To Örebro University

Becoming a victim of crime can be a traumatic experience, which calls for post-victimisation psychosocial support. In Sweden, this kind of support is offered by both governmental, for example, municipal social services (MSS), and nongovernmental organisations such as Victim Support (VS). The present study investigates (a) how many municipalities have a written agreement to collaborate with other organisations, and what kind of services they offer within their own organisation, (b) if there are differences between what support the MSS offer to victims depending on collaboration and (c) how do MSS staff, VS staff and crime victims describe the actual collaboration and support? Publicly available information from the National Board of Health and Welfare was analysed, in addition to a case study of three municipalities’ work with victims of crime. The case study consists of nine interviews with social workers from MSS, crime victim coordinators from VS and crime victims. The results from the survey indicate that collaboration between the MSS and VS is occurring in some municipalities to access missing competence or to outsource services from the MSS. However, results show that collaboration does not exist in every municipality, and one reason for this, according to interview information, is to protect the confidentiality of the clients. The challenges and advantages of collaboration between the MSS and VS are discussed together with practical implications for the crime victim field.

Many youths placed in residential treatment centres (RTCs) have prior to placement had contact with professional and non-professional support persons (SPs). By interviewing 46 youths (residents) from 10 Swedish RTCs, the present study aims to investigate the residents' view of their relationship with SPs, and, in a one-year follow-up, explore obstacles to or possibilities for maintaining the relationship during the stay at the facility. Results show that 20 residents consider the SPs to be significant adults with an emotional involvement component; seven residents describe their SP as having an instrumental involvement attitude, while 19 residents did not report any significant SP at all. Several obstacles and a few possibilities for involving the SPs were found in the one-year follow-up. Both obstacles and possibilities mainly concerned the willingness of facility staff, and in some cases the social welfare agency staff, to encourage SP involvement. A more systematic SP involvement procedure is needed at the RTC, as well as on the part of the handling officer in the social service agency. Further, it is important that when new residents arrive, staff should make an inventory of important

Becoming a crime victim is a traumatic experience, and victims often need psychosocial support in the aftermath of the incident. In Sweden, the municipal social services (MSS) have a responsibility to ensure that victims receive post victimization support; however in reality, nongovernmental organizations such as Victim Support often execute the support services. The aim of the study was to investigate how the MSS fulfill their responsibility for psychosocial support to crime victims. Further, the aim was to explore to what extent and in what way they collaborate with Victim Support. In total, nine interviews were conducted with social workers from the MSS, crime victim coordinators from Victim Support, and crime victims; from three medium-sized municipalities. Results show that the MSS are not successful in fulfilling their responsibility; the main reason being that social workers do not see this service as their primary responsibility. As a result, victims are referred directly to Victim Support, as they are more experienced supporting crime victims. However, this distinct diversion is not as apparent in municipalities who, instead of just referring to, collaborate with Victim Support. Here, there is a clear, shared responsibility for the support, through collaboration and coordination of interventions, to ensure that the victims receive the best support. The results also show that social workers within the MSS lack knowledge about crime victims’ reactions and needs, which calls for extended collaboration with mental health experts, to ensure that victims receive adequate support. One of the difficulties with collaboration is the confidentiality issue. The victim themselves need to give active consent for collaboration if it takes place on an individual level. This issue is analyzed from a structural view point, and solutions and obstacles are discussed. This is of great importance to policy makers in their decisions regarding support to crime victim organizations.

Purpose

Institutional staff encounter juveniles with complex problems (externalizing and internalizing)which calls for adequate formal education/training and professional experience to deliver quality treatment, contributing to an effective organization and increasing public value. The purpose of this paper is to investigate staff’s formal education, professional experience and the institutions’ organizational strategies providing knowledge and clinical training to staff.

Design/methodology/approach

The study includes staff questionnaires from eight wards (n¼102). In addition, 39 in-depth interviews were conducted with management and staff members.

Findings

Results show that institutions lack clearly defined target groups, 70 percent of staff members lack college education, 30 percent has never been offered education within the organization, and the vast majority of staff does not feel competent in performing their daily work.

Practical implications

The results from this study shed light on an overlooked area in institutions, detention centers and prison settings, and are important to policy makers and governmental organizations responsible for coercive care of juveniles.

Originality/value

Unlike previous studies, treatment and detention organizations are emphasized as similar to manufacturing industry and profit organizations, and the results are discussed with departure in organizational theory.

One prerequisite for effective institutional care is that staff agree on how to deliver treatment and have a unified view of how to achieve change—in other words, to have staff group unanimity (SGU). This study used the Correctional Program Assessment Inventory (CPAI) 2000, interviews with key staff, and observations of daily activities to examine the levels of SGU on eight treatment wards in Sweden. Results show that staff members had differing views of the theory and methods, low common therapeutic goals, low to modest confidence in management, and low agreement about how treatment should be delivered. At institutions displaying low and medium levels of SGU, observations revealed significantly less interactions between staff and residents, and the residents spend a lot less time in staff supervised activities than at institutions with a high level of SGU. This article also considers the complexity of promoting positive interactions among the staff while maintaining close relationships between the staff and residents.

Purpose: This article aims to analyze and discuss the role of moral development in treatment of behavior problems and, further, to describe differences and similarities between two different methods – Milieu Therapy (MT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – in terms of addressing criminogenic needs and promoting moral development.

Design: By performing a literature review, the study shows that even though there are both pros and cons using MT and CBT in institutional care, relationships strong enough to restructure a young person’s moral reasoning require time, and involves not only the young person’s parents and social network members, but also a genuine therapeutic alliance with clinical staff at the institution.

Findings: These are central factors articulated in both CBT and MT, but are more explicitly expressed in MT. The results of this article highlight some important practical implications: In order to redevelop moral self and societal values, an overly narrow focus on criminogenic needs might exclude other components or processes of treatment and behavioral change. Together with a treatment program that view close staffresident interactions as of secondary importance, this could impair the possibility to obtain positive and long-lasting treatment results.

Implications: In practice, moral development itself should be considered as an overall treatment goal, integrated into the daily life at the institution, twenty-four hours a day. Finally, the possibility to work with moral development in institutional settings is discussed.

Juveniles in institutional treatment lack the skills to cope with societal expectations, rules, and moral values. If not prevented by staff, bonds are established with other deviant youth and the placement serves as a perfect "school of crime." This article aims to explore staff strategies to prevent negative peer cultures, as well as their theoretical foundations and relation to staff academic level and professional experience. Data were collected at eight Swedish institutions, using the Correctional Program Assessment Inventory 2000, questionnaires, observations, and interviews with clinical staff. Results show that most facilities lack negative-peer-culture strategies, but this is not related to academic level or experience. The importance, in terms of influencing the residents, of theoretical knowledge concerning psychological group-processes, peer culture, and moral development, as these relate to staff-supervised or unsupervised time, is discussed.

A strong therapeutic alliance between staff and juveniles (residents) in institutional settings is considered to be important for a positive treatment outcome. The article focuses on residents placed in coercive care in Swedish residential treatment centres (RTCs), and the aim is to explore obstacles and opportunities for establishing a therapeutic alliance between key staff members (KSMs) and residents in a one-year perspective. The key question is how residents view their KSMs' personal involvement and active participation in their treatment process. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty-thre girls and twenty-three boys placed in ten different RTCs, and follow-up interviews were conducted after one year. In accordance with the theoretical approach, it is hypothesized that the residents' view of KSM involvement will be more positive in the one-year follow-up. Results from the first data collection show that more than half of the adolescents perceived their KSMs' personal involvement as mainly negative. Between the two interviews, several had developed a more positive view of the KSMs' personal involvement, while a large group did not display any change in attitude. Positive and negative institutional conditions and processes affecting the prospects for the development of a therapeutic alliance between residents and KSMs are discussed.