The study aims to gain insight into how social workers perceive their psychosocial work environment and examine whether this effects the performance of their duties. The study mainly addresses the shortcomings of the psychosocial work environment of Social Services and the implications it entails for social workers health and wellbeing. The psychosocial work environment includes physical and psychological factors therefore the study's interpretive framework consists of organizational theoretical and social psychological concepts and previous research on the subject. We examined the organizational and social psychological connections to social workers perception of their work environment with a qualitative approach. The empirical data was collected through interviews with four social workers in a municipality in central Sweden using a semi-structured interview guide. The results led to the conclusions that challenge our preconceptions and gave us a nuanced perspective on social workers working conditions. The result of the study indicates that social service officials may not always be affected by adverse workplace conditions. Exceptions exist.

Intimate partner violence is a problem which is increasingly drawing attention in society. The authority responsible for providing care and support to victims of intimate partner violence and their children is the social services. The purpose of this study was to show how social workers deal with intimate partner violence and to create a description of how this work is currently carried out in seven municipalities in the north-west of Stockholm. This was done through a quantitative survey including all investigating social workers in the municipalities concerned. The results were analysed with concepts from organizational theory. The findings showed that there is a need for further education related to intimate partner violence. The differences observed between the municipalities were derived mainly to the presence of a coordinator for issues concerning violence against women. Furthermore, results showed that social workers believe that the best possibilities to help victims of intimate partner violence lay outside the own organization. To better fulfil their statutory responsibility regarding intimate partner violence the next step for the municipalities would be to make sure that social workers gain further knowledge about intimate partner violence.

Våldet mot kvinnorna är idag ett stort socialt problem som diskuteras världen över och är ett högst aktuellt ämne i Sverige. Socialtjänsten bär det yttersta ansvaret för att hjälpa och stötta dessa kvinnor. Stor del av våldet sker bakom stängda dörrar där socialtjänstens svårighet blir att identifiera och nå fram till de kvinnor som är utsatta. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka de vanligaste insatserna som socialtjänsten använder sig utav i sitt arbete och ifall Covid-19 pandemin har påverkat arbetet. Vi undersökte även socialarbetenas kompetens samt effekten av de insatser som används i arbetet. Vårt material består av kvantitativa data i form av enkäter insamlade från 55 socialarbetare. Majoriteten av socialarbetarna är socionomer som erhållit specifik utbildning om våldsutsatta kvinnor. De vanligaste insatserna som de arbetar med är stödsamtal och skyddat boende medans ekonomiskt bistånd, som är en avgörande insats för huruvida kvinnorna kan frigöra sig från sin partner, inte används i lika stor utsträckning. Covid-19 pandemin har visat sig haft en påverkan på hur socialtjänsten arbetar då fysiska möten ersatts med digitaliserade möten vilket påverkat utfallet för kvinnorna. Antalet utredningar har inte visat sig öka under pandemin men det finns en oro inför en kommande ökning när samhället öppnar upp igen. Något som framkom i studien och är viktigt att lyfta är att socialtjänsten bör arbeta utifrån varje individs specifika behov för att kunna hjälpa kvinnorna på bästa sätt. Hur socialtjänsten använder sig utav olika insatser och hur de ställer om verksamheten i en samhällskatastrof, såsom Covid-19 pandemin, är något som det krävs vidare forskning inom. / Violence against women is today a major social problem that is discussed around the world and is a highly topical issue in Sweden. The social services carry the ultimate responsibility for helping and supporting these women. Much of the violence takes place behind closed doors where the social services difficulty becomes to identify and reach the women who are vulnerable. The purpose of this study is to investigate the efforts that the social services use in their work and whether the Covid-19 pandemic has affected the work. We also examined the skills of social workers and the effect of the tools used in the work. Our material consists of quantitative data in the form of surveys collected from 55 social workers. The majority of social workers have a degree as a Socionom who have received a specific education about abused women. The most common tools they work with are supportive meetings and sheltered housing, while financial aid, which is a crucial tool for whether women can free themselves from their partner, is not used to the same extent. The Covid-19 pandemic has been shown to have an impact on how the social services work as physical meetings have been replaced by digitized meetings, which has affected the outcome for the women. The number of investigations has not been shown to increase during the pandemic, but there is concern about a future increase when society reopens. Something that emerged in the study and is important to highlight is that the social services should work based on each individual's specific needs in order to be able to help women in the best way. How the social services use their tools and how they reajust their work during a societal crisis, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, is something that requires further research.

Authors: Diana Eliassi Sarzeli & Hajer Lateef Titel: Formerly unaccompanied children’s experiences of the social services’ treatment and reception system Supervisor: Phillip Lalander Assessor: Torbjörn Forkby   The aim of this essay was to study formerly unaccompanied children’s experiences of the social services’ treatment and reception system.  We also studied whether the reception system made it possible or difficult for their opportunities in Sweden. In this study we have completed five qualitative interviews with five formerly unaccompanied children across Sweden. The interviews have had a retrospective element and have been semi-structured. Based on our respondent’s answers from the interviews, it was possible to identify four main themes; social secretary, accommodation, school and legal guardian. We analyzed these themes based on previous research and the selected theory which was symbolic interactionism. The main conclusion we made based on the results of the study was that the formerly unaccompanied children were generally satisfied with the social services’ reception system and its treatment. This despite the fact that criticism was directed towards the social secretaries, the different accommodations and school. The formerly unaccompanied children all experienced that the social services’ reception system has for the most part facilitated their current lives.

Studiens syfte var att undersöka hur socialarbetare inom socialtjänsten i en kommun beskriver sitt arbete med barn och föräldrar där barn upplevt våld inom familjen.  Frågeställningarna handlade om hur barn görs delaktiga i socialtjänstens arbete och vilket stöd barn och föräldrar erhåller. Fem socialarbetare intervjuades utifrån en tematiserad intervjuguide och vinjett. De teoretiska perspektiven som användes i analysen var systemteori och risk- och skyddsfaktorer.  Resultatet visade på att barn är delaktiga i socialtjänstens arbete genom att de ges information och erbjuds samtal utifrån barnets behov.  Det framkom även att det finns ett helhetstänk inom socialtjänsten då både barn och föräldrar erbjuds stöd i familjer där barn upplevt våld. Dessutom visade resultatet på att socialtjänsten kan hjälpa till att utveckla det sociala nätverket hos familjerna. / The aim of this thesis was to study how social workers in social services in a municipality describe their work with children and parents in families where children have experienced violence within the family. The research questions concerned how children participate in social service work and what support children and parents receive. Five social workers were interviewed with a thematised interview guide and a vignette. The theoretical perspectives applied in the analysis were the systems theory and risk and protective factors. The results showed that children participate in social service work by being given information and support based on their needs. It also emerged that social services applied an overall policy of offering support to both children and parents in families where children have experienced violence. The results furthermore showed that social services can help families develop their social network.

Syftet med denna kvalitativa studie var att ur ett retrospektivt perspektiv undersöka biologiska barns upplevelser av att växa upp i familjehem. Fokus var deras upplevelse av att ingå i en familj med fostersyskon, samt deras upplevelse av socialtjänstens stöd. Empirin grundades på enskilda intervjuer med fyra nu vuxna biologiska barn i familjehem. Vid analysen användes barndomssociologi, barnperspektivet samt Harts delaktighetsstege. Resultatet visade att informanterna upplevde att socialtjänsten inte involverade dem i familjehemsprocessen. Graden av delaktighet grundades istället på föräldrarnas agerande. Samtliga informanter upplevde tillgängligheten till sina föräldrar som bra, hälften hade dock önskat mer tid och uppmärksamhet. Majoriteten av informanterna beskrev att de tagit ett stort ansvar för sina fostersyskon, påtvingat eller på eget initiativ. Resultatet indikerar också att erfarenheten av att växa upp med fostersyskon utvecklat empati och förståelse för andra hos samtliga informanter. Resultatet visar också att majoriteten av informanterna upplevde stark samhörighet till sina fostersyskon, att de hade goda relationer till dem och tyckte om att ha fostersyskon. / The purpose with this qualitative study was to investigate biological children’s experience of growing up in private foster care homes. This was done through a retrospective perspective, and the purpose was to focus on the children’s experiences of being in a family with foster siblings, and the support they perceive that they received from the social services. The empirical data is based on four interviews with adults that during their childhood were growing up as biological children in private foster care homes. When analysing the result, the childhood sociology perspective, the child perspective, and Hart’s ladder of participation were used. The result showed that the interviewees did not perceive the social services incorporating them as biological children in the foster care process. The level of participation was instead determined by the parents’ intuition. The informants perceived their relationship to their parents as good, however, half of them had wished more time and more attention. The majority of the participants described that they took a great deal of responsibility for their foster care siblings, either voluntarily or involuntarily. Further on, the result indicated that the interviewees had, thanks to growing up with foster care siblings, developed empathy and a more profound understanding of others. Finally, the result showed that the majority of the informants felt a strong bond to their foster care siblings, had good relationships to them, and liked having foster care siblings during their childhood.

The aim of this study is to investigate how social workers, within the social services, supports and helps older women who have been/are victims to violence in close relationships. The purpose is also to gain understanding of the social workers experiences with this group. Interviews with social workers within this area, relationship violence unit in Stockholm, has been a method to collect information for the purpose of this study. The material has been analyzed from several points of view: organizational, grass- roots bureaucracy, discretionand intersectionality. As a result, to this study, some lacking in discretion are shown. The results shows lacking in discretion in forms of e.g resources, and interactivity among different units regarding this group. In conclusion, improving arrangement concerning elderly violence victims are being discussed. / Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur socialsekreterare inom socialtjänstens relationsvåldsenheter arbetar för att hjälpa och stödja äldre kvinnor som har blivit utsatta för våld i nära relationer. Vidare var syftet med studien att få en ökad förståelse för socialsekreterares erfarenheter av arbetet med våldsutsatta äldre kvinnor. För att kunna besvara studiens syfte och dess frågeställningar har empiri inhämtats genom enskilda intervjuer med socialsekreterare verksamma inom socialtjänstens relationsvåldsenhet i Stockholms Stad. Empirin har analyserats utifrån de teoretiska begreppen: organisation, handlingsutrymme och intersektionalitet. Studiens resultat visar på brister vad gäller samverkan, sviktande kompetens samt utmaningar gällande handlingsutrymmet. Vidare redogörs för betydelsen av att äldre kan vara särskilt sårbara, samt hur behovet av stöd ställs i relation till bristfälliga resurser. Avslutningsvis diskuteras möjliga förbättringsområden inom relationsvåldsenheten för att öka möjligheten att tillgodose våldsutsatta äldre kvinnors stödbehov.

This study examines social worker’s work with domestic violence in rural municipalities in Sweden. Domestic violence is a widespread problem that occurs everywhere in society and the social services (Socialtjänsten) have a great responsibility in supporting the victims of domestic abuse. Despite this, there is little research on the social services work with domestic violence in rural areas from a Swedish perspective. Studies shows that the context of the countryside created other conditions for both victims of domestic abuse and for the professionals who offers support. The aim of this study is to explore what the social services' work with domestic violence looks like in rural Sweden. The author has conducted a qualitative study, in which eight social workers from five different rural municipalities have been interviewed with semi-structured interviews. Through thematic analysis three themes emerged from the interviews, Closeness, Distance and Small Scale & Resources. The results have been analyzed through/with the KAIMeR theory. The results show how long distances, small population, closeness to each other within the work team, few cases, accessibility and lack of anonymity are recurring elements that shape the everyday work of social workers. The social workers ability to adapt to these rural conditions, and the supportive work from colleagues, enables them to meet the needs of victims of domestic abuse. The conclusion is that the countryside brings unique conditions for social workers and the social services work with domestic violence. Some factors that impact the work are the same as in urban areas, while other parts of the work seem uniquely shaped by the countryside as an environment. These rural conditions seem to depend on both environmental or societal factors and the author concludes that more studies are needed in the future. / Denna studie undersöker socialarbetare inom socialtjänstens arbete med våld i nära relationer i landsbygdskommuner. Våld i nära relationer är ett utbrett samhällsproblem som sker överallt i det svenska samhället. Socialtjänsten har ett stort ansvar i att stötta och hjälpa de människor som utsätts för våld. Trots detta finns det begränsat med forskning om socialtjänstens arbete med våld i nära relationer på landsbygden i Sverige. Forskning visar på att landsbygdskontexten för med sig andra villkor både för våldsutsatta att hantera våldet och för de yrkesverksamma som erbjuder stöd. Denna studie frågar sig därför hur socialtjänstens arbete med våld i nära relationer ser ut på den svenska landsbygden. Författaren har utfört en kvalitativ studie, där åtta semistrukturerade intervjuer har utförts med socialarbetare och chefer från fem olika landsbygdskommuner. Med tematisk analys har intervjuerna tematiserats in i tre teman, Närhet, Avstånd och Småskalighet & Resurser. Materialet har sedan analyserats utifrån KAIMeR teorin. Resultatet visar på hur långa avstånd, liten befolkningsmängd, närhet till varandra inom arbetslaget, få ärenden, tillgänglighet och bristande anonymitet är återkommande element som formar socialarbetares vardagliga arbete. Socialarbetares förmåga att anpassa sig efter landsbygdens villkor och stöttande arbetskollegor möjliggör för dem att möta våldsutsattas behov. Slutsatsen är landsbygden för med sig unika villkor till socialarbetare och socialtjänstens arbete med våld i nära relationer. Vissa faktorer som har en inverkan på arbetet är densamma som i urbana miljöer medan andra delar av arbetet verkar unikt format av landsbygden som miljö. Förutsättningarna i landsbygden verkar bero på både miljö och samhälleliga faktorer som författaren menar skulle behöva utforskas mer i framtiden.

Våld i nära relation och hedersrelaterat våld och förtyck är ett samhällsproblem där det finns en kunskapslucka kring analyser av policydokument på kommunal nivå. Kunskapsluckan gäller främst analys kring hanteringen av ärenden gällande hedersrelaterat våld och förtryck inom kommunens socialtjänst. Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur hedersrelaterat våld och förtryck framställs i kommunala handlingsplaner och vilka de potentiella effekterna av detta kan bli för individ och samhälle. Resultatet i studien bygger på analysen av tre kommuners handlingsplaner gällande hedersrelaterat våld och förtryck. Metoden som använts för att analysera policydokument är Bacchi´s kritiska analysmetod (WPR). Handlingsplanerna som analyserats är från tre kommuner med olika befolkningsmängd i olika delar av SVerige eftersom det finns skillnader i kommuners uppbyggnad, resurser och deras arbete med hedersrelaterat våld och förtryck. Skillnaden gäller främst hur mycket resurser kommunen har till förfogande, befolkningsmängd samt möjlighetet till samverkan med andra myndigheter. Studien visar på att hedersrelaterat våld och förtryck framställs på liknande sätt men att det även finns viktiga skillnader i kommunernas policydokument. Resultatet visar att hedersrelaterat våld och förtryck framställs som ett patriarkalt normsystem, kvinnor och flickor beskrivs som målgrupp och gärningspersonen som man. Det framställs även att HRVF till viss del beskrivs som ett kulturellt och kollektivt problem. Det finns vissa skillnader i handlingsplanernas framställning av HRVF, tillexempel i kopplingen mellan HRVF och det kollektiva. / Violence in a close relationship and honor-related violence and oppression is a societal problem where there is a knowledge gap around analyzes of policy documents at the municipal level. The knowledge gap mainly applies to analysis of the handling of cases concerning honor-related violence and oppression within the municipality´s social services. The expectation with the study is to be able to contribute to filling part of this knowledge gap and to generate even more research on this current topic in society. The purpose of the study is thus to investigate how honor-related violence and oppression is presented in municipal action plans and to discuss what the potential effects of this can be for the individual and society. The results of the study are based on the analysis of three municipalities action plans regarding honor-related violence and opression. The method used to analyze policy documents is Bacchi´s Critical Analysis Method (WPR). The material analyzed consists of three municipalities with different populations in different parts of Sweden because there are differences in the minicipalities structure, resources and their work with honor relate violence. The different mainly concern how much resources the municipality has at its disposal, population and opportunity for collaboration with other authorities. The study shows that honor-related violence and oppression are presented in a similar way but there are also important differences in the municipalities policy documents. The results show that honor-related violence and oppression is presented as a patriarchal norm system, women and girls are described as the terget group and the prepetrator as a man. It is also stated that HRVF is to some extent described as a cultural and collective problem. There are some differences in the action plans presentation of HRVF, for example in the connection between HRVF and the collective.

The aim of this study is to describe and analyze how social workers experiences internal collaboration within child and welfare social services and how social workers describe the forms of internal collaboration in their practical work. The study is based on seven semi-structured interviews in seven municipalities with social workers, from three units within child and welfare social services. The collected empirical material were analyzed with theoretical concept discretion, cooperation theory and former research. The results of the study shows that social workers primarily have a positive attitude towards internal collaboration, due to the fact that clients with complex problems are in need of support from various social workers from different units. Furthermore the study found that social workers ordinarily use two different methods when collaborating: informal collaboration and formalized collaboration. Moreover social workers express a variety of obstacles in collabortation with other untis, such as lack of knowledge about each other´s duties, confidentiality and lack of time. It also shows that geographical nearness, good relationships and knowledge are important components for serviceable collaboration. Finally, the study results shows that internal cooperation in child and welfare social services is a necessary working method in order for social workers to be able to meet the needs of clients with complex problems.