Betydelsen av kunskap vid bemötandet av klienter med NPF : En kvalitativ intervjustudie av socialsekreterares upplevelser av teoretisk respektive praktisk kunskap

Sammanfattning: The study examines in what way social workers who handle financial assistance experience the impact of theoretical knowledge and practical knowledge in treatment of clients with neuropsychiatric disabilities. Furthermore, the study aims to investigate what opportunities and limitations there are for acquiring this knowledge. The study is based on an inductive approach where nine social workers were interviewed through qualitative semi-structured interviews. Qualitative content analysis has been applied as the analysis method of the study where two main categories were identified: Theoretical knowledge and practical knowledge are significant for a more favorable treatment of clients with neuropsychiatric disabilities and Theoretical and practical knowledge becomes personal. Furthermore, the results have been analyzed on the basis of previous research combined with the study's theoretical starting point: theoretical knowledge and practical knowledge, with inspiration from the theory of knowledge. The results of the study show that theoretical knowledge and practical knowledge can enable a more favorable treatment of clients with neuropsychiatric disabilities. The results also indicate that the practical knowledge is attributed to greater significance than what the theoretical knowledge is emphasized to do. Furthermore, the study results demonstrate that the social workers’ knowledge acquisition will be limited based on whether the organization provides education, methods, guidance or the opportunity to read at the workplace. The social workers’ opportunities for acquiring knowledge thus become dependent on the professional's own interest and experiences, and the knowledge can thus be thought to be personal.