Yrket personlig assistent är unikt då arbetsplatsen generellt utgår från brukarens hemmiljö. Vidare är arbetet unikt i den mån man som assistent kommer en person nära inpå livet genom delaktighet i syfte att förbättra individens liv och levnadsvillkor. Yrket är däremot komplext då brukaren står i centrum för insatsen men samtidigt bedömer resultatet av assistenternas insats. Syftet med följande uppsats är att undersöka personliga assistenters upplevelser av psykosocial arbetsmiljö för att öka kunskapen om arbetsmiljörelaterade risk- och friskfaktorer i arbetet med personer med funktionsnedsättning. Studien har tillämpat ett kvalitativt tillvägagångssätt och det empiriska materialet har insamlats via semistrukturerade intervjuer för att lyckas fånga respondenternas upplevelser kring den psykosociala arbetsmiljön. Semistrukturerade intervjuer har vidare tillämpats i syfte att ge respondenterna utrymme att uttrycka sig fritt kring sin psykosociala arbetsmiljö. Sammantaget har sju stycken intervjuer genomförts med yrkesverksamma personliga assistenter där urvalet av personer skett via ett så kallat snöbollsurval. Intervjuerna har i ett senare skede transkriberats för att möjliggöra en analys av den insamlade empirin. Empirin belyser utmärkande faktorer i relation till assistenternas motivation där utveckling hos assistansanvändarna betraktas som en av de primära motivationsfaktorerna. Vidare visar resultatet i studien att krav och kontroll från anhöriga till assistansanvändarna påverkar den psykosociala arbetsmiljön betydligt. Resultatet påvisar också att socialt stöd från såväl kollegor och ledning är av stor vikt för att de anställda skall uppleva att dem har en god psykosocial arbetsmiljö. Slutsatsen av den psykosociala arbetsmiljön för personliga assistenter utifrån den insamlade empirin tyder på en arbetssituation präglat av höga krav, låg kontroll och lågt socialt stöd. Däremot uppskattar assistenterna sitt arbete tillsammans med sina respektive brukare då dem motiveras av att i sin yrkesroll få bidra till ett värdigt liv för assistansanvändaren i fråga. Respektive arbetsgivare har dock ett viktigt arbete att driva framåt ur arbetsmiljösynpunkt gentemot sina arbetstagare i syfte att verka för en bättre psykosocial arbetsmiljö. / Personal assistance is a unique profession to the extent that the assistant comes the client close to life through participation in order to improve the individual's life and living conditions. The work is also unique as it uses the client’s home environment. The purpose of the following essay is to explore personal assistants’ experiences of a psychosocial work environment in order to increase knowledge about risk and health factors in work with people with disabilities. The collection of the empirical material has been done through a qualitative design to capture the respondents' experiences about the psychosocial work environment. The qualitative method which has been used is semi structured interviews with the aim of giving respondents a possibility to express themselves freely about their psychosocial work environment. In total seven interviews have been conducted through a selection from four respondents as in turn entered new people. The interviews have been transcribed to enable an analysis of the collected empiricism. The empiricism shows that personal assistants feel motivation in work when they witness the clients’ development. The empiricism also shows that demands and control especially come from the client’s family and affect the psychosocial work environment a lot. The empiricism at last shows that social support from both colleagues and managers represent a great value for the psychosocial work environment for personal assistants. The conclusion of the psychosocial work environment based on the results is a work situation based on high demands, low control and low social support. Although the psychosocial work environment is perceived to be difficult by the assistants they appreciate the possibility to enable a more worthwhile life for the clients. The conclusion is as well that each employer has an important work to do with the psychosocial work environment in order to make the personal assistants work environment better in the future.

Yrkeskategorin personlig assistans uppkom 1994 genom assistansreformen. Yrketsyftar till att främja jämlika levnadsvillkor och delaktighet i samhällslivet förmänniskor med funktionshinder. Yrket kan upplevas som svårt då den personligaassistenten dras mellan två lagrum; brukarens självbestämmande kontra den egnaarbetsmiljön. Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur personliga assistenter,anställda av Halmstad kommun, upplever sitt yrke då yrkeskategorin är starktpåverkad av brukarens lagstadgade rättigheter. Studien genomfördes genomvägledning av följande frågeställningar: Hur beskriver assistenter sin relation till brukare ochvad har relationen för betydelse för assistentens upplevelse av arbetet? Hur upplever assistenter attderas arbetsrättsliga behov tillgodoses? Hur upplever assistenterna att brukarnas socialrättsligabehov tillgodoses? Denna studie var uppdragsbaserad och ämnet valdes utifrån behovfrån socialförvaltningen i Halmstad kommun. Studien genomfördes med hjälp av enkvalitativ undersökning med inspiration av grundad teori som metod.Datainsamlingen utfördes genom sju stycken semistrukturerade intervjuer. Urvaletavgränsades till personliga assistenter anställda av socialförvaltningen i Halmstadkommun. Med inspiration av grundad teori togs en faktisk teori fram. Denna teorivisar att yrkeskategorin vilar på ett trepartsförhållande där brukare, arbetsgivare ochassistent deltar. Teorin kan ge förklaring på vad arbetsgivaren kan göra för att skapabättre arbetsförhållanden för assistenten och vidare förbättra relationen mellanassistent och brukare. Då tidigare forskning indikerar att det finns en kunskapsluckainom denna yrkeskategori var valet av metod relevant för att synliggöra möjligamodeller och teorier för yrkeskategorin. Den framtagna teorin kan vara till nytta föratt bättre förstå vad som påverkar medarbetarna inom denna yrkeskategori. / The professional category of personal assistance arose in 1994 through the personalassistance reform. The profession aims to promote equal living conditions andparticipation in the social life, for people with disabilities. The profession can be perceivedas difficult, since the personal assistant is drawn between two law fields; the client’s selfdetermination versus their working environment. The purpose of the study was toinvestigate how personal assistant employees, at the municipality of Halmstad, experiencetheir profession. This is of interest since this professional category is strongly influencedby the client’s self-determination, integrity and freedom of choice. The study was carriedout with guidance of the following questions: How do assistants describe their relationship withclients and what does this relationship mean for how the assistants’ feel about their employments? How doassistants feel that their labour law needs are met? How do the assistants feel that the social law needs ofthe clients are met? This study was assignment-based and the subject was chosen based onneeds from the social administration in Halmstad municipality. The study was conductedusing a qualitative study and inspired by grounded theory as a method. The data collectionwas carried out through seven semi-structured interviews. The selection was limited topersonal assistant employees within the social services in Halmstad municipality. Withinspiration from a grounded theory as a tool of work, an actual theory was developed.This theory shows that the professional category is based on a tripartite relationship inwhich the client, employer and assistant participate. The theory can explain what theemployer can do to create better working conditions for the assistant and further improvethe relationship between the assistant and the client. Previous research indicates that thereis a knowledge gap in this professional category. Therefore, choosing method basedtheory as a working tool was relevant for visualizing possible models and theories withinthis professional category. The presented theory can be useful to better understand theaffects the employees can experience within this professional category.

Ungefär 15 % av världens befolkning har en funktionsnedsättning, en del av dessa är i behov av stöd i sin vardag. För att ge ett gott stöd behövs insikt i individernas upplevelser. Syftet med studien är att beskriva kunskapsläget inom befintlig forskning gällande upplevelser av att leva i ett hushåll där en person till följd av fysisk funktionsnedsättning har personlig assistans, samt hur detta kan förstås utifrån person- och familjecentrering. En litteraturstudie har genomförts med sökning i 2 vetenskapliga databaser där 17 kvalitativa studier identifierats. Tematisk analys användes i bearbetandet av materialet. 3 huvudteman och 8 subteman togs fram. Dessa teman handlar om roller och relationer, hur assistansen kan bidra till en normal tillvaro samt att assistansen ibland kan bli till ett hinder. Resultatet visar att person- och familjecentrering kan öka tillfredsställelsen med assistansen. / About 15% of the population in the world have a disability, some of whom need support in their daily lives. To provide good support, insight into the individuals' experiences is needed. The purpose of the study is to describe the state of knowledge in existing research regarding experiences of living in a household where a person due to physical disability requires personal assistance, and how this can be understood based on person- and family centering. A literature review was conducted with a search in 2 scientific databases. 17 qualitative studies were identified. Thematic analysis was used in the processing of the material. 3 main themes and 8 sub-themes were developed. These themes involve roles and relationships, how assistance can contribute to a normal life and that assistance can become an obstacle. The results show that person- and family centering can increase satisfaction with the assistance.

This Master's thesis deals with the description of an introduction of social service in Non- Governmental Organization, which has decided to become a registrated provider of social services. The aim of the thesis is to describe how to manage selected phase of such a change, while introducing it to the field of social service by a Non-Governmental Organization. This is related to chosen Non-Governmental Organization Azara sociální, z.s. and specifically it's project of the introduction of field social service - Personal Assistance. The selected phase of implementation is the registration of this service and the individual steps, from the decision to introduce the change, through the elaboration of the individual plans and submission of required documents, which are necessary for the registration application to the competent regional authority. Strategic analyzes are carried out for the analysis of the external environment of the selected organization and the analysis of the internal environment. The qualitative research method focus group has been used to receive suggestions and concrete steps from selected representatives of the organization's management, based on the Implementation Plan and the Risk Plan. The evaluation of the progress, of the phases of the introduced changes is carried out...

This case study aimed to do a critical, intersectional, policy analysis of a disability policy regarding personal assistance support for basic human needs in everyday life. In January 2019, a comprehensive preparatory report about new suggestions was presented by the Swedish Government. This caused many reactions from disability rights organisations. One particular topic became heated and criticized in the debates, namely interpretations of the legal texts about personal assistance support concerning help with breathing and nutrition feeding. I have analysed interpretations of this legal text in the preparatory report, referral response and its result in the Government bill. The analysis shows problematic, normative understandings about the body and how a specific integrity demand have affected whether a person has been entitled to personal assistance to support their basic needs. Cost efficiency, quantification, and measurable goals are increasingly visible in the Swedish welfare society. People with disabilities and their entitlement to assistance have decreased for the sake of productivity and cost reductions. An intersectional perspective of the policy’s legal texts illustrates how it lacks an essential understanding of human values. There is a need for a deeper perspective of empathy to see that basic human needs are non-measurable.

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka LSS-handläggares upplevelser och erfarenheter av utredning och bedömning av rätten till personlig assistans för vuxna med funktionsnedsättning i Sverige. Genomförandet av studien är en semistrukturerad intervjumetod tillsammans med två vinjetter. Studiens resultat baseras på semistrukturerade intervjuer med sex kommunala LSS-handläggare. I studien är de teoretiska utgångspunkterna från ett organisationsteoretiskt perspektiv där vi analyserat vårt material utifrån begreppen handlingsutrymme och gräsrotsbyråkrati.   Resultatet av vår studie visar att LSS-handläggare upplever sitt handlingsutrymme vid bedömning och utredning av rätten till personlig assistans i Sverige som skiftande. Beroende på vilken situation handläggarna är i så har de i vissa situationer möjlighet att vidga sitt handlingsutrymme medan de i andra situationer upplever handlingsutrymmet som begränsat. De situationer där handläggarna har möjlighet att vidga sitt handlingsutrymme är exempelvis i bedömningar där det uppstår ett gränsfall om den enskilde har rätt till personlig assistans. Handläggarna påpekar att de i sådana situationer kan skapa möjligheter i beslutet till både bifall och avslag. Någonting som också påverkar att handlingsutrymmet kan vidgas är handläggarnas tillgång till bra handledning på arbetsplatsen. Det som stramar åt LSS-handläggarnas handlingsutrymme vid bedömning och utredning av personlig assistans är exempelvis att LSS-lagstiftningen ofta upplevs som fyrkantig. Tillgång till praxis påverkar även vidden av handlingsutrymmet då handläggarna inte anser att de kan ta rättssäkra beslut när praxis är otillräckliga. LSS-handläggarnas upplevda dilemman skapas när handlingsutrymmet upplevs som litet och de hamnar i situationer som försvårar deras beslut. / The purpose of this study is to examine LSS-officers' experiences of investigation and assessment of the right to personal assistance for adults with disabilities in Sweden. The implementation of the study is a semi-structured interview along with two vignettes. The results of the study are based on semi-structured interviews with six municipal LSS-officers. The theoretical framework of the study is from an organizational theory perspective where we analyzed our material using the concepts of discretion and street-level bureaucracy. The results of our study show that LSS-officers experience their discretion in the assessment and investigation of the right to personal assistance in Sweden as variable. Depending on the situation, LSS-officers have the opportunity to expand their discretion in some cases, while in other cases they find their discretion limited. Situations where the LSS-officers can expand their discretion arise, for example, in assessments where there is uncertainty about whether the individual has the right to personal assistance. In such cases, LSS-officers note that they can create possibilities in the decision for both approval and rejection. Access to good mentoring at the workplace also affects the ability to expand their discretion. Factors that limit LSS-officers discretion in the assessment and investigation of personal assistance include the perception that the LSS-law is often rigid. Access to case law also affects the extent of discretion, as LSS-officers do not believe they can make legally correct decisions when case law is insufficient. The dilemmas faced by LSS-officers arise when they perceive their discretion as limited and encounter situations that complicate their decision-making.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

This study examined disabled people’s access to independent living in Scotland and Norway. At the time of the field work for this research in 2012, the literature revealed no comparable social enquiry combining the concepts of citizenship, independent living and governance. Within disability studies, independent living denotes a perspective that recognises the interconnected nature of life areas that affect lived experiences of disablement and inclusion of disabled citizens. From the independent living movement, Centres for Inclusive Living emerged as unique governance structures with full service-user involvement and run by disabled people for disabled people. This study focused upon to what extent the organisational governance structures in the Glasgow Centre for Inclusive Living (GCIL) and Uloba Centre for Independent Living (Uloba) in Norway facilitate or impede disabled people’s access to independent living. The methodology adopted a mixed methods approach. The central method involved organisational case studies with GCIL and Uloba. This enabled an in-depth qualitative exploration through semi-structured interviews with the case study employees, service-user/co-owners and key experts within each country. In addition, an online survey was distributed to other organisations that operated within the disability field. The analytical framework used an integration of the social relational model of disability (Thomas, 1999) and meso level governance analysis (Lowe, 2004). The social relational model of disability provided structural (macro) and agency (micro) level interpretations and an emphasis on psychosocial elements of disability. It also enabled the synergy of a theory of impairment alongside a theory of disability. Meso (organisational) governance analysis focused attention on the connections between organisations in society. This focus revealed the lateral relationships with other meso level bodies, macro institutions and micro individual action. Research participants prioritised the areas of peer support, accessible housing and personal assistance. Peer support was found to take both informal and formal manifestations and acted as a foundation for the other two areas of independent living. The findings highlighted that Centres for Inclusive Living provide facilitation for access to independent living across macro, meso and micro tiers of society. In particular, empowerment, peer support and user led governance formed key strategies that enhanced disabled people’s access to independent living in Scotland and Norway.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

This diploma thesis deals with the process of individual planning focusing on the care in the organization providing domiciliary services and care services. The theoretical section devoted attention to the development of social services in the Czech Republic. Furthermore, it specifies care services as well as personal assistance services. According to the Act 108/2006 Coll., on social services, providers of social services are obligated to draw up quality standards of social services and to respect them. In the theoretical section, there are briefly described all quality standards of social services. The thesis is focused mainly on quality standard No. 5 (The Individual Planning in Social Services). The public notice No. 505/2006 Coll. defines the criteria, which are obligatory to be respected by providers of social services. The aim of the thesis was to find out, how are the criteria of the quality standard No. 5 ensured by providers of personal assistance and care services. A partial aim of the work was to outline, to which users makes the individual planning the biggest difficulties. H1: Difficulty of meeting quality standard No. 5 declines with the increasing number of activities, required from the user of the social service. I?ve chosen a qualitative research to test the hypothesis and for achievement of the objectives. The relevant qualitative research relied on the questioning method. Questions in the first part of the questionnaire are directed to the main objective of the thesis, questions in the second part to the stopover and to the testing of the hypothesis. For the selected questions, I carried out a statistical analysis of dependence in the cross tabulations and an analysis based on the uncertainty coefficient by using the SPSS program. As part of my research, I approached provider of the care and personal assistance in the South Bohemian Region via e-mail. 167 completed questionnaires returned back. After summarizing of these results, we can conclude that the criteria of the quality standard No. 5 are reflected by the vast majority of providers. The providers have a written methodology for individual planning and they practice it. They plan together with the user, taking into account his personal target and they evaluate the plan collectively. They have a written system for the transmission of information about an individual users? planning and the staff follows it. Individual planning makes the greatest difficulties to the providers with users using only a small scale care. This fact is confirmed by the results of statistical analysis. Based on respondents' answers, the hypothesis that the difficulty of meeting the quality of standard No. 5 decreases with increasing number of required activities by the user of social services, can be consider as valid.