Målgruppsindelning och sociala kategorier i ett remissförfarande : En kvalitativ studie om inkomna remissvar angående en ny socialtjänstlag

Sammanfattning: To categorize groups of people is a necessity in our society. Categorization of people is used by decision makers and authorities. In the national social service legislation, categorization can be used to instruct municipalities to prioritize vulnerable groups of clients in need of support and services. The negative aspect of categorizing is that people are being labeled in a certain way, which can affect how people are being treated. The current Social Services Act in Sweden contains specific regulations to certain groups in society. One of the proposals in the extensive investigation for a new Social Services Act is to tone down these certain groups. The investigation for a new Social Services Act was sent out for consultation to 193 relevant community actors, including municipalities, government authorities and interest groups. These are given the opportunity to submit opinions and comments before the legislation is amended. This study is based on the received responses from the community actors through a qualitative text analysis. 55 of the received 157 responses addressed categorization of the target groups in the legislation. The results show that the majority of the 55 responses are in favour of target groups being toned down. In the responses there are arguments that highlight an increased individual perspective and a holistic view in social work. Other actors highlight risks with toning down the target groups, such as an increased difficulty for individuals to claim their rights and that it increases the risk of inequality. The results also show that there is a difference in the responses depending on whether the respondent is a municipality, a government authority or an interest group. The municipalities are in favour of the target groups being toned down while we find government authorities and interest groups on both sides of the argument. It also shows how different organizations take their interests into account in a consultation procedure.