”Det är lätt att känna sig lite förminskad, särskilt om man är socionom” : En kvalitativ intervjustudie om socionomers arbetsroll på Barn- och Ungdomspsykiatrin

Sammanfattning: This study examines the working role of active social workers in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in Sweden. The aim is to understand how they consider their work role to be affected by the medical domain in which they work. By interviewing eight active social workers in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry the three questions we aimed to answer were: How do social workers at Child and Adolescent Psychiatry perceive their work role? What experiences do social workers have of practicing their profession in a medically dominated workplace? How can these experiences be understood in relation to the sociologists' perceptions of their work role? In our analysis we used the theories of discretion, professional boundary work and the two power concepts power/knowledge and legit power. The results show that there are factors that affect the social worker's work role at individual, organizational and societal levels. The conclusion is that the social workers generally have a subordinate role whilst at the same time express a feeling of development while working with different professions. The social workers feel as if they have a holistic perspective unlike the other medical professions.