Idealisk praktik och verksamhetens villkor : behandlingsassistenter inom SiS särkilda ungdomshem

Sammanfattning: The study has illustrated how treatment assistants within Statens institutionsstyrelses (SiS) special residential homes for young people portray a professional approach together with how they viewed their possibilities and limitations based on their professional role. The collection of data has taken place through a qualitative method in the form of interviews with the use of structural analysis for processing empirical data. For analysis and interpretation of treatment assistants' experience of their professional role, role theory and newinstitutional organization theory was used with humanistic theory as frame of reference of a professional approach. The result demonstrated how thoughts about central values and approaches based on a professional role were consistent and strongly influenced by operational guidelines and the ideal image of supportive relationships. Furthermore the professional role can in many ways be described as contradictory as it is part of the role to ensure rules are followed based on one's authoritarian position of power into being a listening, empathetic fellow humanbeing. Significant variations in the experience of the professional role were to which degree treatment assistants were rule-based or more permissive. The possibility to influence youths in a positive way depends on how well treatment assistants manages to establish a sound relationship. The experience of what limited treatment relationships and therefore the possibility to influence youths in a positive way was considered to be mainly dependent on organizational shortcomings such as lack of space, lack of staff and therefore competence. The results also demonstrated how expectations on the professional role in some cases collide with actual practice.