Mellan klient och rättssystem : Tvångsvård av barn och unga ur socialsekreterares perspektiv
(2007) In Lund Dissertation of Social Work- Abstract
- This dissertation focuses on assessments concerning children and young persons in the Social Services. The aim has been to describe and analyse the compulsory care process from a social worker perspective, and to understand and explain how this affects the practice of child welfare. I have used case files from the Social Services and focus group interviews with social workers as empirical data. The analysis is primarily inspired by Lipsky's theory about street-level bureaucracies, and Hasenfeld's theories of human services organisations. I have also used a critical perspective regarding the limitations of the legal system, and how these affect social work practice.
Social workers experience a high level of uncertainty... (More) - This dissertation focuses on assessments concerning children and young persons in the Social Services. The aim has been to describe and analyse the compulsory care process from a social worker perspective, and to understand and explain how this affects the practice of child welfare. I have used case files from the Social Services and focus group interviews with social workers as empirical data. The analysis is primarily inspired by Lipsky's theory about street-level bureaucracies, and Hasenfeld's theories of human services organisations. I have also used a critical perspective regarding the limitations of the legal system, and how these affect social work practice.
Social workers experience a high level of uncertainty when they have to assess if compulsory care is necessary. My analysis shows that social workers associate the compulsory care process with a risk of losing control of the case. This risk could be minimised by three strategies. The first strategy was to wait for legal evidence that supported their personal moral conviction that compulsory care was in the best interest of the child. A second strategy was to use a problem focused argumentation in written assessments to make sure that the Court made the same assessment as the Social Services. A third strategy was to mention some good things about the family, and especially about the parents and their resources, in written assessments, so that they did not turn their backs on the Social Services if the application for compulsory care failed (?the logics of balancing facts?). The analysis also shows that social workers tend to use different kinds of argumentation depending on whether the case concerns parental neglect or abuse, or if the child/young person has an antisocial behaviour. Cases concerning antisocial behaviour are presented in a massive problem centred way, whereas cases concerning parent's neglect or abuse of children are presented in a more vague and ambiguous way. The consequences are that social workers create different images of the child and the parents in written assessments, depending on whether they primarily try to control/influence the decision of the Court or the parent's future cooperation with the Social Services.
One conclusion is that compulsory care is not regarded as a safe way of saving children and social workers tend to focus their assessment work on achieving parent's consent to care, which is regarded as a safer way to gain control of the case. (Less) - Abstract (Swedish)
- Popular Abstract in Swedish
Den här avhandlingen fokuserar på socialsekreterares utredningsarbete av barn och unga inom socialtjänsten. Syftet har varit att beskriva och analysera tvångsvårdsprocessen ur socialsekreterares perspektiv, samt förstå och förklara hur detta påverkar barnavårdspraktiken. Det empiriska materialet består av barnavårdsakter och fokusgruppsintervjuer med socialsekreterare. Analysen är främst inspirerad av Lipskys teori om gräsrotsbyråkrater och Hasenfelds teorier om människobehandlande organisationer. Jag har också använt ett kritiskt perspektiv på rättssystemets begränsningar och hur mötet med rättssystemet påverkar det sociala arbetets praktik.
Att bedöma när tvångsvård av barn... (More) - Popular Abstract in Swedish
Den här avhandlingen fokuserar på socialsekreterares utredningsarbete av barn och unga inom socialtjänsten. Syftet har varit att beskriva och analysera tvångsvårdsprocessen ur socialsekreterares perspektiv, samt förstå och förklara hur detta påverkar barnavårdspraktiken. Det empiriska materialet består av barnavårdsakter och fokusgruppsintervjuer med socialsekreterare. Analysen är främst inspirerad av Lipskys teori om gräsrotsbyråkrater och Hasenfelds teorier om människobehandlande organisationer. Jag har också använt ett kritiskt perspektiv på rättssystemets begränsningar och hur mötet med rättssystemet påverkar det sociala arbetets praktik.
Att bedöma när tvångsvård av barn och unga är nödvändigt är förenat med stor osäkerhet. Min analys visar att socialsekreterare förknippar tvångsvårdsprocessen med en risk att förlora kontrollen över ärendet. Denna risk kunde minimeras via tre strategier. Den första strategin var att invänta rättsliga bevis som styrkte socialsekreterarens moraliska övertygelse om att tvångsvård var förenat med barnets bästa. Den andra strategin var att använda en problem fokuserad argumentation i skriftliga LVU-utredningar för att påverka länsrättens beslut i riktning mot tvångsvård. En tredje strategi var att i viss utsträckning växla positiva och negativa omdömen om familjen, och i synnerhet föräldrar, så att de inte skulle avsluta kontakten med socialtjänsten om länsrätten avslog ansökan om tvångsvård (varvandets logik).
Analysen visar också att socialsekreterare använder sig av olika typer av argumentation i LVU-utredningar, beroende på om fallet handlar om brister i hemmiljön (miljöfall) eller om den unge har ett normbrytande beteende (beteendefall). LVU-utredningar avseende beteendefall domineras av en hård argumentation och problem fokusering, medan problematiken i LVU-utredningar avseende miljöfall framställs mer vagt och mångtydigt. Effekterna är att socialsekreterare skapar olika bilder av barn, ungdomar och deras föräldrar i skriftliga utredningar, beroende på om intentionen är att påverkar/kontrollera länsrättens beslut eller föräldrarnas framtida samarbetsvilja med socialtjänsten.
En slutsats är att socialsekreterare inte betraktar tvångsvård som ett säkert sätt att skydda barn och de använder en stor del av utredningsarbetet till att motivera föräldrar att samtycka till frivilliga insatser/vård, vilket betraktas som ett säkrare sätt att få kontroll över ärendet. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/599066
- author
- Ponnert, Lina LU
- supervisor
-
- Gunvor Andersson LU
- Claes Levin LU
- opponent
-
- Professor in Social Work Lundström, Tommy, Stockholms universitet, Socialhögskolan
- organization
- alternative title
- Between the client and the legal system : Compulsory care of children and young persons from a social worker perspective
- publishing date
- 2007
- type
- Thesis
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Social problems and welfare, children and young persons, Compulsory care, parents, neglect and abuse, antisocial behaviour, social workers, assessment, discretion, power, child welfare, Social sciences, legal system, national insurance, Samhällsvetenskaper, Sociala problem, social välfärd, socialförsäkring
- in
- Lund Dissertation of Social Work
- pages
- 297 pages
- publisher
- Lunds universitet, Socialhögskolan
- defense location
- Edens hörsal, Paradisgatan 5, Lund
- defense date
- 2007-10-26 10:15:00
- ISSN
- 1650-3872
- ISBN
- 978-91-89604-36-0
- language
- Swedish
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- fc0b0147-4a0d-4bdc-9e36-552e40cd89ae (old id 599066)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 16:01:31
- date last changed
- 2021-12-02 20:48:07
@phdthesis{fc0b0147-4a0d-4bdc-9e36-552e40cd89ae,
abstract = {{This dissertation focuses on assessments concerning children and young persons in the Social Services. The aim has been to describe and analyse the compulsory care process from a social worker perspective, and to understand and explain how this affects the practice of child welfare. I have used case files from the Social Services and focus group interviews with social workers as empirical data. The analysis is primarily inspired by Lipsky's theory about street-level bureaucracies, and Hasenfeld's theories of human services organisations. I have also used a critical perspective regarding the limitations of the legal system, and how these affect social work practice.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
Social workers experience a high level of uncertainty when they have to assess if compulsory care is necessary. My analysis shows that social workers associate the compulsory care process with a risk of losing control of the case. This risk could be minimised by three strategies. The first strategy was to wait for legal evidence that supported their personal moral conviction that compulsory care was in the best interest of the child. A second strategy was to use a problem focused argumentation in written assessments to make sure that the Court made the same assessment as the Social Services. A third strategy was to mention some good things about the family, and especially about the parents and their resources, in written assessments, so that they did not turn their backs on the Social Services if the application for compulsory care failed (?the logics of balancing facts?). The analysis also shows that social workers tend to use different kinds of argumentation depending on whether the case concerns parental neglect or abuse, or if the child/young person has an antisocial behaviour. Cases concerning antisocial behaviour are presented in a massive problem centred way, whereas cases concerning parent's neglect or abuse of children are presented in a more vague and ambiguous way. The consequences are that social workers create different images of the child and the parents in written assessments, depending on whether they primarily try to control/influence the decision of the Court or the parent's future cooperation with the Social Services.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
One conclusion is that compulsory care is not regarded as a safe way of saving children and social workers tend to focus their assessment work on achieving parent's consent to care, which is regarded as a safer way to gain control of the case.}},
author = {{Ponnert, Lina}},
isbn = {{978-91-89604-36-0}},
issn = {{1650-3872}},
keywords = {{Social problems and welfare; children and young persons; Compulsory care; parents; neglect and abuse; antisocial behaviour; social workers; assessment; discretion; power; child welfare; Social sciences; legal system; national insurance; Samhällsvetenskaper; Sociala problem; social välfärd; socialförsäkring}},
language = {{swe}},
publisher = {{Lunds universitet, Socialhögskolan}},
school = {{Lund University}},
series = {{Lund Dissertation of Social Work}},
title = {{Mellan klient och rättssystem : Tvångsvård av barn och unga ur socialsekreterares perspektiv}},
url = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/4545970/599067.pdf}},
year = {{2007}},
}