The aim of this bachelor thesis was to examine attitudes among social workers, particularly their attitudes toward their clients’ poverty and towards economic counseling as a method. A further aim was to study the relationship between attitudes towards poverty and economic counseling. Primary data used for the study was assembled among social workers (n = 111) with the use of an electronic questionnaire that was sent out to social welfare offices in 34 city districts in Stockholm,Gothenburg and Malmö. The findings showed that a majority of the social workers had a structural understanding of poverty and a positive attitude towards economic counseling. No correlations were found between the attitudes towards poverty and towards economic counseling. Although economic counseling can be seen as a method for individual change, the social workers had a positive attitude towards using it with clients’ whose inability to support themselves was interpreted as structurally implied. This was understood as a means to minimize the negative effects of poverty and as a way to go beyond administrative tasks. Through Giddens duality of structure theory, economic counseling was interpreted as a way of affecting the structurally caused problem of poverty by changing the actions of the client.

The purpose of this study was to examine how the needs of social assistance for people with substance abuse are assessed in accordance to The Swedish Social Services Act 4th chapter 1§. The purpose was also to examine how substance abuse is assessed as a social problem by social workers, how the municipal guidelines concerning social assistance for substance abuser were constructed in relation to the Social Service Act and finally how social workers made their assessments of the need of social assistance to people with substance abuse in relation to the legislation. The sample was made among the municipalities in the county of Stockholm. Municipal guidelines were studied in 18 municipalities by content analysis. A sample of 11 social workers was chosen from 5 municipalities. A vignette study was used as method. The results have been analyzed by using a sociology of law approach, based on the theory of the law as mainly a ruling function. The results of the study show that both the construction of municipal guidelines and social workers’ assessment of the need of social assistance to people with substance abuse were based on restrictions with no connection in The Social Service Act. Social workers who did work in a municipal, where there were no special guidelines regarding social assistance to individuals with substance abuse, more frequently made their assessments according to the law. The result was the opposite for social workers working in municipals with special guidelines regarding social assistance to individuals with substance abuse. The results also indicated that social workers, as well as municipal politicians, showed little knowledge and ability to align the social work to current legislation and legal practice.

With this study, our purpose has been to achieve profounded knowledge and understanding regarding the use of discretion among social workers specialized in social allowance issues. The Social Services Act, structured as a framework law in the Swedish context, provides the social worker with a certain degree of discretion, in order to enable accommodated decisions depending on client case specifics. This study problematizes these aspects of legal security, and our intention has been to examine which factors impact the assessments social workers carry out in statutory decisions of social allowance applications. To attain this, we narrowed down our intention into a number of distinct and delimitated research questions: (1) Which elements of the client case impact the social worker’s assessment? (2) Which external aspects influence the social worker’s assessments and decisions? (3) How do social workers decide the client’s credibility?   In order to establish answers to our research questions, we have utilized a qualitative approach of research by exerting qualitative interviews in addition to a vignette study. We have conducted five interviews with social workers specialized in social allowance issues. The empirical material was analyzed and illustrated in the view of Lipsky’s descriptive theory of street-level bureaucracy, and in the light of different theories of authoritarian power, as constituted by Lukes and Foucault.   Within the municipality subject to our research, our vignette study establishes the fact disparities exist among the assessments social workers decide from an application of social allowance. The result of our study exhibit social workers’ grounds of assessment are influenced by a number of aspects. These facets of impact compose internal factors existing within the client case frame. Related to the unique characteristics of a client’s situation, the internal factors also depend on the relation created between social worker and client. Furthermore, the social worker’s assessment is affected by external factors including colleague consultation, supervisor influence and contemporary work load levels. Additionally, our study implies aspects influencing decision-making of social workers occurring on a meta level, which we have opted to denominate semi-external factors. These factors embrace levels of client credibility as well as aspects of power present in the social worker – client relation.

Unemployment and long term unemployment is a reality for a large number of people in Sweden. This may be the result of structural changes in the labor market, but involves a wide range of issues. Along with other actors, the social services are obliged to support the long term unemployed to find a job. The aim of this study was to describe and analyze the work done by social workers towards the long term unemployed, 25-49 years old, in two municipalities. We performed altogether six qualitative interviews. In each municipality we selected two social workers and the head of the work unit. The interviews were recorded and transcribed. We used a social constructionist perspective and organizational theory for the analysis. Results show that the social workers believe that they have almost twice as many clients as they can handle with a good quality in social work. We also present, in the study that a considerable coordination with other units of the social services and other authorities is taking place, but that the social workers are partly negative towards its functioning.

The purpose of this study was to examine participants' experiences and descriptions of a municipal activation program, and how participants perceive their opportunities for influence on their own needs and requirements. The results are based on statements from six semi-structured, individual interviews conducted by the qualitative method. Empowerment, paternalism and social capital are among the study's theoretical frame of reference. The main results show that more participants are critical of aspects of coercion and involuntary willingness in participation. Motivation for participation seems to mainly be linked to whether the activity is experienced as meaningful, as well as to the attitude of the staff. An individual, affirmative response from the staff seems to be of concern to the participants' general experience of the program. The contact with other participants interpreted from theory of social capital and collective empowerment.

This study involves a survey of the writers’ opinions on the internet forum Flashback about the national norms coverage. The study also contains the internet forum writers proposed action strategies for supply when living on the national norm. Thereby this study is aiming to visualize the living situation when living on the national standards. Previous research shows how the national norm does not seem to live up to a reasonable standard of living as well as the national norm has not evolved with changes in society.  Further the previous research shows how difficult it can be to live on a narrow economy which connects to one of the study’s questions about coping strategies. There are shortcomings in previous research on the study’s topic since previous research focuses little on people’s opinions. Accordingly the authors’ whishes to highlight the writers’ opinions on the internet forum Flashback through a quantitative study content analysis. This study has chosen to analyze the data and the results using Bourdieu´s theories about the social room, field, habitus and the forms of capital. These theories are intended to be useful in interpreting the study’s results. The result shows that the writers believe that the national norm is to narrow and does not fulfill all the needs entries. Despite this result the writers believe it is possible to achieve a reasonable standard of living when living on welfare benefits. These results can be contradictory and therefore interesting which is why the authors question how these views emerged. The contradictory results create an additional finding which is that the writers on the internet forum may not have understood how it is meant to live on the national norm.

Denna studie syftar till att granska variationer i bedömningar och beslut om ekonomiskt bistånd utifrån vilken betydelse den enskilda organisationens riktlinjer har för dessa. Utifrån syftet, och med stöd av tidigare forskning på området, valdes vinjettstudien som metod. Ett identiskt typfall, gällande en fiktiv ansökan om ekonomiskt bistånd, skickades ut till samtliga kommuner i Västra Götalands län, med undantag för Göteborgs kommun. Vinjetten riktades till socialsekreterare som i sin vardag arbetar med handläggning av ekonomiskt bistånd och totalt erhölls svar från 16 olika kommuner. Resultatet påvisar stora skillnader i både bedömningar och beslut mellan de olika kommunerna vilket verifierar de tidigare studier som gjorts. Trots att samtliga kommuner finner stöd för sina motiveringar i lag och allmänna råd framgår det av resultatet att dessa har tolkats på olika sätt. Eftersom respondenterna ombads att motivera sina bedömningar och beslut utifrån kommunens lokala riktlinjer och direktiv tros dessa också ligga till grund för de variationer som uppstått. Detta gör att den kommunala självstyrelsen kan problematiseras ur ett rättssäkerhetsperspektiv. En diskussion förs om huruvida en ökad detaljstyrning skulle kunna bidra till en ökad rättsäkerhet, men också vilka konsekvenser en sådan rättslig reglering skulle kunna innebära för det sociala arbetet som profession. / This study aims to examine variations in assessments and decisions on financial assistance based on the significance of the local guidelines for these. According to the purpose, and with support by previous research in the field, a vignette study was chosen as a method. An identical scenario, reflecting an application for financial assistance, was sent to all municipalities in Västra Götaland County, with the exception of the municipality of Gothenburg. The vignette was addressed to social workers who are working daily with processing of economic assistance. Totaly was responses from 16 different municipalities received. The results demonstrate significant differences in both assessments and decisions between the various municipalities, which verifies the previous studies performed. Despite the fact that all the municipalities found support for their justification in law and general guidance, it appear in the results that they have been interpreted in different ways. Since the respondents were asked to base their judgments and decisions on the local guidelines, it is believed that these also form the basis of the variations encountered. Because of the big variations between municipalities a problematisation of the legal security can be made. A final discussion is made about wether an increased legal regulation could contribute to a greater legal security, but also what implications of such a regulation could mean for the social work as a profession.

The aim of this thesis is to examine activation, including support and control, among different groups of social assistance (SA) recipients. Assessments and activation related decisions during one year are analysed for 372 social randomly selected assistance claimants from four municipalities. Data was collected 2002-2003 through structured interviews with the clients and their social workers. Income from work and social assistance was followed up with national register data after two years. The first study focuses on social workers conception of their claimants work barriers. Conceptions vary systematically across groups of claimants. The second study examines elements of activation, finding that extent and content of activation, and use of support and control, vary between municipalities and programs. The third study analyses associations between participation in activation programs and exposures to sanctions and exemptions (indicators of support and control) on the one hand, and claimants’ characteristics on the other hand.  Traditional work-test logic seems to be common in social work, and linked to stereotypic gender logic. This implies a systematic selection to activation based on sex, and on social workers opinion about the claimants work motivation. The results question the linkage between work barriers and activation, since claimants without formal resources (education and work experience) do not participate in resource activation (aiming to increase formal resources) more often than others. The fourth study analyses association between combinations of activation programs and sanctions and self support outcomes for SA claimants. Results suggest that a combination of resource activation and sanctions has a positive association with income from work, and that a combination of job activation and sanctions is associated with continuing SA.

Abstract This paper is a peer-review about social workers´ experiences and descriptions of making individual assessments of their unemployed clients when working toward self-sufficiency and eventual obstacle for making them. The paper also deals with how social workers prioritize their work tasks. The study was conducted through interviews with five social workers at the same workplace. The results have been analyzed using theories of discretion, street-level bureaucrats and client dimensions within a street-level bureaucracy. The result shows that lack of time and limitation of discretion have negative influences in the social workers’ ability to make individual assessments. The result also shows that individual assessments are foremost made when the clients mismanage their planning and are risking not getting their application for financial assistance approved. Further the results show that the processing of applications and payment of financial assistance is a priority task since it is considered to be most important to clients and result in the greatest consequences for both social workers and clients if not performed. The discussion that follows is about the possible consequences of prioritizing work tasks this way. / Sammanfattning Denna uppsats är en kollegiegranskning och handlar om socialsekreterares upplevelser och erfarenheter av att göra individuella bedömningar av sina arbetslösa klienter i arbetet mot självförsörjning och eventuella hinder för dessa. Uppsatsen beskriver även om hur socialsekreterare prioriterar sina arbetsuppgifter. Studien har genomförts genom intervjuer med 5 socialsekreterare på en arbetsplats. Resultatet har analyserats utifrån teorier om handlingsutrymme, frontlinjebyråkrater och klientdimensioner inom en frontlinjebyråkrati. Resultatet visar att tidsbrist och begränsningar i handlingsutrymmet båda är faktorer som har en negativ påverkan på en socialsekreterares förutsättningar att göra individuella bedömningar. Resultatet visar även att individuella bedömningar främst görs när en klient misskött sin planering och riskerar avslag på sin ansökan om ekonomiskt bistånd. Vidare visar resultatet att handläggning av ansökningar om och utbetalning av ekonomiskt bistånd är en prioriterad arbetsuppgift då den anses vara viktigast för klienterna samt resulterar i störst konsekvenser för både socialsekreterare och klienter om den inte utförs.

Syftet med studien var att undersöka socialsekreterares erfarenheter av att neka ekonomiskt bistånd. Tre frågeställningar formulerades: Hur påverkas socialsekreterare känslomässigt av att neka ekonomiskt bistånd? Hur upplever socialsekreterarna att klienterna reagerar i samband med ett avslag? Finns det andra faktorer som påverkar socialsekreterarnas erfarenheter av att ge avslag? Fem intervjuer genomfördes med socialsekreterare på fyra olika kommuner i Skåne. Resultatet visade att ett avslagsbeslut inte påverkade socialsekreteraren negativt i någon större utsträckning. Även om majoriteten av informanterna uttryckte att det ibland kunde kännas jobbigt att ge ett avslag fanns det coping- strategier och arbetssätt som underlättade i arbetet med avslag. En känsla av sammanhang (KASAM) kunde identifieras som en underlättande faktor. Klienterna kunde ibland bli arga och inte förstå beslutet men de kunde också bli mer motiverade. Faktorer som ramlag, kollegor och yrkeskunskap spelade stor i arbetet. Att ha en tydligt distans till klienten, tilltro till klientens förmåga att förändra sin situation och att det är individen som har ansvar för sin situation underlättade i arbetet med avslag. Ett avslag kan således betyda mer än bara ett ”nej, du har inte rätt till bistånd.” / The aim of this study was to look into social workers experiences on rejecting financial assistance. Three questions were to be answered: In what way are the social workers emotionally affected by rejecting financial assistance? How do the social workers experience the clients reactions when getting a rejection on financial assistance? Are there any other factors affecting the social workers experiences on rejecting financial assistance? Five interviews were conducted with social workers from five different municipalities in Skåne, Sweden. The result showed that rejecting financial assistance did not affect the social workers negatively in a significant manor. Even though the majority of the informants sometimes expressed some level of awkwardness while rejecting finical assistance, there were coping strategies and methods that favored the rejection process. Clients could sometimes become angry, not understanding why the application was rejected but they could also become more motivated. Factors like framework, colleagues and knowledge of the profession played a big part in the daily work. A sense of coherence was also found to be a stress relieving factor. The rejection process was made easier by having a clear emotional distance to the client, a faith in the clients own abilities to change hir situation and also knowing that it is the individual that has full responsibility of hir situation. A rejection can therefore be viewed as something more than just ”no, you’re not entitled the right to receive financial assistance.”