Fältassistenters erfarenheter av förebyggande arbete med barn och unga som riskerar att hamna i kriminalitet

Sammanfattning: The aim of this study was to explore perceptions of social workers in the prevention of juvenile crime. The theoretical framework guiding the study consisted of resilience, risk and prevention factors as well as preventions levels of preventive social work. These concepts were applied to analyze the empirical data. Qualitative group interviews were conducted with social workers from three different counties. Results showed that preventative social work is both complex and challenging. Futhermore it requires collaborations between various actors from different sectors of society. Identifying children at risk as well as the establishment of early contact by social services is imperative for the interventions to work effectively. The allocation of social service resources as well as earlier onset of criminality among minors prove to be future challenges in the field. Social workers preventative work was done primarily on an “indicated and selected level”. Risk and prevention factors identified in the study were found primarily in the local community, within the family as well as the interrelationship among peer groups.