To Örebro University

Consent is a core principle in social work, reflecting respect for individual autonomy. In child welfare services (CWS), however, obtaining consent becomes complex when parents must act on behalf of their children, particularly when concerns of abuse are present. This study examines the dynamics of consenting to voluntary interventions in CWS investigation reports of suspected child abuse. Analysing 118 cases from eleven Swedish municipalities, we assess whether consent met the requirement for validity. Drawing on Lukes’s three-dimensional view of power, we highlight the power dynamics shaping consent. Findings show that consent is often influenced by both parents and CWS, while children rarely have a voice. Consent was frequently partial, uninformed, or involuntary, and sometimes failed to address the needs of those identified as requiring support. In many cases, parents did not consent to recommended interventions, indicating that coercion was not widespread. The study highlights the complex interplay of power in child welfare consent processes and underscores the need for CWS to balance respect for parental autonomy with the duty to safeguard children’s rights. Transparent strategies for obtaining, assessing, and documenting consent are essential to ensure ethical practice and uphold children’s well-being.

Across Europe, states have committed to preventing and combating child sexual exploitation (CSE), with Child Protection and Welfare Services (CPWS) playing a central role. Drawing on intersectional risk theory, this scoping review critically examines how the risk of CSE is constructed and responded to within European CPWS. Constructions of risk was identified through analysis of how studies described vulnerability, agency, exploitation, and professional responses to CSE within CPWS. A thematic synthesis of 23 studies reveals that risk constructions foregrounded young people’s choices and agency, alongside stereotypical and normative assumptions, while structural contexts were backgrounded and exploiters largely rendered invisible. These constructions were reflected in CPWS responses focused on education and awareness-raising for young people and caregivers, alongside increased control, surveillance, and care to reduce risk. However, systemic and organizational barriers were also identified, together with a persistent lack of action towards exploiters. In practice, this produces hierarchies of vulnerability among young people, while CPWS mobilize extensive institutional responses to regulate young people’s behavior, whereas exploiters remain comparatively unregulated, unidentified, or unpunished. There is a need for CPWS to move beyond individualized risk approaches by incorporating structural vulnerability, contextual safeguarding, and greater attention to exploiters and power relations.

Due to the consequences of child abuse, it is important that authorities act on suspicions of abuse to stop it and offer support and interventions. After the Child Forensic Interview (ACFI, in Swedish Efter barnförhöret) is a model that aims to offer information and support to parents and children, and to motivate parents to accept interventions, which are mostly voluntary and typically require parental consent, to end the abuse. Based on interviews with 20 family social workers who use ACFI, this study uses content analysis to address the following research question: How do family social workers make use of ACFI to motivate parents to consent to interventions following child welfare investigations? Based on family social workers’ experiences, ACFI may function as a motivator. They describe how the timing during crisis, the chance to build trust during ongoing investigations, and the focus on how children are affected by problems such as suspected abuse all support motivational work. These mechanisms shape how ACFI is used to encourage parents to consent to interventions based on identified needs. The findings also suggest that offering support during ongoing investigations may help ensure children receive needed help and further motivate parents to consent to interventions.

Children interviewed by the police in cases of suspected child abuse may experience emotional distress. Simultaneously, parents face the dual challenge of being suspects in the investigation while also striving to support their child’s well-being. To offer children and their parents information and support in such cases, social workers in Sweden developed the model After the Child Forensic Interview (ACFI, sw. Efter barnförhöret). This study aims to explore the model from the perspective of family social workers to understand its relevance for supporting children and parents. Twenty family social workers from eleven Swedish municipalities were interviewed about their experiences of working with ACFI. The analysis revealed that working with ACFI (a) requires preconditions such as resources and cooperation, individual/professional knowledge and experience, and the parents’ receptivity, (b) demands adaptations such as changes and additions, and (c) entails side effects. Overall, family social workers describe the model as beneficial as it can improve client-worker relationships and facilitate further interventions. However, it is required that the municipalities have a plan for implementation and allocation of resources.

Barn som förhörs av polisen vid misstanke om barnmisshandel kan uppleva känslomässig påfrestning. Samtidigt möter föräldrar den dubbla utmaningen att både vara misstänkta i utredningen och att försöka stödja sitt barns välbefinnande. För att ge barn och deras föräldrar information och stöd i sådana situationer utvecklade socialarbetare i Sverige modellen Efter barnförhöret (EBF). Denna studie syftar till att utforska modellen utifrån familjebehandlares perspektiv för att förstå dess relevans i arbetet med att stödja barn och föräldrar. Tjugo familjebehandlare från elva svenska kommuner intervjuades om sina erfarenheter av att arbeta med EBF. Analysen visade att arbetet med EBF: (a) kräver förutsättningar, såsom resurser och samverkan, individuell/professionell kunskap och erfarenhet samt föräldrarnas mottaglighet, (b) kräver anpassningar, såsom förändringar och tillägg, och (c) medför bieffekter. Familjebehandlarna beskriver EBF som gynnsam, då de uppfattar att den kan förbättra klientrelationer samt underlätta vidare insatser. För gynnsamhet krävs dock att kommunerna har en plan för implementering och resursfördelning.

Research shows that the first five years of social work practice are critical for developing professionalism. Understanding professionalism is key to grasping how and why social work is carried out. This paper presents findings from a study exploring Swedish newly qualified social workers’ (NQSWs) perspectives on professionalism, guided by these questions: How do NQSWs define and describe professionalism in social work? How do they perceive opportunities for professional development? What obstacles do they encounter in practicing professional social work? Twenty-two participants were interviewed using a semi-structured guide, and the data were analysed using content analysis. The findings reveal that professionalism is often grounded in core values, such as taking a holistic approach to social problems and upholding clients’ rights. Perceived barriers to professional practice also reflect value-based concerns, for instance, speaking negatively about clients. Views on professional development are shaped by employment context and work tasks, but a consistent theme is the importance of support from experienced colleagues. The results are discussed using the concepts of discretion, autonomy, and occupational versus organisational professionalism, offering a nuanced understanding of how NQSWs perceive and experience professionalism. The findings highlight the need to support NQSWs in balancing organisational demands with core professional values.

Forskning visar att de första fem åren inom socialt arbete är avgörande för utvecklingen av professionalitet. Att förstå professionalitet är nyckeln till att begripa hur och varför socialt arbete utförs. Denna artikel presenterar resultat från en studie som undersöker svenska nyutexaminerade socionomers perspektiv på professionalitet med utgångspunkt i följande frågor: Hur definierar och beskriver de professionalitet inom socialt arbete? Hur uppfattar de möjligheter till professionell utveckling? Vilka utmaningar möter de i utövandet av professionellt socialt arbete? Tjugoen deltagare intervjuades med hjälp av en semistrukturerad intervjuguide och data analyserades med innehållsanalys. Resultaten visar att professionalitet ofta är förankrad i grundläggande värderingar, såsom att ha ett holistiskt synsätt på sociala problem och att upprätthålla klienters rättigheter. Upplevda hinder för professionellt utövande speglar också värderingsbaserade frågor, exempelvis att tala negativt om klienter. Synen på professionell utveckling påverkas av arbetsmiljö och arbetsuppgifter, där ett återkommande tema är vikten av stöd från erfarna kollegor. Resultaten diskuteras med stöd av begreppen diskretion, autonomi samt yrkes-kontra organisatorisk professionalitet, vilket ger en nyanserad förståelse av hur nyutexaminerade socionomer uppfattar och upplever professionalitet. Studien lyfter fram behovet av stöd för att balansera organisatoriska krav med grundläggande professionella värderingar.

Trots ett starkare fokus på etik inom offentlig verksamhet kan vi inte skönja en etikvåg inom utvärderingsfältet, möjligen en krusning på vattenytan med betydelse på sikt. Vi argumenterar för att etisk utvärdering kan hjälpa uppdragsgivare att förstå och förklara prestationer och resultat i utvärderande verksamheter. Det kan ske genom en nyanserad etisk analys som också kan bidra med goda lösningar för att hantera värdekonflikter och dysfunktionella praktiker. 

This study examines the motives behind the choice of social work as a career, and using the vocabulary of motives and folk logic as supporting theoretical concepts looks at how these motives can be understood. The study draws on data collected in Sweden through a questionnaire administrated to 583 newly qualified social workers and from written descriptions by 295 first-term social work students. The results show that there are several motives for undertaking social work as a career: altruistic ones, professional strategic ones, motives founded in personal experiences, and motives related to the individual’s personal characteristics. The last-mentioned motive is a new discovery in research, while the others have been well established for some time.