| 1. |
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| 2. |
- Andersson, Katarina, et al.
(author)
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Governance, Accountability, and Organizational Development : Eldercare Unit Managers' and Local Politicians' Experiences of and Responses to State Supervision of Swedish Eldercare
- 2018
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In: Journal of Aging & Social Policy. - : Routledge. - 0895-9420 .- 1545-0821. ; 30:5, s. 419-439
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This article explores how local politicians and care unit managers in Swedish eldercare experience and respond to state supervision. Twelve politicians and 12 managers in 15 previously inspected municipalities were interviewed about their experiences of and reactions to state supervision (SSV) in relation to their views of care quality and routines in eldercare practice. The findings indicate that local managers and political chairs perceived SSV in eldercare positively at a superficial level, but were critical of and disappointed with specific aspects of it: in terms of a) governance—chairs and managers said SSV strengthened implementation of national policies via local actors, but were critical of SSV’s narrow focus on control and flaws in eldercare practice; b) accountability—SSV was seen as limited to accountability for finances and systemic performance; and c) organizational development—SSV was seen as limited to improving routines and compliance with legislation, while local definitions of quality are broader than that. In general, local actors regarded SSV as improving administrative aspects and routines in practice but ignoring the relational content of eldercare quality.
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| 3. |
- Andersson, Katarina, 1963-, et al.
(author)
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Statlig tillsyn
- 2019
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In: Perspektiv på granskning inom offentlig sektor. - Malmö : Gleerups Utbildning AB. - 9789151100654 ; , s. 55-70
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Book chapter (other academic/artistic)
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| 4. |
- Hanberger, Anders, 1953-, et al.
(author)
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Auditing and accountability
- 2017
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In: Social and caring professions in European welfare states. - Bristol : Policy Press. - 9781447327196 ; , s. 83-97
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Book chapter (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This chapter consists of two parts. First, two accountability dilemmas are identified, key concepts are defined, and a framework for exploring the interplay among democratic governance, audit systems, and accountability is presented. Second, two different but dominant audit systems used in Swedish eldercare are described and analysed in light of this framework, and consequences of auditing and accountability for key actors involved are discussed, as well as possible ways of resolving the two accountability dilemmas. In relation to the volume, this chapter explores conditions, trends, and challenges in today's audit society and their implications for welfare professions and other key actors. Swedish eldercare is an illustrative case of a phenomenon occurring in most policy sectors.
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| 5. |
- Hanberger, Anders, 1953-, et al.
(author)
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Can state supervision improve eldercare? : An analysis of the soundness of the Swedish supervision model
- 2018
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In: British Journal of Social Work. - Oxford : Oxford University Press. - 0045-3102 .- 1468-263X. ; 48:2, s. 371-389
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This article examines the assumptions regarding how Swedish state supervision (SSV) ofeldercare is to achieve its intended effects. It explores how SSV is intended to work toensure and improve eldercare quality, and theoretically and empirically assesses the validityof its guiding assumptions with programme theory methodology. The theoreticalassessment suggests that most intended effects are partly achieved, though the qualityenhancingassumption finds little support in caring research. The assumption that thesupervised parties will improve their compliance with laws and regulations has some validity,but this compliance is temporary and confined to the aspects of eldercare beingsupervised. Twenty-four interviews with the chairs of Social Welfare Committees andcare unit managers provide empirical support for all but two intended effects. SSV hasnot increased ‘awareness of national regulative demands in eldercare’ or contributed to‘general quality improvement in eldercare’. Four unintended effects of SSV were also recognisedin the interviews—for example, unsupervised caring activities were less prioritised.The authors conclude that, although SSV does little to improve eldercare quality, itis needed for transparency and accountability as well as to hold local governments andpublic and private service providers to account for compliance with national statutes.
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| 6. |
- Hanberger, Anders, 1953-, et al.
(author)
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Hur kan granskning av äldreomsorg studeras?
- 2019. - 1
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In: Perspektiv på granskning inom offentlig sektor. - Malmö : Gleerups Utbildning AB. - 9789151100654 ; , s. 39-54
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Book chapter (other academic/artistic)
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| 7. |
- Coe, Anna-Britt, 1967-, et al.
(author)
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Youth politics as multiple processes : how teenagers construct political action in Sweden
- 2016
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In: Journal of Youth Studies. - : Routledge. - 1367-6261 .- 1469-9680. ; 19:10, s. 1321-1337
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Alternative approaches to power in youth politics are needed to overcome the conceptual dichotomy between youth political action that is either linked to – or delinked from – state institutions. This paper offers an alternative drawn from a study that sought to empirically explore, and build theory upon, how teenagers construct their political action. Our qualitative study among 10 activists aged between 17 and 19 in a medium-size city in Northern Sweden found that youth constructed their political action as four different processes: moving from consciousness to action, moving from personal experience to shared goals, moving from social activities to political activities, and moving from single to multiple arenas. We integrated these processes in the concept Youth Politics as Multiple Processes. Youth efforts to bring about these processes were not always fruitful because, as their political action gained complexity, youth faced greater constraints for recognizing, addressing and challenging power from age-based exclusion, state-centered definitions of politics, and adult disinterest in youth demands. According to our findings, youth constructed political action based in an approach to power that was not state-centered. We linked our findings to youth politics research and social movement theory that similarly proposed alternative approaches to power.
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| 8. |
- Du, Yaqiong, et al.
(author)
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Interventions of Chinese nonprofit charitable organizations in the rescue of children in difficulty
- 2018
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In: Social Sciences. - : MDPI. - 2076-0760. ; 7:97, s. 1-13
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In June 2016, China promulgated the “Opinions of the State Council on Strengthening the Work of Rescuing Children in Difficulty”, which broadened the coverage of child welfare in China. The document clearly encourages and supports the participation of nonprofit charitable organizations in improving and complementing the public support system for children living in difficulty. This paper reports an assessment study of the relief program for children with congenital heart disease, which was launched by the Red Cross in L Province. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews with six Red Cross employees and 10 parents of stricken families, and telephone interviews with 66 recipient families, were carried out. Additionally, a review of a large number of background documents was analyzed to assess interventions by social organizations in the rescue of children in difficulty. The project was shown to reduce poverty and improve medical treatment for children with congenital heart disease. The role of nonprofit charitable organizations in relation to the child protection system can be characterized as “leak-filling”.
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| 9. |
- Fylkesnes, Marte K, et al.
(author)
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Frykten for barnevernet : En undersøkelse av etniske minoritetsforeldres oppfatninger
- 2015
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In: Norges Barnevern. - : Universitetsforlaget. - 0800-1014 .- 1891-1838. ; 92:2, s. 80-96
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- As part of a larger research project, we interviewed ten parents with refugee backgrounds about their experiences of contact with child welfare services in Norway. Despite parents describing both positive and negative experiences, and trust as well as distrust, we found that fear of the child welfare services was a central theme. Thematic analyses showed that fear of the child welfare services was not primarily related to the interviewees' own negative experiences, but to a variety of perceptions or representations of the child welfare services that informants described as common or prevalent among people from ethnic minorities in general. We found that the representations of the child welfare services could be categorized into the following themes: 1) child welfare services primarily take children away from parents, 2) child welfare services do not go into dialogue with parents, and 3) child welfare services discriminate against ethnic minority families. The analysis is discussed critically in light of Axel Honneth and Nancy Fraser's understandings of recognition and social justice. We suggest that the parents’ fear of the child welfare services can be understood as fear of experiencing humiliation and disrespect through contact with child welfare services; fear of losing their children, becoming invisible and being discriminated against. A key implication of the study is the need for further research that examines the fear of child welfare among people from ethnic minorities, as well as measures that address distrust of services in parts of the population.
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| 10. |
- Fylkesnes, Marte Knag, et al.
(author)
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Negotiating deficiency : exploring ethnic minority parents' narratives about encountering child welfare services in Norway
- 2018
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In: Child & Family Social Work. - Hoboken : Wiley-Blackwell. - 1356-7500 .- 1365-2206. ; 23:2, s. 196-203
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Evaluating the participatory opportunities for service users within social welfare institutions is a pressing issue. In this article, we explore a group of ethnic minority parents' experiences with child welfare services (CWS) in Norway. A strong narrative theme was deficiency positioning—how lacking a Norwegian normative set of knowledge and skills challenged the parents' opportunities to participate. We analysed how deficiency positioning was perceived, negotiated, and contested in the parents' accounts, and 4 themes emerged: (a) learning to parent, (b) contesting expert knowledge, (c) learning to be a client, and (d) constructing CWS deficiency. Nancy Fraser's concept of “participatory parity” was applied to explore how current institutional structures may enable and limit parents' participation. The analysis provides insight into agencies and informants' sense-making processes as well as the diverse resources and strategies that parents draw upon in the CWS encounter. Furthermore, we argue that an interplay between a strong focus on “parenting skills” and bureaucratic and economic structures positions ethnic minority parents as deficient, thus providing powerful mechanisms for marginalization. Implications for case work and institutional levels are discussed.
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| 11. |
- Gümüscü, Ahmet, 1981-, et al.
(author)
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Bringing the Family Back in : On Role Assignment and Clientification in the Swedish Social Services
- 2015
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In: Social Sciences. - Basel : MDPI AG. - 2076-0760. ; 4:1, s. 117-133
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In Sweden, municipal social services provide help and support for vulnerable people with a variety of needs. Although the family has long been understood to be a focus of social work interventions, it is unclear how it is brought into the casework process in the highly individualised and specialised municipal social services. Therefore, in this study we investigated processes of client-making and role assignment in five service sectors: social assistance, child welfare, substance abuse, disability, and elderly care. We carried out focus group interviews with social workers in each of these sectors in a mid-sized community in central Sweden. Findings showed that clienthood and the family are interpreted in different ways. The family is brought into or kept out of service provisions in ways that are connected to social workers’ construction of the family either as expert, client or non-client. However, the role of the family may also change during the casework process. Findings are examined in relation to theories of the welfare state and implications for family-focused practice are discussed.
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| 12. |
- Gümüscü, Ahmet, 1981-
(author)
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Socialtjänsten och familjen : socialarbetares konstruktion av familj och insatser i familjerelaterad komplexitet
- 2019
-
Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The aim of this dissertation is to describe and analyse how social workers in Swedish social services define “family” and handle complexity when they work with families, and especially “families with complex needs” as the target of their interventions. Whereas families with complex needs can be understood to involve one or more family members having two or more simultaneously occurring needs or problems (e.g. mental health issues, addiction, financial problems, dysfunctionality, child abuse, ageing, disabilities, and family violence), complexity in social work extends beyond that which exists in families. Therefore, to broaden our understanding of these complexities in social work, this research sought answers to the following questions:• How do social workers define and set boundaries around the concept of “family” when they target their interventions? How do these definitions differ between different sectors of the social services – elderly care, disability care, addiction, child welfare, and financial assistance? (study I)• How do social workers involve families and family members in the casework from intake and through the investigation process within different social service sectors? What happens to the conceptualisation of family through an investigation process? (study II)• How do social workers in child welfare services describe and manage complexity in their work generally and when they work with families with complex needs? (study III)• How then do social workers in different service sectors conceive of and manage complexities in their everyday work, especially when it comes to families with complex needs? (study IV)The empirical material in studies I and IV consists of telephone interviews with 60 social workers working in five different sectors in four municipalities. Study II is based on five focus group interviews with social workers working in five different sectors in one larger municipality. Study III is based on focus groups with vignettes with social workers working in child welfare in three municipalities.In the first study findings revealed that different mediating mechanisms were adopted by social workers in what can be understood to be a deconstruction of the family. These mechanisms included legislation (as a control mechanism), household composition (boundary mechanism) and service needs (professional mechanism), which were used in various ways and to differing degrees within each sector. The five unique and sector-specific conceptualisations of families are implicated in how interventions are constructed and work processes targeted at individuals and families.In the second study findings showed that clienthood and family are interpreted in different ways. The family was brought into or kept out of service provisions in ways that were connected to social workers’ construction of the family either as expert, client or non-client. How social workers understood the role of the family changed during the casework process. In the third study, findings showed that social workers were challenged in their everyday work where they focused on immediate conditions for children while avoiding problems that were less amenable to being solved. Social workers tried to manage complexities related to families by either sorting prioritizing or oscillating between different child welfare orientations. In the fourth study, findings showed that there were different types of reported complex needs: deeprooted needs and broad-based needs. Complex family needs were transformed into complex cases by social workers, based on considerations of family composition, relationships between clients and social workers, and organizational contexts of practice. The boundaries between these three domains were not distinct, and the interconnectivity and complexities occurring in and between them contributed to the production of much of the “wickedness” that exists in social work practice.A main conclusion is that the concept of family is understood and targeted differently in different sectors of social work. In some cases, the use of the family concept can be related to the clients' specific needs. Families who social workers meet often have combinations of needs and problems that result in numerous interventions from the social services. When social workers meet these families, they can feel ambiguity and uncertainty because of the complexity of the needs or other complexities. And, in individualised social services, a narrow focus on the needs of individuals can make it difficult to see the situation of the family as a whole. This research highlights the importance of bringing this web of complexities to the forefront of practice.
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| 13. |
- Hanberger, Anders, 1953-, et al.
(author)
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Can state supervision improve eldercare? An analysis of the assumptions of the Swedish supervision model
- 2015
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Can state supervision improve eldercare? An analysis of the assumptions of the Swedish supervision modelBackground: Lately the supervision of Swedish eldercare has been reinforced to ensure better compliance with laws and regulations. Policy-makers express high expectation that this reform will improve quality in eldercare, and ensure older citizens a good and equal distribution of eldercare.Purpose: The aim of this paper is to unfold the underlying assumptions of how the supervision model (inspectorate) is intended to work to ensure and improve quality in Swedish eldercare, and to probe the validity of the assumptions.Method: A program theory analysis is carried out to describe how state supervision is assumed to work to achieve intended effects. These assumptions are referred to as the supervision’s program theory. A policy scientific method is applied to reconstruct the program theory. Once the program theory is described its consistence is analyzed and the validity is assessed against supervision theory and caring theory.Results: The assumption that the supervised will improve compliance with laws and regulations has some validity but confined to aspects of eldercare being supervised. The theories we used provide no support that supervision is an effective tool for improving quality in eldercare.Conclusions: Reinforced supervision cannot be justified with reference to supervision being an effective tool or mechanism to enhance quality in eldercare. However, some kind of supervision is necessary for transparency and holding local governments, and public and private service providers to account for compliance with the statues. Supervision also reinforce the national objectives and standards that should guide social service committees and eldercare service providers.
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| 14. |
- Hanberger, Anders, 1953-, et al.
(author)
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Tillsyn och öppna jämförelser : exemplet äldreomsorgen
- 2015
-
Conference paper (pop. science, debate, etc.)abstract
- Äldreomsorg har genom olika former av utvärdering fått avsevärt ökad uppmärksamhet i media och politisk debatt. I denna session diskuteras vilka konsekvenser som två dominerande former av utvärdering – tillsyn och öppna jämförelser – har för äldreomsorgens styrning, ansvarsutkrävande och verksamhetsutveckling. Sessionen utgår från resultat från ett Forte-finansierat forskningsprojekt om användning av utvärdering i äldreomsorgen.
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| 15. |
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| 16. |
- Lindqvist, Rafael, 1948-, et al.
(author)
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Sociologi och socialt arbete
- 2016. - 3:e utgåvan
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In: Socialt arbete. En grundbok.. - Stockholm : Natur och kultur. - 9789127141490 ; , s. 180-197, s. 180-197
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Book chapter (other academic/artistic)
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| 17. |
- Moen, Elisabeth, 1956-, et al.
(author)
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Volatile and violent relationships among women sentenced for homicide in Sweden between 1986 and 2005
- 2016
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In: Victims & Offenders. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1556-4886 .- 1556-4991. ; 11:3, s. 373-391
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Data from Swedish court judgments of all 124 women convicted of homicide during 20 years was analyzed. The typical pattern was an abused woman who kills her intimate partner at home with a knife, often with alcohol involved. A subsample (n = 66) was analyzed qualitatively, with a focus on intimate partner relationships. The findings indicate that female homicides usually take place after a long progression of violence and reflect women’s subordinate gendered position. Situational triggers finally lead up to the killing event. Gender equality and the so-called woman-friendly welfare state in Sweden do not appear to reduce women’s volatility in violent relationships.
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| 18. |
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| 19. |
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| 20. |
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| 21. |
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| 22. |
- Nygren, Lennart, 1953-, et al.
(author)
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Families in transition : social workers’ understanding of 'family' in child welfare work - an international research approach
- 2016
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In: Global social transformation and social action. - : Routledge. - 9781317127277 - 9781472417954 ; , s. 123-128
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Book chapter (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The postmodern family pattern discourse is about individualisation and care. Through globalisation, the closed family system is being dissolved, and a plurality of cohabitation alternatives is emerging. On a global level, transnational families are keeping proximity through cross-border networking. Patterns of traditional patriarchy are challenged through institutionalised individualisation and gender discourse. Care of children and care of the elderly become an institutionalised responsibility.
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| 23. |
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| 24. |
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| 25. |
- Nygren, Lennart, 1953-
(author)
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Trends of the 1990s in swedish welfare policy : implications for social work education
- 2019
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In: Social change, social policy and social work in the new Europe. - : Routledge. - 9780429439179 - 9781138343375 ; , s. 141-151
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Book chapter (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aim of this chapter is briefly to describe recent trends in the development of the Swedish welfare system, particularly as these affect social services, and to discuss the impact these trends are having on social work education.
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| 26. |
- Oltedal, Siv, et al.
(author)
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Local family definitions matter
- 2015
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In: Journal of Comparative Social Work. - 0809-9936. ; 10:1, s. 1-5
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Journal article (other academic/artistic)
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| 27. |
- Oltedal, Siv, et al.
(author)
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Private and public families : Social workers’ views on children’s and parents’ position in Chile, England, Lithuania and Norway
- 2019
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In: Journal of Comparative Social Work. - : Universitetet i Stavanger. - 0809-9936. ; 14:1, s. 115-140
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Social workers around the world work with families and family complexities in their everyday practice. In this cross-national study, we explore social workers’ family intervention practices related to family definitions and functions, and how social workers balance children’s and parents’ rights and social policies in the proper context. Data derives from focus group interviews with child welfare workers from Norway, Lithuania, Chile and England based on discussions of a common fictitious complex family case (vignette). The four countries chosen for this comparative study are examples of four different welfare systems/regimes. The findings related to this broad area of caring topics are related to how the dimensions of a ‘private’ and a ‘public’ family manifest in social work in the four countries. Social workers in Chile and Lithuania refer to the idea of the private family, while their Norwegian counterparts lean more to the public family. English social workers combine public and private family conceptions in their focus groups, reflecting a system that is partly de-familialized.
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| 28. |
- Skoog, Viktoria, 1981-, et al.
(author)
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Disconnection and dislocation : relationships and belonging in unstable foster and institutional care
- 2015
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In: British Journal of Social Work. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0045-3102 .- 1468-263X. ; 45:6, s. 1888-1904
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper investigates how children who have experienced instability in substitute family care describe their sense of belonging and relationships with adults who share responsibility for caring for them. Using an interpretive phenomenological methodology, we interviewed twelve children in Swedish foster and institutional care. Our study found that the children craved a close relationship with consistent adults and an opportunity to feel that they belonged somewhere. These needs were difficult for them to receive due to their parents' problematic life histories, instability in care which repeatedly placed them in new care situations and a lack of continuity of social workers. These children endured a repeated disconnection to those adults who were supposed to share the role of raising them and, at the same time, an incredible ability to adapt to new care environments was demanded of them. After continually losing relationships, some children finally decided to ‘hold off adults’ in order to not get hurt. Working with and caring for children who have experienced unstable care puts great demand on adults to develop relationships that children feel will be consistent and that they can trust.
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