Youth and Family Team in Örebro experience the treatment, and do they feel that it has made a difference? Another definition I have made is a choice to focus my study on juveniles sentenced for assault and battery. In order to answer the purpose and questions I have performed qualitative research interviews with social welfare officers at the Youth and Family Team and juveniles who had carried out Treatment within the Social Services with them. The interviews were performed according to guides based on the purpose and questions, and the legislation presented in the theoretical section of this paper. The result shows that the social welfare officers notice no conflict within enforcing the sentence Treatment within the Social Services, mainly due to the division of labour between them and the social services offices. Further, most of the juveniles did not find the sentence a punishment. Nevertheless, the difference in the experiences before and after serving the sentence seems to be lack of information about the meaning of the sentence by the time of the legal proceedings. Finally, most of the juveniles in the study find that the sentence has mad a difference; a few of them find that the trial and fine had an intimidating effect, but most om them point out the treatment programme as the factor that has made the difference.

The purpose of this paper is to study how people without home experience social services and how they experience their space of action when they meet social services. In order to answer these questions, a qualitative approach has been used. The empirical material consists of five interviews with people who have contact with social services because they are homeless. To support my analysis of the space of action for the persons being interviewed, I’ve used two theoretical perspectives, power analysis by Michel Foucault and Rational Choice. The result shows that the interviewed often feel insulted when they meet social services, that they have little or no involvement and that their space of action is small. According to Michel Foucault, the normalising power of the social services oppresses the clients and the clients in their turn are doing different forms of resistance. According to Rational Choice, interaction between people is based on power, exchange and interest. From the clients point of view the only thing they can exchange to get a place to live is to be submissive. Therefore they don’t have many resources to widen their space of action.

Background and aim: The number of refugees and unaccompanied children are increasing in Sweden and these people belong to one of the groups that are at higher risk for developing suicidal behavior. At the same time the lack of research on the subject is mentioned several times by different sources. The aim of this study is therefore to investigate suicidal behavior among young refugees between the ages 13 to 18 years in Sweden, from personnel experiences in social services. Method: We have chosen a qualitative approach with seven narrative interviews that each lasted for about one hour and were recorded. The interview guide was semi structured. The respondents in this study consist of one student counselor, workers from two child psychiatry departments and four different residential care homes for unaccompanied children and young persons. Results and conclusions: The respondents had the understanding that young refugees have been through a lot, lost their families and experienced difficult traumas and a tough refuge. The result from the collected data showed that the personnel thought the cause of the suicidal behavior is the long wait during the asylum process, the trauma they have experienced and lack of social networks. Suicidal behaviors among the young refugees were often thoughts and suicide attempts with pills, through self-starving, hanging, or cutting themselves. We have noticed an opinion that a connection between being a refugee and suicide is possible and that a shorter asylum process might help reduce the suicidal behavior among young refugees. / Bakgrund och syfte: Antalet flyktingar och ensamkommande barn ökar i Sverige och dessa människor tillhör en av de grupper som löper större risk att utveckla självmordsbeteende. Samtidigt nämns bristen på forskning inom ämnet av olika källor. Syftet med denna studie är därför att undersöka självmordsbeteende bland unga flyktingar i åldern 13 och 18 år i Sverige, från personals upplevelser i sociala verksamheter. Metod: Vi har valt en kvalitativ ansats med sju narrativa intervjuer, ungefär en timme långa vardera och bandinspelade med diktafon. Intervjuguiden var semistrukturerad. Respondenterna i denna studie utgörs av en kurator, personal från två avdelningar inom barnpsykiatrin (BUP) och fyra olika hem för vård eller boende (HVB-hem) för ensamkommande barn och ungdomar. Resultat och slutsatser: Intervjupersonerna hade uppfattningen att unga flyktingar har gått igenom mycket, förlorat sina familjer och erfarit svåra trauman och en besvärlig flykt till Sverige. Resultatet från insamlad data visade att personalen trodde att orsaken till självmordsbeteende är den långa väntan under asylprocessen, det trauma som de har upplevt och brist på socialt nätverk. Självmordsbeteende bland unga flyktingar var ofta tankar och självmordsförsök genom tabletter, självsvält, hängning eller genom att skära sig. Vi har uppmärksammat respondenters åsikter om att en koppling mellan självmord och att vara flykting är möjlig och att en kortare asylprocess kan bidra till att minska självmordsbeteende bland unga flyktingar.

The aim of this study was to examine the perceptions within social services regarding men who are victims of domestic violence based on how gender, sexuality, masculinity and victimhood was constructed in the social workers' statements. Eight qualitative interviews were conducted with nine social workers who work within the social services and meet people who are victims of domestic violence. A social constructionist scientific approach has permeated the study and theories of gender, heteronormativity, masculinity and the ideal victim has served as the study’s theoretical views. The results of the study showed that some of the social workers ascribed men specific characteristics such as strength and fearlessness. This showed how gender and masculinity was constructed in the social workers' statements. Furthermore, the results showed that their statements often based on a heterosexual norm and on the assumption that the woman was the victim and the man the perpetrator of domestic violence. Thus, sexuality and victimization were constructed in relation to gender. This showed that the social workers had certain perceptions regarding vulnerable men, meaning that men often were made ​​invisible as victims of domestic violence in the social workers' statements. At the same time, this may be because of the fact that the social workers mostly or exclusively have met women who are exposed to violence by their male partner. In addition to this, all social workers expressed an openness and awareness that even men are victims of domestic violence in same-sex and different-sex relationships. / Syftet med denna studie har varit att undersöka vilka föreställningar som finns inom socialtjänsten om män som utsätts för våld i nära relation utifrån hur kön, sexualitet, maskulinitet och offerskap konstrueras i socialarbetares uttalanden. Åtta kvalitativa intervjuer har genomförts med nio socialarbetare som är verksamma inom socialtjänsten och möter personer som utsätts för våld i nära relation. Ett socialkonstruktionistiskt vetenskapligt synsätt har genomsyrat studien och teorier om genus, heteronormativitet, maskulinitet och det idealiska offret har tjänat som studiens teoretiska utgångspunkter. Studiens resultat visade att en del av socialarbetarna tillskrev män specifika egenskaper, såsom styrka och orädsla. På så sätt konstruerades kön och maskulinitet i socialarbetarnas uttalanden. Vidare visade resultatet att socialarbetarna ofta talade utifrån heteronormen och utifrån kvinnan som offer och mannen som förövare av relationsvåld. Detta visade hur sexualitet och offerskap konstruerades kopplat till kön. Socialarbetarna hade således vissa föreställningar om utsatta män, innebärande att män ofta osynliggjordes som offer för relationsvåld i socialarbetarnas uttalanden. Detta kan tänkas bero på att socialarbetarna mestadels eller uteslutande hade mött kvinnor som utsätts för våld av sin manliga partner. Samtliga socialarbetare gav dessutom uttryck för en öppenhet och medvetenhet om att även män utsätts för relationsvåld i samkönade och olikkönade relationer.

Rural accessibility is a pressing issue in many parts of the world. Improved geographical accessibility to basic social service facilities for rural populations is a goal of most governments in developing countries. Development of a trail-based transport system is a key way to improve rural accessibility in mountainous and rugged terrain where trails criss-cross with numerous rivers. The present study focuses on Nepal, a developing country with rural accessibility challenges and a very challenging physical environment. This thesis reviews the existing accessibility patterns in rural areas of Nepal and proposes various approaches for identifying poorly served geographical areas and optimizing of location of additional new trail bridges to provide “best” links to social services. The methodology in this study is based on the concept of the gravity-based spatial interaction and accessibility models. GIS applications are used in different ways, such as in creating, acquiring, integrating spatial and attribute datasets, and spatial analysis and visualization of the output results. Amongst the different types of social services, health care and education centers are considered the most pressing services and hence are the objects of analysis. The main difference between health care service centers and educational facilities is that schools are usually very widespread across the district and serve for the school age population. Health service centers are sparsely and inequitably distributed, however, they serve the whole population at large. The results of the analysis show a fairly clear indication of problems relating to rural transport and access to social service centers in rural Nepal. This is attributed, in part, due to insufficient provision of social service centers and the lack of trail bridges over river crossing locations. The estimated numbers of trips over potential new bridges based on spatial integration modeling provides a basis for prioritization of river crossing locations for allocation of new trail bridges. The poorly served areas across the study district are identified on the basis of the results of the potential accessibility modeling. The trail network nodes with relatively low accessibility values are of prime concern and the subject of contemplation in the trail bridge planning decision-making process.