This study is about conception in the evaluation of financial assistance within the social services. The aim of this study is to describe and understand how social workers reason about variation, conception and local norms and its significance in the evaluation process. To reach this purpose we have conducted semi-structured interviews with eight social workers in which different themes were discussed and reasoned about. In order to understand and analyze our results we have studied/used the knowledge about tacit knowledge and street-level bureaucracy. Our results showed, as previous research states, that social workers do have conceptions about clients. Beyond that it also showed that they were well aware of the presence of the conception and that it is consistently processed with the help of colleagues. In addition to the help of colleagues the use of self-reflection was valuable to increase the awareness about conception. Furthermore the study showed that social workers believe that the conceptions are established through ones qualities and experiences. Social workers also suggest that these two variables contribute to their gut feeling, which they mean to be inevitable in the evaluation process. The study concluded that there is an ongoing reasoning about conception in the evaluation process of financial assistance among social workers and that social workers found it to be important to continuously discuss and deal with this issue.

No description available.

The purpose of this paper has been to reach a greater understanding in how moral inflicts social workers way of handling everyday situations. In what way, if in any way, moral comes to play a part in the making of decisions. In order to reach this understanding we have interviewed two different groups of social workers which we also later on came to compare . One of the groups contained six interviewees and the other group contained five interviewees. Both of these groups were in the ages between 27 – 52.To shed some light over this phenomenon did we use two theoretical perspectives, first Kant’s morale theory and second, consequentialistic utilitarism theory. As a result from the interviews we’ve made, we came to an understanding that the meaning of morale and in what way it can be applied in the everyday work differs between these two professional groups. One of the greater conclusions we came to make, is that one key role is the differences between both work environments, both on a social and a structural level.

Vårt syfte med denna studie är att utifrån en socialpsykologisk ansats ta del av elevhälsovårdens och stödverksamhetens arbete respektive samarbete på en gymnasieskola i en medelstor stad. Med hjälp av kvalitativ metod har vi utfört sex enskilda intervjuer, en parintervju samt ett experiment. Vi har använt oss av följande socialpsykologiska teorier: Gruppsykologi (Svedberg, 2007), Det potentiella rummet (Winnicott, 1993), Ungdomstidens kriser (Cullberg, 2006), Den konkreta och abstrakta socialiteten (Asplund, 1987), Benämnandets kraft (Crafoord, 2005), Emotionsteori (Scheff, 1990). Genom dessa teorier har vi försökt belysa svårigheter med, och ge en förståelse kring, hur elevens situation i skolmiljön ser ut samt hur arbetet inom, respektive samarbetet mellan, elevhälsovård och stödverksamhet mot en god elevhälsa ter sig. Vi har i föreliggande studie upptäckt att vissa typer av problem respektive svårigheter hos eleven uppmärksammas medan andra glöms bort. Den grundläggande problematiken i arbetet mot en god elevhälsa är dock samhället; ett samhälle där resurserna till det psykosociala välmående inom gymnasievärlden inte prioriteras. / From a social psychological approach, our aim with this study is to take advantage of student health care and support business activities and cooperation in a secondary school in a medium sized city. Using a qualitative method, we have conducted six individual interviews, one pair interview and an experiment. We have used the following theories: Group Psychology (Svedberg, 2007), the potential space (Winnicott, 1993), Youth of the future crisis (Cullberg, 2006), the concrete and abstract sociality (Asplund, 1987), the telling force (Crafoord, 2005), Emotion theory (Scheff, 1990). With these theories, we have tried to highlight difficulties, and provide an understanding of how the student's position in the school environment looks like and how to work within, and cooperation, student health care and support operations against a good student health appears. We have in the present study found that some types of problems and difficulties of student attention while others are forgotten. The fundamental problem at work against a good student health is society: a society where resources for the psychosocial well-being in the secondary world are not a priority.

Syftet med studien var att belysa socialsekreterarnas psykosociala arbetsmiljö och undersöka om det fanns ett samband mellan deras psykosociala arbetsmiljö och kvaliteten på arbetet de utför där hypotesen var att ett sådant samband existerar. Undersökningen genomfördes bland alla socialsekreterare i Värmlands län genom en webbenkät. Populationen bestod av 284 socialsekreterare varav 171 svarade på enkäten vilket gav en svarsfrekvens på 60,2 %. De teoretiska utgångspunkterna för studien har varit Karasek och Theorells krav-kontroll-stöd modell samt Socialtjänstlagen, 3 Kap. 3 §, tillsammans med Socialstyrelsens kvalitetsområden. Vid studien användes kvantitativ metod. Resultaten har analyserats genom univariata samt multuvariata analyser, logistiska regressionsanalyser, χ²-test och Cronbach´s Alpha test. Studien visar att många socialsekreterare upplever sig ha en psykosocial arbetsmiljö med höga krav, låg kontroll och lågt socialt stöd. En hög andel upplever även en arbetsmiljö med hög kontroll, låga krav och högt stöd. Resultatet tyder även på ett samband mellan den psykosociala arbetsmiljön mätt utifrån krav-kontroll-stöd modellen samt den upplevda kvaliteten på arbetet, vilket bekräftar studiens hypotes. Faktorn krav har det starkaste sambandet med upplevd kvalitet utav de variablerna som undersökts. Höga krav i arbetet ger lägre upplevd kvalitet oavsett om socialsekreterarna har högt eller lågt stöd och kontroll. / The purpose of this study was to illuminate the psychosocial work environment of social workers and to examine whether there is a correlation between their psychosocial work environment and quality of the work that they do. The hypothesis in the study was that such correlation exists. A web survey was sent to all social workers in the county of Värmland. Population consisted of 284 social workers, of whom 171 answered the survey, giving a response rate of 60.2%. The theoretical framework for the study has been the demand-control-support model by Karasek & Theorell and quality based on the Law for Social Services together with quality fields from Socialstyrelsen. Quantitative method was used in the study. The results have been analyzed with univariate and multivariate analysis, logistic regeression analysis, χ²-test and Cronbach´s Alpha test. The study reveals that many social workers experience that their psychosocial work environment contains high demands, low control and low social support. A high share is also experiencing a work environment with low demands, high control and high social support. The results of the survey also indicate that there is a correlation between the psychosocial work environment measured on the basis of demand-control-support model and the perceived quality of work, which confirms the hypothesis. Demand has the strongest correlation with quality of the studied variables. High work demands result in lower perceived quality whether the workers experience high or low support and control or not.

Thesis (D. Min.)--New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, 2008. / Abstract and vita. Includes final project proposal. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 146-152, 219-225).

Thesis (M.S.W.)--University of Hong Kong, 1987.

The aim of this study was to examine how newly qualified social workers from Linnaeus University in Kalmar feel that the school has prepared them with the professional skills to meet the demands that exist within social work. Social work education is a generalist training that will result in a professional qualification. With a qualitative approach eight newly qualified social workers were interviewed.We used the sociology of knowledge as an overall theoretical approach. We also used experience- based knowledge as a theoretical approach. One of the study's conclusion was that the graduates had difficulty linking theory to practice. The graduates also felt that knowledge about the law and dialogue methodology were two useful courses for use in practical work. The results and conclusions can be seen as a reinforcement and extension of previous research in the subject.

published_or_final_version / Social Service Management / Master / Master of Social Sciences

This PhD project by publication begins to explore how Scottish adult support and protection (ASP) policy and practice carves out its role and remit. It examines the ways that concepts like “abuse”, “vulnerability” and “protection” have been constructed, both by individual practitioners and at a policy level. The submission comprises five papers published in peer-reviewed journals and this contextualising document, which knits together the work and draws out overall conclusions and implications. The papers themselves report on a literature review, a further analysis of case study research into ASP practice and a critical policy comparison. The case study research was conducted immediately prior to legislative changes in Scotland with respect to ASP, and the policy comparison was conducted subsequently to these changes. Overall, the findings highlight the ways that a social constructionist approach can usefully deepen our understandings of ASP. That is, they show how understanding concepts like “protection”, “vulnerability” and “abuse” to be actively constructed in unique and complex contexts can promote criticality in policy-making, practice and research.