Utredning och behandling - en studie om professionellt gränsarbete inom den sociala barnavården

Sammanfattning: Studies about profession have shown that a profession is not homogeneous, but consists of various segments. These segments have some interests and goals in common, but also differ from one another regarding these interests and goals. The differences in interests between the segments can result in a competition about whose interest are more important. Furthermore an important part of the competition is to establish boundaries between one another. The professionals execute this by constituting a difference. In the literature about profession this phenomena is described as a boundary work. Investigation and treatment are examples of two segments within the profession social workers and specifically within the field of child welfare. The aim of the study was to examine how these two different professional groups linguistically construct their own and the others, work tasks and frames that enclose them. Furthermore the aim was to examine how these descriptions can be understood on the basis of boundary work. Finally the aim was to examine how these descriptions can be understood on the basis of desirability. We have chosen a qualitative approach and conducted six semi – structured interviews with three respondents from each field of work. All the respondents that has been chosen came from the same municipality. One conclusion was that all professionals constructed both similarities, but primarily differences between them regarding work tasks, discretion and difficulties. One similarity was that both professional groups portrayed the creation of the relationship to the client as the most important and rewarding work task in both fields. Amongst the differences portrayed between both fields are that the child care investigators have works tasks that are a result of legislation, which doesn’t exist in treatment. Another conclusion was that the professionals conducted boundary work by using linguistically instruments like metaphors, hyperboles and repetitive words. Finally another conclusion was that that the professionals constructed treatment as the most desirable work, because it doesn’t contain the legislative work tasks, which by the professionals are constructed as less desirable.