Det finns idag brister kring hur barn görs delaktiga i sitt eget ärende i kontakt med socialtjänsten. Syftet med denna studie var därför att undersöka hur socialsekreterare beskriver hur de arbetar med barns delaktighet i praktiken. Detta gjordes genom kvalitativa intervjuer med sex socialsekreterare. Barnens röster kring hur de kan uppleva kontakten med socialtjänsten har i denna studie gjorts hörda genom citat från tidigare publicerad litteratur. För studiens analys har Shiers delaktighetsmodell använts.Det studien visar är att barn görs delaktiga kring delar av ärendeprocessen, men det förefaller som att delaktigheten är bristfällig när det rör beslut om insats och dess innehåll. Det informanterna lyfter som en negativ påverkande faktor i arbetet med att göra barn delaktiga är framförallt tidsbristen. I studien framkommer även att det i organisationernas riktlinjer finns en otydlighet kring hur och i vilken omfattning barn ska göras delaktiga. Dessutom saknas det en klar definition av vad barns delaktighet innebär. / Today there are deficiencies about how children are involved in their own case in contact with the social services. The purpose of this study was therefore to investigate how social workers describe how they work with childrenʼs participation in practice. This was done through qualitative interviews with six social workers in Skane. In this study, the childrenʼs voices on how they can experience the contact with the social services have been heard through quotations from previously published literature. For the studyʼs analysis, Shierʼs pathways to participation has been used. What the study shows is that children are involved in parts of the case process, but it seems that participation is deficient when it comes to decisions on treatment and its content. What the informants highlight as a negative influencing factor in the work of involving children is, above all, the lack of time. The study also shows that there is an ambiguity in how and to what extent children should be involved in the organizationsʼ policies. In addition, there isnʼt a clear definition of what childrenʼs participation entails.

Thesis (M. A. (Social Work)) -- University of Limpopo, 2016 / Refer to the document

Thesis (M.A. (Social Work)) --University of Limpopo, 2016 / The overall aim of the study was to evaluate how Social Work Supervision affects job performance in the Department of Social Development, Polokwane Sub-District. The objectives of the study were to explore how supervision is rendered in the Department of Social Development in the Polokwane sub-district; to investigate the impact of supervision on Social Workers’ job performance and to make recommendations from the findings to the Department of Social Development in the Polokwane sub-district regarding how supervision can be improved to enhance service delivery. The study was qualitative research and researcher used descriptive research design. The data was collected through semi-structured face-to-face interview from six (6) cluster supervisors and twelve (12) Social Workers who are employed by the Department of Social Development, Polokwane Sub-District. The sample consisted of cluster supervisors who had more than three months experience of providing supervision in the Department of Social Development, Polokwane Sub-District and no acting cluster supervisor was selected to participate in the study. The Social Workers had more than three months of working experience at Department of Social Development, Polokwane Sub-District. These Social Workers were not on internship programme. The researcher used thematic data analysis. The findings of this study confirmed that supervision which is rendered in the Department of Social Development, Polokwane Sub-District is conducted by supervisors who did not receive training during their academic years and after being qualified Social Workers; supervisors conduct this critical role because of their years of experience as Social Workers. Secondly Supervision sessions which are conducted by effective supervisors who have good supervisory skills have a positive impact on the job performance of Social Workers, as compare to ineffective supervisors without good supervisory skills and thirdly none adherence to structured supervision under poor working conditions without resources with high caseloads and unfair remuneration leads to burnout, and consequently contributing towards Social Workers having the intention to leave the Department of Social Development. Key words: Cluster supervisors, Social Workers, Job performance and supervision

Syftet med föreliggande uppsats var att få kunskap i hur socialsekreterare arbetar med barn som upplevt våld i hemmet samt hur socialsekreterare upplever sitt handlingsutrymme inom området. Tidigare forskning visar att barn som upplever våld i nära relation och som inte får adekvat stöd kan riskera att utveckla beteendeproblem samt posttraumatiskt stressyndrom vilket leder till negativa konsekvenser på flera områden. En kvalitativ metod som utgjordes av semistrukturerade intervjuer har genomförts med fem socialsekreterare från fem olika socialkontor i Mellansverige. Insamlade data analyserades med hjälp av meningskoncentrering vilket resulterade i följande fem teman; De osynliga barnen, För barnets bästa, Skapa tillit, Organisatoriska förutsättningar samt Våldets karaktär. Resultatet visade att de stödinsatser som erbjuds våldsutsatta barn varierar beroende på våldets karaktär samt på hur barn har upplevt våldet. Vidare framkom att individuellt samtalsstöd i form av Trappan-metoden, familjebehandling samt stöd genom Barnahus var de insatser som mest frekvent beviljades. Resultatet visade även på att socialsekreteraren upplever sig ha ett förhållandevis stort handlingsutrymme under utredningsarbetet, trots att de i första hand behöver förhålla sig till aktuell lagstiftning, föreskrifter samt kommunala riktlinjer.

Bibliography: pages 424-440. / The study relates the work done by social workers in the employ of the NG Sendingkerk to the community development needs of those communities that the NG Sendingkerk serves. The social workers concerned are trained by the Kerk itself. The study seek answers to the following questions: 1. What modern models of community development would be applicable to communities such as those served by the NG Sendingkerk and its social workers? What world view do such models of community development represent? 2. What are the principal features of the communities served by die NG Sendingkerk that are relevant to community development? 3. Relating (1) and (2) above, what criteria for optimum community development can be laid down for the Communities served by the NG Sendingkerk? 4. How do social workers trained by the NG Sendingkerk perceive the communities in which they work? What world view influences their perception? How does (4) relate to (2) above? 5. What is the programme of training followed by the NG Sendingkerk for its social workers? (A distinction is to be made between the intention of the training programme and the results of the training programme as perceived by the trainees). 6. If appropriate models of community development were to be applied to the communities which the NG Sendingkerk serves, to what extent does the Kerk's social work training equip its social workers with both the knowledge and the tools that these models require? 7. What proposals can be made for (1) modifying models of community development appropriate to the communities served by the NG Sendingkerk, (2) additional or different tools for the Kerk's social workers, (3) alteration of the perceptions of the communities within their existing world view?

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Parenting children with a hearing loss presents hearing parents with unique parenting challenges. Adapting to and managing these challenges is dependent on parents’ personal and social support as well as the resources available to them. There is limited research regarding hearing parents’ personal and social support and access to appropriate resources. In order to bridge this gap, the aim of the study was to develop guidelines for hearing parents parenting children with a hearing loss. A mixed methods approach with a sequential explanatory design using a two-phased approach was employed in this study. Phase 1 endeavoured to identify the problem and explore the needs of parents by using a staged approach. The sample in this phase included 103 participants in the quantitative study and 13 participants in the qualitative study. Phase 2 applied a consensus workshop made up of two rounds: Round 1 comprised a panel of experts, namely, academics in the field of child, family, and disability studies, and Round 2 included a panel of stakeholders comprised of hearing parents, professionals, Deaf mentors, and leaders working within the field of hearing loss. The purpose of the workshop was to reach consensus on the development of guidelines. From this research, a number of guidelines emerged for parents, focusing on:1) early intervention programmes for hearing parents and children diagnosed with a hearing loss, highlighting guidance and counselling for parents on early identification and screening programmes; 2) the need for social and emotional support to deal with the emotional impact of the diagnosis on the family, the parents, as well as the child with a hearing loss; 3) access to resources and information which is comprehensive and unbiased, allowing parents to make informed choices; and 4) support for communication intervention whereby parents are offered unbiased support in terms of communication options for their children. This study has important implications for the collaboration and partnerships between parents, social services (social workers), and health and family practitioners for the provision of family-centred practices.

Using a systematic literature review, this study aims to compile and review previous international research on the emotional impacts and approaches resulted from social workers' exposure to client violence- and threats within the public sector. The awareness of, and academic interest in, social workers’ exposure to violence and threats of many kinds are growing, particularly because employees are experiencing increased psychological distress. A series of research studies conducted by one or other of the authors, emphasizes that social workers in the public sector frequently experience psychological and emotional impact from exposure to workplace violence caused by clients. In their line of work, it’s known to the clients that social workers hold authority in decisions regarding resources and service. Therefore, clients may view social workers not as people who only work for the agencies providing service and resources, but as representatives for these agencies. While Michael Lipsky's theory of street-level bureaucracy is justifying clients' view of social workers as representatives with authority, Åsa Wettergrens is proving a diversity of emotional strategies to manage the situation at hand. With the gathering of eight articles, results showed that emotions such as fear, anger, frustration, guilt and powerlessness were the most frequent ones expressed by social workers. Eventually, social workers developed strategies to manage their own emotions so that they wouldn't interfere with their work. Some social workers convinced themselves to view the clients as people in need of help and not as aggressive individuals, others sought help from their colleagues. Many social workers accepted client's violence and/or threats as a part of their daily job, as there is an ongoing requirement to tolerate its presence, while others decided to distance themselves from the clients.

Socialarbetare tenderar i sitt arbete att möta människor med trauman i större eller mindre utsträckning. Berättelser från både barn och vuxna som varit eller är med om traumatiska händelser på grund av upplevelser av våld, kan hos socialarbetare orsaka sekundär traumatisering (STS). Med sekundär traumatisering menas att socialarbetare kan uppleva samma symtom som de människor hen möter. I den här internationella systematiska litteraturstudien är syftet att undersöka vad som gör att socialarbetare utvecklar STS i mötet med traumatiserade människor, samt om det finns faktorer som gör att fenomenet går att förebygga och/eller motverka. Studien syftar också till att undersöka det upplevda våldets karaktär hos klienterna och dess koppling och inverkan på uppkomsten av STS. Genom en narrativ analysmetod framkom det i studiens resultat, exempel på risker som påverkade uppkomsten av fenomenet, vilka var egenupplevda trauman, avsaknad av egenvård, hög arbetsbelastning, hög exponering av traumaklienter under sin arbetstid, samt bristande eller avsaknad av handledning. Det framkom även att riskerna för STS gick att minska eller åtgärda genom utbildning, egenvårdstekniker, mindre exponering i form av direktkontakt- eller färre antal timmar med traumaklienter per vecka. En upptäckt som gjordes var att utbildning kan ha en stor betydande roll i framtiden för att kunna förebygga och/eller minska riskerna för STS hos socialarbetare.

This study explores two key actors when it comes to preventative social work with adolescents, and in what way these actors can have an impact on the adolescent’s drug consumption. The study identifies and focus on the school and social services as two important performers and therefore also key actors. The aim of the study is to explore in what way these actors affect adolescents and how professionals who represent these key actors construct preventative social work with adolescents. This case study does not allow generalization, because of it´s small group of informants. The professionals in this study consists of individuals from the social services and from the school. Previous research focuses on in what areas professionals can affect adolescents, but the social worker´s perspective shines with its absence. All informants illuminate the relational work as a key of success, and how relations postulate their ability to carry out their work. It´s not until professionals have established relationships with their targeted groups, the public can see results of their work. Building relations takes time and continuity, things they don’t always have. To highlight the needs of the professionals is therefore an important issue.

Many adults born with congenital heart disease (CHD) face long-term psychosocial issues related the disease. The purpose of this project was to better understand social workers' experiences with interventions for clients who have CHD and experience psychosocial problems. Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory was a basis for the research questions, which focused on clarifying social workers' experiences with interventions and identifying the ecological levels to which the interventions align. A narrative design with nonprobability sampling was used. Six social workers who counsel adults with CHD from 6 of the 109 U.S. CHD clinics participated in individual interviews. Interviews were transcribed, coded, and categorized using thematic analysis, then analyzed for new information, similarities, and differences. The most significant clinical and nonclinical interventions used by participants were financial assistance, health insurance support, and modalities for treating anxiety and depression. Social workers counseling adult CHD patients may benefit by having information from experienced CHD social workers that they can incorporate into their work with clients. Recommendations include (a) bolstering the number of social workers in private practice who specialize in adults with CHD to address the ongoing mental health needs of this population and (b) encouraging social action and awareness to adjust the guidelines set by government agencies so this population can qualify for better financial, health, and disability benefits. Implementation of these recommendations may have a positive social impact for adults living with CHD.