Våld i äldres nära relationer - en kvalitativ studie om biståndshandläggares egenupplevda handlingsutrymme, kompetens och förståelse för fenomenets förekomst

Sammanfattning: This study explores how social workers in the field of gerontological social work are influenced by organizational policies and regulations regarding their work with elderly who are subjected to domestic violence. The aim was to get a deeper understanding of how the social workers are influenced by the policies and regulations regarding their work with elderly who are subjected to domestic violence. The aim was also to get a deeper understanding of how the social workers describe their discretion to handle cases of domestic violence amongst elders. The theoretical framework for this study was taken from the social constructivism theory and by using the concepts discretion and ageism. The method used for this study was of qualitative nature including semi-structured interviews with nine social workers from six different municipalities within gerontological social work. The study was conducted with an inductive approach and was analyzed by using a thematic analysis. The results show that the policies and regulations both positively and negatively influenced the social workers in their work with cases of domestic violence amongst elders. The workplaces that had appropriate policies and regulations which focused on preventative measures as well as asking more questions surrounding the issues increased the social workers possibilities to act regarding their work with elderly who are subjected to domestic violence. The workplaces in which policies and regulations were deficient decreased the social workers possibilities to act regarding their work with elderly who are subjected to domestic violence. The social workers describe how cooperation with other professions both increases and decreases discretion. The social workers also describe how policies and regulations both could increase and decrease discretion in their work with the elderly. Keywords: Social worker, elderly domestic violence, policies and regulations, discretion.