Socialtjänstens arbete med våldsutsatta barn. : Socialsekreterares handlingsutrymme och anknytningens betydelse i arbete med barn som utsätts för våld i nära relation.

Sammanfattning: The purpose of the study is to higlight the social services' perception of the scope for action a which a social secretary has based on the legislation and the use of child's attachment in assessments of possible family home placement, relocation or granting of voluntary contributions due to violence in close relationships. The study is of qualitative character and based on a hermeneutical approach, together with attachment and action space theory. Empirical data were obtained through semi-structured interviews. The results show that the child's attachment is important in work with abused children and that investigators and therapists need to take the child's connection into account in order to create security for the child. This security creates better conditions for the child to be able to assimilate treatment efforts. Furthet, the results show that social workers feel that they have both large and small room for maneuver, particularly in relation to legislation and within the framework of the exercise of authority. While the social services need to comply with the legislation, there is also an opportunity for carrying out motivational work, not least within the framework of social work, in order to increase the possibility to meet childrens need for security, protection and safety. The results indicate that efforts are primarily directed at the parents, both the biological and foster parents. The reason for this is that parents need to understand their own attachment pattern in order to understand the attachment pattern och the child. In order for the child to be able to assimilate efforts without guilt and loyalty conflict arising towards the parents, there is a need for creating security and stability in the home environment. The child needs the support of his parents to be able to dare to talk about his feelings and experiences at the same time as the parents need to gain more knowledge about the child's development and the consequences which the parents' actions can have for the child in adulthood. Certainly, tje work with violence in close relationships is constantly evolving,Yet the field of social services still requires more knowledge about this type of violence and its consequences. There is also a need for more knowledge about the work of social services and other social actors in general, as much as of the opportunities for support, almed for families where violence occurs.