”Familjen åkte utomlands eftersom de var rädda för vad kontakten med socialtjänsten skulle kunna mynna ut i” - En kvalitativ studie om den aktuella kritiken mot socialtjänsten

Sammanfattning: Today's social services are constantly criticized in the media. Trust in Swedish authorities has never been so low and the main contributor to this is the easily accessible criticism on social media. The criticism is based on clients' stories, including personal and impersonal experiences of the meeting with social services. The study aimed to investigate how critical clients and social workers portray the work of social services and what similarities and differences can be identified in their narratives. The study had a qualitative approach and was conducted through semi-structured interviews. The empirical work was processed using thematic analysis, where the codes were inspired based on Buzan's method for threat construction. Criticism and mistrust of the authority have, among other things, pointed to the social service's judicially unsafe investigation methods, incorrect decisions, and lack of experience and competence. Some similarities identified are the image of the vulnerable child, the lack of preventive work, and the social worker's limitations in their professional role.