Socialtjänsten - en tillfällig arbetsplats : En enkätstudie om socionomstudenters attityder gentemot ett arbete inom socialtjänsten

Sammanfattning: The Social Services is currently in a crisis, where it is reported about difficulties recruiting staff, heavy workload and high turnover. Experienced social welfare secretaries resigns, and the need of recruiting students within social work studies is great. With this starting point, the aim of the present study was to investigate these students’ attitudes towards the Social Services and a supposable employment within the organization in the future. The study also includes a correlation analysis to highlight if students within social studies with earlier knowledge and work experience had a more positive or negative attitude towards the Social Services. The study’s target group was students within social studies at Linneuniversitetet in the cities of Växjö and Kalmar. A web-based structured survey was made available to all students at the academy, where 123 students replied. The collected data is presented through statistical analyzes. The result implies that the overall impression of the Social Services as a workplace is on a medium level, with a certain spread. To work within the Social Services is an alternative for most students, but not their first choice. An employment in the organization is often seen as a temporary position, or an option in lack of other opportunities. The students took greatest interest in working within the area of family and children, and least in working with assistance for the elderly and economically exposed. The Social Services is considered capable of supplying most qualities that the students consider valuable in a job as a social worker, with an exception for workload and workplace introduction. The general attitude towards the Social Services as a workplace correlate positively with the self-estimated level of knowledge about the organization. The attitude also correlates positively with work experience within the organization, either from clinical training within the education program, or from other circumstances. The perception of the Social Services as a workplace is even more positive when the students’ estimated level of knowledge is higher, and when work experience exists.