@misc{9244031,
  abstract     = {{Risk assessments within outreach social work cannot be understood solely as the application of predefined criteria or standardized tools. Rather, they are shaped through social interaction, professional interpretation and contextual understanding. This study examines how risk assessments are formed in social field workers’ outreach work with children and young people in the municipality of Landskrona. The study is based on participant walk-along observations in which field workers were followed during their ordinary outreach work in public and social environments frequented by young people. This methodological approach made it possible to observe how assessments emerged and developed in real time through everyday interactions and observations in the field.
The findings show that relationships constitute a central prerequisite for risk assessment. Through continuous face-to-face interactions, field workers gain access to information, observations and contextual knowledge that enable them to identify, interpret and evaluate situations perceived as potentially concerning. Risk assessments are not based on isolated indicators but develop through ongoing interpretation of behaviours, social relations, environments and situational changes over time.
The findings further demonstrate that professional discretion plays a crucial role in how information is interpreted and acted upon. Field workers continuously balance supportive and controlling aspects of their role while navigating organizational conditions and institutional expectations. The study highlights how risk assessments are formed through the interplay between social interaction, relationship-building, professional discretion and organizational frameworks within everyday outreach practice.}},
  author       = {{Tashjian, Lizmerly Thalia and Sörensen, Sara and Alron, Heba}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{"Det är också så att du ska använda de här relationerna till någonting”: En rättssociologisk studie om fältsekreterares riskbedömningar i det uppsökande arbetet.}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}