The aim of this study is to enhance the understanding of the possibilities and limitations of using the swedish law; SoL 5 kap. 2 §, among child- welfare workers and social workers within foster- care. The purpose of this law is to be able to prohibid or limitate inadequate foster-homes from taking care of foster-children. Qualitative interviews were conducted with three child-welfare workers and three social workers within foster-care, from three different municipalities. We have used hermeneutic interpretation to look at the empirical material and the theoretical framework of the study consists of Michael Lipskys theory about street-level bureaucracy. We also took part of previous research and other relevant literature in the field of foster-care to analyze the material. The result we found was that the knowledge and use of the law; SoL 5 kap. 2§ was limited. Some of our respondents had never heard about the law and none of our respondents had experience of using the law in their cases. Our respondents then, started to resonate about why they think that they have little knowledge about the law, and connected it to that there are deficiencies within the organization that create limitations in the social secretary's work in foster-home care. This limitations results in the social-workers having little knowledge about the law and not using it, even though they have high discretion in their everyday- job. To limitate inadequate foster-homes from having- and receiving placements, the social workers moved the child from the foster-home, and later gave negative references if other municipalities called, when they were thinking of placing a child in that specific foster-home. Our results show that this was not an optimal way of trying to limitate inadequate fosterhomes. Our respondents had experiences of other municipalities placing children in fosterhomes that they had given bad references about.

Work-related activation policies are currently developing in most western welfare states. Sweden is no exception and activation policies were introduced in the 1990s in many municipal social services organizations in Sweden. The Swedish form of activation policies requires social assistance recipients to participate in mandatory activation program in return for financial support. This dissertation investigates the street-level implementation practices of activation policies within the context of the Swedish welfare state. The purpose of the study is to examine how street-level workers in the municipal social service systemtranslate activation policy into practice in their interactions with the clients and what factors that structure their implementation practices. The research project is a multiple-case study that examines the street-level practices in two municipal social service settings in Sweden, Skärholmen city-district in Stockholm municipality and Osby municipality and their local activation programs. The data collection consists of observations of the staffs’ daily operations, interviews with local politicians and other key personnel, and the analysis of formal policy and program documents. Theoretically this dissertation builds on the street-level bureaucracy perspective (Lipsky, 1980), which suggests that organizational working conditions shape street-level workers implementation practices through their development of informal coping strategies. But this study extends the street-level buraucracy approach by including political-institutional factors and normative assumptions about public support and social assistance recipients into the analysis. Findings from the study suggest that street-level implementation practices entail a number of informal coping strategies that removes activation policy from formal policy goals. Implementation practices entail, for example, mass referrals instead of individual assessments and tailor-made solutions. Clients were sorted and categorized on the basis of moral perceptions about behavioral deficits instead of employment needs. These informal practice strategies were the results of both coping strategies and normative assumptions that interacted with the organizational context in which these practices took place.

Ridterapi har på senare tid börjat användas som en komplettarande behandlingsmetod för psykosocial problematik. I dagsläget finns ännu inte mycket forskning inom ämnet och behandlingsmetoden är vare sig speciellt känd eller etablerad. I denna uppsats görs en kartläggning av socialsekreterares uppfattning och kännedom om ridterapi. Undersökningen var i form av en enkät och genomfördes i Uppsala län där socialsekreterare som arbetar med placeringar på HVB-hem medverkade. Vi ville se om olika faktorer som exempelvis ett eget djurintresse, kunskap om behandlingsmetoden, kön och ålder kunde påverka deras inställning till ridterapi. Resultatet av undersökningen visade att våra respondenters generella attityd till behandligsmetoden var positiv och att de i hög grad kunde tänka sig att göra sådana placeringar och de olika faktorerna vi jämfört med i undersökningen påverkade inte resultatet nämnvärt. Dock visade det sig att det var många som inte kände till vad ridterapi var. / Recently it has been more common to use Equine assisted therapy (EAT) as a complementary treatment for psychosocial issues. Today, not much research has been done in this area and therapy method is neither known nor established. In this essay a survey has been done in the purpose to get a grip of social workers attitude toward and knowledge about EAT. The survey was performed in Uppsala County and social workers who put clients in care or residence homes (HVB) were queried. We wanted to investigate how different factors such as an interest in animals, knowledge about the therapy method, gender or age could affect the respondents attitude toward EAT. The result from our investigation has shown that our respondents had an overall positive attitude toward EAT and that they to a high degree would make such a placement. The different factors that we compared with did not affect the result in a high degree. However, our results also showed that the majority of our respondents did not know about EAT or what it can be used for.

Background: The Social Insurance is part of the Swedish welfare system that is intended to create economic security for citizens in the event of unemployment, sickness, functional disability, and old age. The Swedish sickness‐benefit insurance is based on the standard insurance principle meaning that sickness benefits are related to level of lost income. The increasing number of sick listed people and people with disability pension (DPs) in Sweden may lead to marginalisation of individuals as they are not part of the labour market. The government has decided that the number of sick‐listed people should be halved by 2008, which means a tougher judgment of the applications for sick leave compensation. To be qualified for sickness benefit the disease has to impair the work ability in relation to the specific demands of the work of that person. The evaluation of the work ability in a percentage is an important element with regard to the policy on disability. The social insurance officers (SIOs) who are assessing the work ability are dependent on judgments from the physicians as expertise, and the guidelines in the social insurance act. The eligibility criteria for DP and the process of dealing with applications for DP is scarcely studied. Objectives: The overall aim of the thesis was to explore demographic and health differences between those, who were granted and those, who were not granted disability pension. The second aim was to study how the process from applications to decisions on disability pensions were executed and perceived by the social insurance offices and to elucidate their working conditions during the decision process. Material and methods: The first two studies explored differences between those granted DP and those not granted DP. Study I was a register‐based retrospective case‐control study carried out in the area of a county in Sweden. The cases were all individuals rejected a full disability pension 1999‐2000, in all 99 cases. Controls were every tenth person who was granted a full DP during the same period, 198 controls. Determinants were recorded from the Social Insurance (SI). In study II demographic data and medical diagnoses were obtained from the SI records. Data concerning self‐reported health, HRQoL, social networks and use of health care were collected by a postal questionnaire. The study objects were the same as in study I. In study III and IV indepth interviews were carried through to study the social insurance officers’ perspective on the process from application to decision on disabilitypensions as well as their experiences of prerequisites and hindrances in their work with DP applications. The transcribed data were analysed by an inductive content analysis. Results: Unemployment, living in the main municipality and age below 50 years were determinants for rejection of DP. Medical status as described in the Social Insurance records had less association with the outcome. There are variations in praxis of rejection of applicants between social insurance boards in different geographical areas due to other reasons than medical. The nDP group had more often multiple diagnoses, and lower self‐reported health and HRQoL compared to those granted DP. Those not granted DP also had significantly smaller social networks. The SIOs perceived that they had to make rapid decisions within a limited time frame, based on limited information, mainly on the basis of incomplete medical certificates, and with no firm criteria for the regulations on the individual case level. Communication among the various authorities as employment offices and social services suffered from lack of common goaldirected strategy. In study IV the SIOs described their working conditions when executing the applications for DP. The SIOs perceived recurrent changes in rules and regulations as frustrating as they at the same time had to face the client. The large number of clients prevented them from being able to offer clients activities and support them in the way they were supposed to do. The SIOs powerful position and how their discretion was implemented made them feel responsible for performing their work well. SIOs are to be considered as typical street‐level bureaucrats as they have to perform their work between the policy, rules and clients. Conclusions: The individuals had an increased risk to be rejected DP if they were younger than 50 years, unemployed, and lived in the main city. No evident differences in medical diagnoses were found between the groups. The results indicate that there may be other reasons than medical in praxis. Contrary to expectations, those not granted DP do not seem to have better health, but rather to suffer from more sickness than those, who were granted DP. Unemployment leads to inability to qualify for compensation and benefits that are associated with participation on the labour market. The group not granted disability pension appears to be a disadvantaged group in need for a co‐ordination between different parts of the social welfare system. The different perspectives were perceived as obvious obstacles in the communication between professionals in the welfare system as they had other goals and demands. Clients, that have comprehensive problems and are in need of coordinated measures from many authorities to get entrance to the labour market still suffer from lack of coordination. One question is how the different public officers use their discretion when handling clients and how the cooperation can be improved. / The electronic version of the printed dissertation is a corrected version.

Studies show that 10-15 percent of Sweden's population, 65 years or older are estimated to have depression or depression symptoms. The symptoms of depression among elderly people are less than symptoms of young people. This could cause that elderly people with depression are not always discovered. Studies show that elderly people who live in residential homes show more signs of depression than elderly people living at home. If elderly people live in a supporting environment, can it prevent that a depression developed. The prevention of depression among elderly people is a topic that is not discussed among previously research. The purpose of this study is to examine how the unit managers of the residential homes for elderly people look at the prevention of depression. This study is qualitative where six unit managers in charge of residential homes have been interviewed. The interviews were based on different themes; how the unit managers approach the prevention of depression among elderly people and how they describe the discretion to take preventive treatment for depression among elderly people, also the unit manager views on elderly peoples depression. The study is made in a small number of municipalities which means that it can not be generalized. The result may not be the same if the study had been made on a larger scale. The results of the study show that the unit managers of the residential homes for elderly people work to prevent depression in different ways. An explanation of why the unit managers works different are based on the unit manager ideas and interpretations of depression among elderly people. Also the unit manager priorities, past experience, number of years as a professional and their views about elderly people’s depression are factors that affect the unit manager work. The unit manager views on its way to approach the prevention of depression, the political guidelines and decisions have impact on the way the unit manager work to prevent depression among elderly people in the residential home.

With this study, our purpose has been to achieve profounded knowledge and understanding regarding the use of discretion among social workers specialized in social allowance issues. The Social Services Act, structured as a framework law in the Swedish context, provides the social worker with a certain degree of discretion, in order to enable accommodated decisions depending on client case specifics. This study problematizes these aspects of legal security, and our intention has been to examine which factors impact the assessments social workers carry out in statutory decisions of social allowance applications. To attain this, we narrowed down our intention into a number of distinct and delimitated research questions: (1) Which elements of the client case impact the social worker’s assessment? (2) Which external aspects influence the social worker’s assessments and decisions? (3) How do social workers decide the client’s credibility?   In order to establish answers to our research questions, we have utilized a qualitative approach of research by exerting qualitative interviews in addition to a vignette study. We have conducted five interviews with social workers specialized in social allowance issues. The empirical material was analyzed and illustrated in the view of Lipsky’s descriptive theory of street-level bureaucracy, and in the light of different theories of authoritarian power, as constituted by Lukes and Foucault.   Within the municipality subject to our research, our vignette study establishes the fact disparities exist among the assessments social workers decide from an application of social allowance. The result of our study exhibit social workers’ grounds of assessment are influenced by a number of aspects. These facets of impact compose internal factors existing within the client case frame. Related to the unique characteristics of a client’s situation, the internal factors also depend on the relation created between social worker and client. Furthermore, the social worker’s assessment is affected by external factors including colleague consultation, supervisor influence and contemporary work load levels. Additionally, our study implies aspects influencing decision-making of social workers occurring on a meta level, which we have opted to denominate semi-external factors. These factors embrace levels of client credibility as well as aspects of power present in the social worker – client relation.

The purpose of this study is to understand how street-level bureaucrats, working with clients with mental illness, are implementing their statutory obligation of support for family carers who are caring for or supporting relatives with mental illness. The study are based on vignettes and qualitative interviews with social workers in three different municipalities in southern Sweden.   The questions of this study are: • How do the social workers communicate their statutory obligation of support to family carers? • How do the social workers distinguish the family carers? • How do the social workers distinguish the family carers who are in need of support?   Metod: Vignettes and qualitative interviews has been used as methods to gather empirical data. Theory: Theories of street-level bureaucracy has been used as theory in the analyses of the empirical material. Results: The result of this study concludes that the social workers, in lack of policy introduction, communicate their obligation to support family carers within their discretion. The result shows that the majority of the municipalities do not have formalized support for family carers supporting relatives with mental illness. The study also concludes that the social workers have different understandings of which family carer who is a carer in need of support. How the social workers, within their discretion, distinguish a carer in need affects which family carers who are offered support. The study also concludes that the social workers have different understandings of which family carers are in need of support.

No description available.

Arbetskraftsbrist och en krympande välfärdsstat har ökat fokusen på individer som står långt från arbetsmarknaden såväl som på arbetsintegrerande sociala företag. I den här hermeneutiska studien som baseras på intervjuer med tjänstemän som arbetar gentemot dessa grupper undersöker vi hur tjänstemännen upplever sitt handlingsutrymme och sin roll gentemot klienterna.   För att kunna utföra sitt arbete behöver de handlingsutrymme vilket ligger i linje med Michael Lipskys teori om gatubyråkrater (Lipsky 2010). Sociala företag beskrivs som behövda för att lösa brister på arbetsmarknaden men också problematiska eftersom både de sociala entreprenörerna och klienterna har en bakgrund med bristfällig skolgång vilket leder till problem att navigera i samhället. Tjänstemännen kompenserar för det genom att ta på sig olika roller.   Paradoxen med de sociala företagen analyseras med hjälp av en teori om pre-paradigmatiska fält och isomorfism som för med sig ett tryck på organisationerna att anpassa sig för att uppnå legitimitet och få tillgång till resurser. Med mer kunskap om den roll som tjänstemän kan spela för att förebygga utestängningar från arbetsmarknaden skulle det kunna möjliggöra för resurser att distribueras effektivare inom välfärdssystemet. / Lack of workers and a shrinking welfare state have increased the focus on individuals who are excluded from the labor market as well as social enterprises. In this hermeneutic study, based on interviews with officials working towards these groups, we investigate how officials perceive their discretion and role towards clients. To be able to do their job they need discretion which is in line with Michael Lipsky's theory on street-level bureaucrats (Lipsky 2010).   Social enterprises are described as needed to solve shortcomings in the labor market, but also problematic, as the social entrepreneurs could be lacking skills, as both clients and social entrepreneurs have a background of failed schooling due to disabilities and socio-economic causes. Bourdieu’s concept of doxa is applied to understand how failed schooling lead to shortcomings in navigating society and how officials compensate for this by taking on different roles.   The paradox of the social enterprises is analyzed with a theory on pre-paradigmatic fields and isomorphism which brings a pressure for organizations to conform to gain legitimacy and access to resources. More knowledge on the role the officials can play to prevent exclusion from the labor market could enable resources to be more effectively distributed within the welfare system.

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No. of bitstreams: 1 DissTPAF.pdf: 2113256 bytes, checksum: 9514dd7ddc140ee702d8844d23051f6c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-03-03 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / This research aims to understand how the control of practices in public spaces is elaborated, wich is part of the urban surveillance so called "fiscalização" of Belo Horizonte, under the protection of the Código de Posturas (2003). This is a social control which focuses on the regulation of street vendors activities, marked as "social problem" in a context of "urban order" promotion. Further than an analysis that prioritizes organizational or institutional ideal types, this research developed between 2013 and 2015, priorized the data collection "from inside", from an interactional point of view. For this, qualitative research techniques (interviews and observation) were operated in order to keep the subjects working practices as the main reference for descriptions and analyzes. These workers work daily on city streets in direct contact with the street vendors (interacting with other people, like other professional groups) in different part of the fronts of street surveillance: the plantões, the equipes de Apoio and the operações. In general, the practices of these assistants anticipates the participation of their bosses, the fiscais integrados (and other authorities in this field), reducing, as an effect, their workload. At the same time, these assistants actively participate of the situational production of references of differenciation (between formal /informal, bearable/unbearable) and social control as a whole. The research effort was to come up, in an interrelated manner, the various aspects that make up the street surveillance as a social construction. At the beginning, I analysed the strategic and managerial aspects enrolled in practical work of these agents in different working arrangements and enviroments, giving a focus on how the control is produced in a negotiated manner, although it is constantly rationalized as a tool for public space management. The analysis was enlarged by replacing the focus on the continuities and discontinuities between the private life aspects and the work aspects, from the reconstruction of trajectories of some of the research subjects. Through this perspective, it was possible to work out with some different social aspects (such as class and gender) in order to observe and describe the practices that reveal the main basis and senses of this social and relational control. All this conjugated analysis dimensions demonstrate how this particular control is produced. At the same time, it shows, from this field, some modes of circulation of power. / Esta pesquisa volta-se a compreender como se constrói o controle sobre práticas realizado nos espaços públicos da cidade, parte da chamada fiscalização que é realizada pela Prefeitura de Belo Horizonte, sob o amparo do Código de Posturas (2003). Trata-se de um controle cujo foco é a regulação do comércio ambulante, pautado como “problema social” diante ao objetivo contido no “ordenamento urbano”. Indo além de uma análise que priorize tipos organizacionais ou institucionais ideais, desenvolvi uma investigação, compreendida entre 2013 e 2015, que priorizasse o levantamento de dados “desde dentro”, a partir de uma mirada interacionista. Para isso, lanço mão de técnicas qualitativas de investigação (entrevistas e observação) a fim de partir das práticas de trabalho dos auxiliares de fiscalização, terceirizados da Prefeitura e principais sujeitos da pesquisa, como principal mote para a elaboração dos dados, descrições e análises. Estes trabalhadores atuam cotidianamente nas ruas da cidade em contato direto com os comerciantes ambulantes (além de outros públicos e em interação com outros grupos profissionais), em diferentes frentes do âmbito da operacionalização da fiscalização “de rua”: os plantões, as equipes de Apoio, as operações. De forma geral, a prática destes auxiliares antecipa a participação dos fiscais integrados (e outras autoridades desse campo), diminuindo, assim, sua carga de trabalho. Ao mesmo tempo, os auxiliares de fiscalização participam ativamente da produção situacional dos referenciais diferenciadores (formal/informal, regular/irregular, tolerável/intolerável) e do controle social como um todo. O esforço da pesquisa foi trazer, de forma inter-relacionada, os vários aspectos que compõem a fiscalização “de rua” como construção social. Começo pela análise dos aspectos estratégicos e gestionários inscritos na prática de trabalho destes agentes, nas diferentes modalidades de trabalho, dando um enfoque na maneira como o controle se produz de forma negociada, ainda que seja constantemente racionalizada, como um instrumento de gestão do espaço público. Amplio a análise posicionando o foco sobre as continuidades e descontinuidades entre o “mundo do privado” e o “mundo do trabalho”, a partir da reconstituição de trajetórias dos sujeitos de pesquisa. Por esta perspectiva, foi possível balizar construções e agenciamentos sociais amplos (como classe e gênero) às práticas observadas e descritas, o que está expresso pela apropriação de papéis que extrapolam o próprio campo da fiscalização, mas que desvelam seus sentidos e suas bases como controle relacional. Todas as dimensões conjugadas compõem a produção multifacetada desse controle peculiar, ao mesmo tempo que demonstram os modos de circulação do poder a partir desse campo.