The purpose of this study was to investigate social workers professional experiences of social services statutory responsibilities to provide advice, support and other help to foster families. Furthermore, the purpose was to analyze what factors and conditions that affects social workers ability to provide adequate support. According to both inter-national and Swedish research foster parents are asking for more support. We became curious about how foster care secretaries in Sweden give support. To get this infor-mation we had three focusgroup interviews with a total of twelve social workers. Our three focusgroups were located in municipalities in southern Sweden. The interviews were transcribed and coded for our results. The theoretical perspective we used were Urie Bronfenbrenner's theory about the ecology of human development and the perspec-tive about risk- and protection factors. The study shows that they have quite few sup-port methods to offer the foster homes and the lack of resources (time, education and economy) and vague guidelines are two factors that affects the social workers ability to provide adequate support. Although social services becomes the deputy parent of the foster child and are one protection factor in the child's life, the social services does not receive much attention in forms of for example further education.

Syftet med studien var att undersöka utredande socialsekreterares förståelse av och förhållningssätt till principen om barnets bästa. Tidigare forskning visar på att barnets bästa som begrepp är svårdefinierat, att hög arbetsbelastning och tidsbrist kan påverka bedömningar om barnets bästa och att tillit samt en förtroendefull relation mellan socialsekreteraren och barnet kan främja delaktigheten. Resultatet analyserades utifrån Bronfenbrenners utvecklingsekologiska teori och handlingsutrymme som teoretiskt begrepp. Studien har använt sig av en kvalitativ metod bestående av sex semistrukturerade intervjuer. Det empiriska materialet analyserades med hjälp av en tematisk analys för att finna teman. Socialsekreterarna upplever sig ha ett stort handlingsutrymme för att göra egna bedömningar om barnet bästa. Trots att resultatet visade att begreppet var svårt att definiera var socialsekreterarna relativt eniga om hur de förstår barnets bästa och vad de väger in i bedömningen. Resultatet visade även att socialsekreterarna för det mesta hinner träffa barnen vid endast ett tillfälle under utredningsprocessen på grund av hög arbetsbelastning och brist på tid. Verksamhetens ekonomiska förutsättningar visade sig även ha en inverkan på socialsekreterarnas handlingsutrymme när det gäller att bedöma barnets bästa. / The aim of this study was to examine investigative social workers understanding of and approach to the principle of the best interests of the child. Previous research shows that it’s difficult to define the best interests of the child. Research also shows that a high workload and lack of time can affect assessments of the child’s best interests, and that a trusting relationship between the social worker and the child can promote participation. The theoretical background is based on Bronfenbrenner’s developmental ecology theory and room for maneuver as a theoretical concept. A qualitative method has been used and the empirical material was analyzed using a thematic analysis. Social workers feel that they have a large margin of maneuver to make assessments. Although the result showed that the concept was difficult to define, the social workers had a similar understanding on how they understood the concept and what they take in consideration in the assessment. However, the social workers have for the most part only time to meet the children at one point during the investigation process. Financial conditions also turned out to have an impact on their room for maneuver when it comes to assessing the child’s best interests.

Uppsatsens syfte var att öka förståelsen för hur utredande socialsekreterare i arbetet med barn och unga förhåller sig till insatsen kontaktfamilj och vad som påverkar deras bedömning av den. I studien användes en kvalitativ metod och sammanlagt genomfördes nio intervjuer med yrkesverksamma socialsekreterare som arbetar med barn och unga. De teoretiska perspektiv som använts i studien är utvecklingsekologi och gräsrotsbyråkrati. Studiens resultat visar att kontaktfamiljsinsatsen är en insats med blandade åsikter och erfarenheter av. Det skiljer sig emellan socialsekreterarna vad som bedöms vara barnets bästa och det finns även en delad bild gällande om barnen har nytta av insatsen om den är riktad till barnets vårdnadshavare. Resultaten visar också att det saknas kriterier för när insatsen ska användas samt att de få riktlinjer som finns belyser när insatsen inte ska användas. / The purpose of the study was to increase the understanding of how Child welfare social workers address the intervention contact family and what factors impact their assessment of it. The study uses a qualitative method, and nine interviews were made with social workers who work with children and youngsters. The theoretical perspectives used in the study is ecological systems theory and street-level bureaucracy theory. The result of the study shows that the contact family is an intervention with divided views and experiences. What is seen as the best interest of the child differs between the social workers and there is also a divided opinion regarding the benefits for the children if the intervention is targeted at the parents. The results also show a lack of criteria of when the intervention should be used, and the few existing guidelines highlight when the intervention should not be used.

The aim of this study was to examine whether certain background variables (sex, age group, reasons for placement, amount of problems, involuntary placement/voluntary placement) affect the probability of children/youths being placed in emergency homes (jourhem) and whether these variables correlate with the occurrence of placement breakdown. The material consists of 445 requests for children/youths to be placed in emergency homes in six municipalities within the Stockholm region during a three-year-period (2016-2018). Frequency tables, cross tables and simple and multiple logistic regression were used to analyze the data and Bronfenbrenner's theory of developmental ecology was used as the theoretical framework. Results show that emergency homes differ from other types of placement in some regards: behavioral problems reduced the probability of placement occurring significantly compared to problems relating to the parent's abilities as a caregiver. Youths had a significantly higher risk for placement breakdown than children. Involuntary care reduced the likelihood of placement occurring and increased the risk for placement breakdown compared to voluntary placement. The prevalence of placement breakdowns was similar to the figures found in prior research on other forms of placements. The implications for social work and the need for further research is discussed.

The ami of the study is to contribute with knowledge about how young adults with intellectual disability experience the trasition from upper secondary school to working life. The following research questions have been formulated based on the aim: How do ten young adults with intellectual disability describe the transition from school to work or daily activities? What factors affect the young adults' chances of getting a job or daily activity after finishing school? Which parts of their education has facilitated or created barriers for the young adults' transition from school to work or daily activity? The study is based on a qualitative method. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten youn adults with intellectual disabilitities who have completed upper secondary school. The analysis and interpretation work of the study's empirical data material is based on Bronfenbrenner's (1979) ecological systems theory. These systems include the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem. The study's resluts indicate that workplace-based learning is a central factor in promoting young adults with intellectual disability's establishment in the labour market. The results also show that the informants in the study do not remember and have difficulties explaining the transition from school to work or daily activities. The young adults want to work, but it is challenging for this group to get a job in the open labour market. They have skills that are fit for the labour market, but need support to cope with working life. Collaborations between different actors and social support are required for this to work.

The aim of the study is to contribute with knowledge about how young adults with intellectual disability experience the transition from upper secondary school to working life. The following research questions have been formulated based on the aim: How do ten young adults with intellectual disability describe the transition from school to work or daily activities? What factors affect the young adults`chances of getting a job or daily activity after finishing school? Which parts of their education has facilitated or created barriers for the young adults`transition from school to work or daily activities?  The study is based on a qualitative method. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten young adults with intellectual disabilities who have completed the upper secondary school. The analysis and interpretation work of the study´s empirical data material is based on Bronfenbrenner´s (1979) ecological systems theory. These systems include the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem and macrosystem. The study´s results indicate that workplace-based learning is a central factor in promoting young adults with intellectual disability´s establishment in the labour market. The results also show that the informants in the study do not remember and have difficulties explaining the transition process from school to work or daily activities. The young adults want to work, but it is challenging for this group to get a job in the open labour market. They have skills that are fit for the labour market, but need support to cope with working life. Collaborations between different actors and social support are required for this to work. / Syftet med studien är att bidra med kunskap om hur unga vuxna upplever övergången från anpassad gymnasieskola till arbetsliv. Följande frågeställningar har formulerats utifrån syftet: Hur beskriver tio unga vuxna som tidigare har läst nationellt program vid anpassad gymnasieskola, sin väg från skola till arbete eller daglig sysselsättning? Vilka faktorer påverkar de unga vuxnas chanser att få ett arbete eller daglig sysselsättning efter avslutad skolgång? Vad i skolgången underlättar, respektive skapar barriärer för de unga vuxnas väg från skola till arbete eller daglig sysselsättning?  Studien grundar sig på en kvalitativ metod och bygger på semistrukturerade intervjuer med tio unga vuxna som har avslutat nationellt program i anpassad gymnasieskola. Analys- och tolkningsarbetet av studiens empiriska datamaterial utgår ifrån Bronfenbrenners (1979) utvecklingsekologiska teori, som innehåller de fyra nivåerna; mikrosystem, mesosystem, exosystem och makrosystem. Studiens resultat tyder på att arbetsplatsförlagt lärande utgör en central faktor för att främja unga vuxna med intellektuell funktionsnedsättnings etablering på arbetsmarknaden. Resultatet visar även att informanterna i studien inte kommer ihåg och har svårt att redogöra för övergångsprocessen från anpassad gymnasieskola till arbete eller daglig sysselsättning. De unga vuxna vill ha ett arbete men det är en utmaning för denna målgrupp att få en anställning på den öppna arbetsmarknaden. De har färdigheter som är användbara på arbetsmarknaden, men behöver anpassningar och stöd för att klara av arbetslivet. För att detta ska fungera krävs samarbeten mellan olika aktörer och socialt stöd.