"Om inte vi ser dem, vem gör det?" : En kvalitativ intervjustudie om hur socialsekreterare möter våldsutsatta kvinnor med intellektuell funktionsnedsättning

Sammanfattning: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a social problem that affects both the person living with IPV, but also has its consequences in society. One group that has an additional vulnerability to being exposed to IPV is women with an intellectual disability. There are not many studies that have been conducted in this field, especially in Sweden, and as a result there is not much information on this field. The study therefore aimed to explore the different needs of women who have an intellectual disability and are experiencing IPV and explore how social workers find themselves in their role being able to meet these needs. We conducted a qualitative study, where we held interviews with social workers who work with IPV in municipalities in the southern part of Sweden. We chose to analyze the data by using Lipsky's theory Street level bureaucracy and choose to focus on the concept of discretion. The result showed needs such as protection, economic support, information and counseling support, and also a need for visibility. The results also presented areas in which the social workers felt were both obstacles and opportunities to meet these needs were communication, adaptation, the role of organizations, and collaboration. One conclusion that could be made was that social workers felt that they within their discretion were able to meet the needs, but that it does not always fall within the scope of their delegation and may involve making other contacts and collaborating to meet the needs.