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"Våld i nära, det är bara en kärleksrelation" - En rättssociologisk studie om socialsekreterares handlingsutrymme

Börjesson, Hilda LU and Almrot, Cajsa LU (2026) RÄSK02 20261
Sociology of Law Department
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to examine how social workers perceive their discretion in cases involving intimate partner violence, particularly in relation to the Social Service Act (2025:400) which places increased emphasis on preventive work. To achieve this, the study explores the factors influencing professional discretion and how organizational conditions affect the preventive work. This study has a qualitative approach based on semi-structured interviews with ten social workers from different parts of Sweden. The empirical data were then analyzed using the theoretical framework of street-level bureaucracy, along with the norm model and previous research. The results indicate that social workers generally perceive a high degree of... (More)
The purpose of this study is to examine how social workers perceive their discretion in cases involving intimate partner violence, particularly in relation to the Social Service Act (2025:400) which places increased emphasis on preventive work. To achieve this, the study explores the factors influencing professional discretion and how organizational conditions affect the preventive work. This study has a qualitative approach based on semi-structured interviews with ten social workers from different parts of Sweden. The empirical data were then analyzed using the theoretical framework of street-level bureaucracy, along with the norm model and previous research. The results indicate that social workers generally perceive a high degree of discretion and the ability to make individual assessments. However, discretion is still heavily influenced by organizational factors such as knowledge, resources, workload, and internal cooperation. Furthermore, while the new Social Service Act has introduced a clearer focus on prevention, its practical impact varies between municipalities and is often limited by a lack of management support or a narrow definition of preventive work. The study concludes that discretion and preventive work are determined by a complex cooperation between individual assessments and organizational structures. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Börjesson, Hilda LU and Almrot, Cajsa LU
supervisor
organization
course
RÄSK02 20261
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Frontlinjebyråkrater, förebyggande arbete, handlingsutrymme, socialsekreterare, våld i nära relationer
language
Swedish
id
9245555
date added to LUP
2026-08-05 12:10:44
date last changed
2026-08-05 12:10:44
@misc{9245555,
  abstract     = {{The purpose of this study is to examine how social workers perceive their discretion in cases involving intimate partner violence, particularly in relation to the Social Service Act (2025:400) which places increased emphasis on preventive work. To achieve this, the study explores the factors influencing professional discretion and how organizational conditions affect the preventive work. This study has a qualitative approach based on semi-structured interviews with ten social workers from different parts of Sweden. The empirical data were then analyzed using the theoretical framework of street-level bureaucracy, along with the norm model and previous research. The results indicate that social workers generally perceive a high degree of discretion and the ability to make individual assessments. However, discretion is still heavily influenced by organizational factors such as knowledge, resources, workload, and internal cooperation. Furthermore, while the new Social Service Act has introduced a clearer focus on prevention, its practical impact varies between municipalities and is often limited by a lack of management support or a narrow definition of preventive work. The study concludes that discretion and preventive work are determined by a complex cooperation between individual assessments and organizational structures.}},
  author       = {{Börjesson, Hilda and Almrot, Cajsa}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{"Våld i nära, det är bara en kärleksrelation" - En rättssociologisk studie om socialsekreterares handlingsutrymme}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}