Likställighet eller individuell bedömning - om kommunala riktlinjers implementering i socialtjänsten

Abstract Authors: Max Elmgren and Magnus Svensson Title: Fairness of assessment or individual assessment – a study of local guidelines‟ implementation in social service. [translated title] Supervisor: Susanna Johansson Assessor: Elizabeth Martinell Barfoed The purpose of this study was to explore how local guidelines are implemented in the assessment of social welfare in two different social welfare offices located in a larger Swedish city. We were also interested in what makes social workers use the local guidelines, what the incentives are for this. We conducted interviews with four different social workers in two offices and also one interview with a person responsible for updating and reviewing the local guidelines. To this end we chose to apply a qualitative research method since the focus of the study is depth rather than generalization. Our analysis points to several things: The study shows that the interviewed social workers value the local guidelines in their daily work, although they choose to use them differently. The main reason for social workers to use the local guidelines is to work towards fairness of assessments between all of the city‟s welfare offices. Also, the guidelines are used more frequently when the social worker is new at assessing social welfare. The more experienced the social worker gets, the more institutionalized these guidelines gets, until they are not referred to on a daily basis but instead when in need. There were some discrepancies concerning the use of the local guidelines. One of the offices had applied their own changes to the guidelines which is inconsistent to its intentions, according to the person responsible for developing them.