The aim of this study has been to describe and understand how school counselors and school social worker experience and perceive their discretion related to the work with problematic school absenteeism in elementary school. My study is based on six qualitative interviews where the professional roles each made half of the total number, which has been analyzed using qualitative content analysis. I wanted to describe and understand the discretion of school counselors and school social worker based on their role and function as that are not sufficently defined and specified, this associated with work on problematic school absenteeism. The conclusions of this study are that some of them felt limited regarding confidentiality, while some were positive about laws and guidelines. Also, that other actors within school or BUP, their working conditions and resources influenced the school counselors´and school social workers own work performance. The managers gave them freedom to shape their professional role within the organization´s framework. The possibility of resistance was also expressed. Also, that there is bigger experience of obscurity than clarity regarding the job description, which can be based on cooperation and the opportunity to take place. Collaboration and cross-border work as well affected the discretion of the professional role. School councelors and school social worker also have different opportunities in their preventive practical work to meet and manage absenteeism.

Problematic school absenteeism is receiving an increasing amount of public attention in today's Sweden due to the impact it has on young people's health and their families. A relatively new profession, School Social Worker (SSW), constitutes a role in the intersection between schools, families, and the social services. The aim of this study is to examine SSWs experiences and how organizational conditions affect their work. The data was collected through nine semi- structured interviews and a thematic analysis was made based on the interviews using organizational theory and domain-conflict theory. Our findings are based on two main themes: The school social workers conditions and approaches and The social services in the pedagogical sphere. The results show that the SSW has a lot of freedom to shape their own professional role. The results also indicate that SSWs had different structures, goals and guidelines depending on the workplace. A common theme was preventive work, with the majority focusing on attendance-related issues. The results suggest a potential change in SSWs tasks if they fail to communicate clear boundaries with other professionals. The assignment's intent and adherence vary, especially regarding the issues SSWs are expected to address, such as handling twice the specified absenteeism rate.