The purpose of this essay has been to answer the question of whether or not administrators of economic support perceive that their professional status is ranked lower than that of their coworkers in other fields of the social services. We set out to study whether or not their comparative status differed depending on their use of standardized assessment instruments and if their experience with regards to professional status differed depending on the size of the municipality they worked in. We also wanted to determine in what way (if any) the comparative status manifests itself and what factors influences it. We’ve utilized method triangulation in order to answer the questions posed in our purpose. The quantitative study was conducted using a questionnaire and the qualitative with three interviews. Both studies were conducted in the county of Värmland, Sweden. The three municipalities, in which the interviews was conducted, varied in size which was a part of our selection process due to the fact that we believed that the size would affect the views regarding professional status. The result of our study shows that how administrators view their comparative ranking differs depending on the size of their respective municipalities. Administrators in the larger municipalities perceive their status to be low in comparison to other fields while administrators in smaller municipalities doesn’t perceive any noticeable difference. The administrators don’t feel that their status is dependent on the lack of standardized assessment instruments within their field but rather the way economic support is taught at the Swedish universities. Within this study we conclude that administrators working in the field of economic support in municipalities with more than 10 000 inhabitants perceive that their field is ranked lower when compared to other fields within the social services.

Syftet med studien är attundersöka vad som påverkar socialsekreterarens riskbedömningsarbete inom socialtjänsten med målgruppen våld i nära relation. Jag kommer även redovisa socialarbetarens handlingsutrymme i förhållande till standardiserat bedömningsarbete, redogöraför verktyget FREDA-bedömningsmetodersamt deövriga faktorer som påverkar bedömning. Syftet är även att kunna använda mig av enkäten för att undersökaom det finns ett samband mellan olika faktorer såsom tillförlitligheten av den egna bedömningenkopplad till erfarenhet och utbildning. För att kunna uppnå syftet besvaradestvå frågeställningar;hur ser socialtjänstens bedömningsarbete ut med våldsutsatta, särskilt vid användning av verktyget FREDA-bedömningsmetoder?Vilka faktorer utöver standardiseratarbete påverkar socialarbetarenshandlingsutrymme vid bedömning?Till uppsatsen har jag använt mig av en kvantitativ enkätstudie utifrån en deduktiv ansats.Enkäten bestod av 14innehållande frågor. Enkäten distribuerats ut via mejloch Facebook.se för yrkesverksamma socialsekreterare som arbetar med riskbedömning av fortsatt våld i nära relation. Sammantaget skickades enkäten till samtliga 26 kommuner inom Stockholms ländär tiomedverkade. Dessavar fördeladepå 29 socialsekreterare. Enkäten besvaradesi sin helhet av 32socialsekreteraredär tre kom från okänd/okända kommuner i Sverige. Med hjälp av statistisk analysoch diagramhar resultatet sammanställtsochtvå olika korstabeller harutformats för att undersöka sambandsanalys. Enkäten uppnådde 86 %besvarade frågor i sin helhet.Resultatet har analyserats utifrånkunskapsläge, tidigare forskning samtLipskys teori omgräsrotsbyråkrati. Resultatetvisaratt majoriteten av socialsekreterareär överens om att det finns flera faktorer utöver bedömningsinstrument som påverkar riskbedömningen.Studiensslutsats landar i att majoriteten av socialsekreterare väljer att användasig av individuell bedömning med stöd av verktyget FREDA-bedömningsmetodersamt att det förs en diskussion om att faktorer, erfarenhet och utbildning/vidareutbildningarligger till grund för den individuella bedömningen. / The purpose of the study is to investigate what affects the social workers risk assessment work in the social service with the target group violence in close relation. I will also report on the social worker's extent of action in relation to standardized assessment work. I will be describing the tool FREDA assessment methods and the other factors that influence the social worker's assessment. The purpose is also to be able to use the survey to investigate whether there is a connection between various factors such as the reliability of one's own assessment and one's own assessment linked to experience and education. To achieve the purpose, two questions were answered; whatdoes the social services assessment work look like with violence, especially when usingthe tool FREDA assessment methods? What factors besides standardized work affect the social worker's scope for assessment?For the thesis I have used a quantitative survey study based on a deductive approach. The survey consisted of 14 containing questions and was distributed via e-mail and Facebook.se for professional social workers who work with risk assessment of continued violence in close relation. In total, the questionnaire was sent to all 26 municipalities in Stockholm County, of which ten participate. They were distributed to 29 social secretaries. The survey was answered in itsentirety by the 32 social workers, where three came from unknown / unknown municipalities in Sweden. Using statistical analysis and graphs, the results have been compiled and two different cross tables have been designed to investigate relationship analysis. The survey achieved 86% answered questions in its entirety. The results have been analyzed on the base of knowledge, previous research and Lipsky's theory of grassroots bureaucracy. The result shows that most of the social workers agree that there are several factors besides assessment instruments that affect risk assessment. The study concludes that the majority of social secretaries choose to use individual assessment with the aid of the tool FREDA assessment methods, and that there is a discussion that the factors of experience and education / further education are the basis for the individual assessment.