"Misstanke betyder inte att vi ska ha några bevis" : En kvalitativ studie om skolkuratorers arbete i samband med att de misstänker att ett barn far illa

Sammanfattning: The purpose of the study is to investigate school counselors' work with issues related to concerns that a child is being harmed due to abuse or neglect, and what they believe affects their decision to submit or not to submit a report of concern. The study uses a qualitative method with semi structured interviews. The theoretical framework for this study is neoinstitutional theory with focus on organizational fields and institutional logics. The results show that school counselors have a central role in their schools reporting system due to them often being responsible for writing and signing the reports. Considerations they make consist of whether or not to make a report and what approach they should have. Central factors that affect school counselors’ decision-making is; if they suspect physical abuse, if the guardians are willing to cooperate and whether or not social services advice for a report to be made or not. The findings of this study show that school counselors use their knowledge of social work in regards to dealing with suspicion of abuse and neglect and in making reports of concern.