Mobila team - en möjlighet att arbeta för barnets bästa : Växjö kommuns initiativ för en tvärprofessionell samverkan i det tidiga och förebyggande arbetet för barn och unga

Sammanfattning: In cases where children and youths are in need of support from various activities in order to have their needs met, authorities shall collaborate towards the common goal: the child’s best interests. The concept lacks an unambiguous definition and professionals should make decisions adjusted to the child’s individual needs. Within the Mobile team, which is an interprofessional form of collaboration between the school and social services, the different professional groups could be characterized by different perspectives. This may lead to different interpretations which can pose a challenge to agree on a joint decision for the child’s best interests. The study is based on a qualitative approach through semi-structured interviews with six professionals within a mobile team. The theories used to analyze the empirical material is collaboration theory and theory about discretion in decision making. Several noteworthy results were find. The mobile team work early and preventive both generally and with more concrete interventions for the child’s best interests. The work within collaboration can be divided into resourse-, information- and knowledge exchange which creates the opportunity to get at better overall picture of the child. Further, to work for the child’s best interests the mobile team focuses on school, spare time and family, as different areas that are important for the child. Their approach is also characterized by understanding and supporting individual needs. Finally, there are factors that need to be considered to fulfil a successful collaboration. For example, the professionals must be aware of each other’s duties, roles, activities and regulatory systems.