Automatiserad robot eller digital socialarbetare? : En kvalitativ studie om socialsekreterares uppfattningar kring digitaliseringen av ekonomiskt bistånd

The aim of this study was to explore how social service workers discuss digitization and its impact on their role as professionals. This was done to obtain a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities that a digitization might entail. We have taken a qualitative approach to our study by interviewing eight social service workers, in two organizationally different social service offices. We have used Andrew Abbott’s and Thomas Brante’s theories on professions as well as Svensson, Johnsson & Laanemets theories on discretion to analyze our empirical findings. The results showed that the social service workers role as professionals could be jeopardized when exposed to a digitization of the social service offices. The social service workers expressed concern that an automation of the financial aid dealings might impair their professional roles by fragmenting the holistic view of the client's situation, which is essential for their work. At the same time, they hope that a digitization might help streamline their financial aid dealings, and open up time as well as expand the limits of their discretion for a larger focus on client meetings. Another hope was that the digitization would put less focus on the screening process of the client’s financial aid applications. These hopes and worries differ depending on the definition that the individual social worker have on the meaning of digitization. The social worker might see digitization as a means of streamlining the process for the clients, but also as a means to free up time for the social workers themselves.