"I jobbet accepterar man det lite mer, det är ju förståeligt att de är upprörda". : - En kvalitativ intervjustudie om socialsekreterares syn på hot och våld.

Sammanfattning: Every third social worker is exposed to client violence and threats. The recent protest against the LVU-legislation has contributed to a debate that has increased the vulnerability of social workers. The aim of this qualitative study is to examine the effects that threats and violence has on social work. The research questions of this study concern the professional role and discretion of social workers, the strategies for managing violence, and attitudes toward safety procedures. A semi-structured interview approach is utilized, involving six social workers from three municipalities. The findings of this study suggest that threats and violence have an impact on the work of social workers and can have consequences for both investigations and decisions. Social workers utilize various strategies to manage obvious violence and threats, whereas unspoken threats are difficult to define and handle. The trust and knowledge of safety procedures varies, while the support of colleagues is crucial. Based on this, the role of mentalization in the normalization process is discussed, and how threats and violence are expected to be accepted as a part of the job. The impact on discretion is discussed in terms of authority and how it influences clients, as well as discussions regarding the consequences of excessive safety procedures.