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“Approachen jag fick var, säg till ordinarie lärare så tar de det därifrån” - Grundskolevikariers erfarenheter av att orosanmäla barn som far illa

Smedberg, Helena LU and Kleinschmidt, Klara LU (2026) SOPB63 20252
School of Social Work
Abstract
The protection of vulnerable children constitutes a fundamental legal and moral mandate within the Swedish school system. Yet, the specific role of substitute teachers in this process remains an under-researched area. Using Lipsky’s theory of street-level bureaucracy and Svedberg’s role theory concerning professional structures and role conflicts, we analyzed attitudes of unqualified primary school substitute teachers towards the mandatory reporting process. The empirical data consist of six semi-structured interviews conducted with substitute teachers who are or were active in municipal schools in Skåne County. The collected empirical data were based on questions resulting in the following thematizations: 1) Substitute teacher's... (More)
The protection of vulnerable children constitutes a fundamental legal and moral mandate within the Swedish school system. Yet, the specific role of substitute teachers in this process remains an under-researched area. Using Lipsky’s theory of street-level bureaucracy and Svedberg’s role theory concerning professional structures and role conflicts, we analyzed attitudes of unqualified primary school substitute teachers towards the mandatory reporting process. The empirical data consist of six semi-structured interviews conducted with substitute teachers who are or were active in municipal schools in Skåne County. The collected empirical data were based on questions resulting in the following thematizations: 1) Substitute teacher's perception of mandatory reporting; 2) Substitute teacher's relationship with children and families; 3) Substitute teacher’s interactions with social services. Attitudes indicate that the reporting process is heavily individualized and dependent on peer and school leadership support due to a significant lack of formal training and clear organizational policies. Precarious and temporary employment forms affect individual substitutes’ abilities to act on concerns of child maltreatment. Further efforts to improve the mandatory reporting process could consider focusing more specifically on unqualified substitute teachers with no formal training. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Smedberg, Helena LU and Kleinschmidt, Klara LU
supervisor
organization
course
SOPB63 20252
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
mandatory reporting, substitute teachers, experiences, reporting child abuse, child maltreatment
language
Swedish
id
9224574
date added to LUP
2026-03-26 09:10:18
date last changed
2026-03-26 09:10:18
@misc{9224574,
  abstract     = {{The protection of vulnerable children constitutes a fundamental legal and moral mandate within the Swedish school system. Yet, the specific role of substitute teachers in this process remains an under-researched area. Using Lipsky’s theory of street-level bureaucracy and Svedberg’s role theory concerning professional structures and role conflicts, we analyzed attitudes of unqualified primary school substitute teachers towards the mandatory reporting process. The empirical data consist of six semi-structured interviews conducted with substitute teachers who are or were active in municipal schools in Skåne County. The collected empirical data were based on questions resulting in the following thematizations: 1) Substitute teacher's perception of mandatory reporting; 2) Substitute teacher's relationship with children and families; 3) Substitute teacher’s interactions with social services. Attitudes indicate that the reporting process is heavily individualized and dependent on peer and school leadership support due to a significant lack of formal training and clear organizational policies. Precarious and temporary employment forms affect individual substitutes’ abilities to act on concerns of child maltreatment. Further efforts to improve the mandatory reporting process could consider focusing more specifically on unqualified substitute teachers with no formal training.}},
  author       = {{Smedberg, Helena and Kleinschmidt, Klara}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{“Approachen jag fick var, säg till ordinarie lärare så tar de det därifrån” - Grundskolevikariers erfarenheter av att orosanmäla barn som far illa}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}