Family as Raw Material
the Deconstructed Family in the Swedish Social Services
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31265/jcsw.v9i2.117Keywords:
Case study, client construction, family-based social work, social services, public sector, social work practice, SwedenAbstract
This article focuses on how families are defined and conceptualized by social workers in the Swedish social services. Using a qualitative study design, we carried out telephone interviews with 60 social workers in five major sectors of the social services in two smaller and two larger municipalities. These sectors included elderly care, disability, child welfare, addiction and economic support, with a qualitative content analysis approach used to analyze the data.The results showed that the practices in social service organizations are both individualized and specialized. Social workers primarily focus on the individual as the client when deciding upon interventions, and when asked about how they regard, define and delimit the family in their work, our analysis revealed that different mediating mechanisms were engaged in what can be seen as a deconstruction of the family. These mechanisms included legislation (as a control mechanism), household composition (boundary mechanism) and service needs (professional mechanism), which were used in various ways and to differing degrees within each sector. The resultant five unique and sector-specific conceptualizations of families are implicated in how interventions are constructed and work processes targeted at individuals and families.
References
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Gavriel-Fried, B., Shilo, G., & Cohen, O. (2014). How do social workers define the concept of family? British Journal of Social Work, Vol. 44, No. 4, pp. 992-1010.
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Kitzinger, C. (2005). Heternormativity in action: Reproducing the heterosexual nuclear family in after-hours medical calls, Social Problems, Vol. 52, No. 4, pp. 277-498.
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Lundqvist, Å., & Roman, C. (2008). Constructions of Swedish family policy, Journal of Family History, Vol. 33, No. 2, pp. 216-236.
Messmer, H., & Hitzler, S. (2011). Declientification: Undoing client identities in care planning conferences on the termination of residential care, British Journal of Social Work, Vol. 41, No. 4, pp. 778-798.
Morris, K. (2012). Thinking family? The complexities for family engagement in care and protection, British Journal of Social Work, Vol. 42, No. 5, pp. 906-920.
Morris, K. (2013). Troubled families: Vulnerable families’ experiences of multiple service use, Child and Family Social Work, Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 198-206.
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O’Dell, L. (2011). Constructions of normative families. In O. Lindsay, & S. Leverett (Eds.), Working with children and young people: Co-constructing practice, NewYork: Palgrave Macmillan.
Parr, S. (2009). Family intervention projects: A site of social work practice, British Journal of Social Work, Vol. 39, No. 7, pp. 1256-1273.
Perlinski, M. (2010). Skilda världar: Specialisering eller integration i socialtjänstens individ- och familjeomsorg, Umeå: Institutionen för socialt arbete, Umeå universitet.
Powell, B., Bolzendahl, C., Geist, C., & Steelman, L. C. (2010). Counted out: Same- Sex Relations and Americans’ Definitions of Family, New York, Russell Sage Foundation.
Rankin, J., & Regan, S. (2004). Meeting complex needs in social care, Housing, Care and Support, Vol. 7, No. 3, pp. 4-8.
Sand, A.-B. (2007). Mot en refamilisering av svensk äldreomsorg? In S. Johansson (Ed.), Social omsorg i socialt arbete, Dalby: Gleerups Utbildning AB.
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Schofield, G., Moldestad, B., Höjer, I., Ward, E., Skilbred, D., Young, J., & Havik, T. (2011). Managing loss and a threatened identity: Experiences of parents of children growing up in foster care, the perspectives of their social workers and implications for Practice. British Journal of Social Work, Vol. 41, No. 1, pp. 74-92.
Spybey, T. (1997). Britain in Europe: An introduction to sociology. Chapter 16. Implementing social policy in Europe: The significance of social work, social pedagogy and community work, London: Routledge.
Spratt, T. (2011). Families with multiple problems: Some challenges in identifying and providing services to those experiencing adversities across the life course, Journal of Social Work, Vol. 11, No. 4, pp. 343-357.
Thomas, R., & Purdon, S. (1994). Telephone methods for social surveys, Social Research Update, Vol. 8, pp. 1-6.
Vetenskapsrådet (2011). Good Research Practice. Vetenskapsrådet: Bromma, Vetenskapsrådets rapportserie 3:2011.
Östberg, F. (2010). Bedömningar och beslut: Från anmälan till insats i den sociala barnavården, Stockholm: Institutionen för socialt arbete - Socialhögskolan, Stockholms universitet.
Andersson, G. (2008). Utsatt barndom - olika vuxenliv: ett longitudinellt forskningsprojekt om barn i samhällsvård, Stockholm: Allmänna Barnhuset.
Bergmark, Å., & Lundström, T. (2007). Unitarian ideals and professional diversity in social work practice – the case of Sweden, European Journal of Social Work, Vol. 10, No. 1, pp. 55-72.
Berlin, L., Appleyard, K., & Dodge, K. (2011). Intergenerational continuity in child maltreatment: Mediating mechanisms and implications for prevention. Child Development, Vol. 82, No. 1, pp. 162-176.
Brännström, L., Vinnerljung, B., & Hjern, A. (2013). Long-term outcomes of Sweden's contact family program for children. Child Abuse and Neglect, Vol. 37, No. 6, pp. 404-414.
Bäck-Wiklund, M., & Johansson, T. (2003). Nätverksfamiljen, Stockholm: Natur och kultur.
Cocozza, M., Gustafsson, P. A., & Sydsjö, G. (2009). Child protection in a family- service organisation - what is the outcome for maltreated children? Children and Youth Services Review, Vol. 32, No. 7, pp. 922-28.
Cornford, J., Baines, S., & Wilson, R. (2013). Representing the family: How does the state 'think family'? Policy and Politics, Vol. 41, No. 1, pp. 1-18.
Dodd, J., Saggers, S., & Wildy, H. (2009). Constructing the “ideal” family for family- centred practice: Challenges for delivery, Disability and Society, Vol. 24, No. 2, pp. 173-186.
Esping-Andersen, G. (1990). The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism. Cambridge: Polity Print.
Friedman, A. S., & Utada, A. A. (1989). Method for diagnosing and planning the treatment of adolescent drug abusers (The Adolescent Drug Abuse Diagnosis (ADAD) Instrument), Journal Of Drug Education, Vol. 19, No. 4, pp. 285-312.
Gavriel-Fried, B., Shilo, G., & Cohen, O. (2014). How do social workers define the concept of family? British Journal of Social Work, Vol. 44, No. 4, pp. 992-1010.
Giorgi, A. (2012). The descriptive phenomenological psychological method, Journal of Phenomenological Psychology, Vol. 43, 3-12.
Graneheim, U. H., & Lundman, B. (2004). Qualitative content analysis in nursing research: Concepts, procedures and measures to achieve trustworthiness, Nurse Education Today, Vol. 24, No. 2, pp. 105-112.
Hall, C., Juhila, K., Parton, N., & Pösö, T. (2003). Constructing clienthood in social work and human services. London: Jessica Kingsley.
Hash, K. M., & Cramer E. P. (2003). Empowering gay and lesbian caregivers and uncovering their unique experiences through the use of qualitative methods, Journal of Gay and Lesbian Social Services, Vol. 15, Nos. 1-2, pp. 47-63.
Hasenfeld, Y. (2010). Human services as complex organisations, Los Angeles: Sage. Hedin, L., Höjer, I., & Brunnberg, E. (2011). Settling into a new home as a teenager: About establishing social bonds in different types of foster families in Sweden.
Children and Youth Services Review, Vol. 33, No. 11, pp. 2282-2289.
Holstein, J. A., & Gubrium, J. (1999). What is family? Further thoughts on a social constructionist approach, Marriage and Family Review, Vol. 28, Nos. 3-4, pp. 3-20.
Hsieh, H. F., & Shannon, S. E. (2005). Three approaches to qualitative content analysis. Qualitative Health Research, Vol. 15, No. 9, pp. 1277-1288.
Hübinette, T., & Lundström, C. (2011). Sweden after the recent election: The double- binding power of Swedish whiteness through the mourning of the loss of “old Sweden” and the passing of “good Sweden”. NORA - Nordic Journal of Feminist and Gender Research, Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 42-52.
Höjer, I., Sallnäs, M., & Sjöblom, Y. (2012). När samhället träder in: Barn, föräldrar och social barnavård. Lund: Studentlitteratur.
Johansson, H., & Bäck-Wiklund, M. (2012). Att fostra familjen: En grundbok om styrning, föräldraskap och socialtjänst, Malmö: Liber.
Johansson, R. (2007). Vid byråkratins gränser: Om handlingsfrihetens organisatoriska begränsningar i klientrelaterat arbete, Lund: Arkiv.
Johansson, T. (2009). Familjeliv, (1. uppl.) Malmö: Liber.
Järvinen, M., & Mik-Meyer, N. (2003). At skabe en klient: Institutionelle identiteter i socialt arbejde, Copenhagen: Hans Reitzel.
Khoo, E., Hyvönen, U., & Nygren, L. (2003). Gatekeeping in child welfare. A comparative study of intake decision making by social workers in Canada and Sweden. Child Welfare, Vol. 82, No. 3, pp. 507-525.
Kitzinger, C. (2005). Heternormativity in action: Reproducing the heterosexual nuclear family in after-hours medical calls, Social Problems, Vol. 52, No. 4, pp. 277-498.
Kuronen, M. (2010) (Ed.). Research on families and family policies in Europe. State of the art. Family Platform Consortium, Retrieved from http://www.mmmeurope.org/ficdoc/familyplatform-Final-Report-04-2011.pdf
Kvale, S., & Brinkmann, S. (2009). Interviews: Learning the craft of qualitative research interviewing (2nd ed.). Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
Levin, I., & Trost, J. (1992). Understanding the concept of family, Family Relations, Vol. 31, No. 3, pp. 348-351.
Leuridan, B. (2012). What are mechanisms in social science? Metascience, Vol. 21, No. 2, pp. 395-398.
Lundgren, M., Blom, B., Morén, S., & Perlinski, M. (2009). Från integrering till specialisering: Om organisering av socialtjänstens individ- och familjeomsorg 1988-2008, Socialvetenskaplig Tidskrift, Vol. 2, pp. 162-183.
Lundqvist, Å., & Roman, C. (2008). Constructions of Swedish family policy, Journal of Family History, Vol. 33, No. 2, pp. 216-236.
Messmer, H., & Hitzler, S. (2011). Declientification: Undoing client identities in care planning conferences on the termination of residential care, British Journal of Social Work, Vol. 41, No. 4, pp. 778-798.
Morris, K. (2012). Thinking family? The complexities for family engagement in care and protection, British Journal of Social Work, Vol. 42, No. 5, pp. 906-920.
Morris, K. (2013). Troubled families: Vulnerable families’ experiences of multiple service use, Child and Family Social Work, Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 198-206.
Morris, K., Hughes, N., Clarke, H., Tew, J., Mason, P., Galvani, S., & Burford, G. (2008). Think family: A literature review of whole family approaches, London: Cabinet Office. NVivo Qualitative Data Analysis Software (2010). QSR International Pty Ltd. Version 9.
Nygren, L., & Oltedal, S. (2014). Social workers understanding of “family” in child welfare work: An international reserch approach. In S. Hessle (Ed.), Global social transformation and social action: the role of social workers: Social work - social development, Volume III, Farnham: Ashgate.
O’Dell, L. (2011). Constructions of normative families. In O. Lindsay, & S. Leverett (Eds.), Working with children and young people: Co-constructing practice, NewYork: Palgrave Macmillan.
Parr, S. (2009). Family intervention projects: A site of social work practice, British Journal of Social Work, Vol. 39, No. 7, pp. 1256-1273.
Perlinski, M. (2010). Skilda världar: Specialisering eller integration i socialtjänstens individ- och familjeomsorg, Umeå: Institutionen för socialt arbete, Umeå universitet.
Powell, B., Bolzendahl, C., Geist, C., & Steelman, L. C. (2010). Counted out: Same- Sex Relations and Americans’ Definitions of Family, New York, Russell Sage Foundation.
Rankin, J., & Regan, S. (2004). Meeting complex needs in social care, Housing, Care and Support, Vol. 7, No. 3, pp. 4-8.
Sand, A.-B. (2007). Mot en refamilisering av svensk äldreomsorg? In S. Johansson (Ed.), Social omsorg i socialt arbete, Dalby: Gleerups Utbildning AB.
Saxonberg, S. (2013). From Defamilialization to degenderization: Toward a new welfare typology. Social Policy and Administration, Vol. 47, No. 1, pp. 26-49. Schmidt, L., Dohan, D., Wiley, J., & Zabkiewicz, D. (2002). Addiction and welfare dependency: Interpreting the connection, Social Problems, Vol. 49, No. 2, pp. 221-241.
Schofield, G., Moldestad, B., Höjer, I., Ward, E., Skilbred, D., Young, J., & Havik, T. (2011). Managing loss and a threatened identity: Experiences of parents of children growing up in foster care, the perspectives of their social workers and implications for Practice. British Journal of Social Work, Vol. 41, No. 1, pp. 74-92.
Spybey, T. (1997). Britain in Europe: An introduction to sociology. Chapter 16. Implementing social policy in Europe: The significance of social work, social pedagogy and community work, London: Routledge.
Spratt, T. (2011). Families with multiple problems: Some challenges in identifying and providing services to those experiencing adversities across the life course, Journal of Social Work, Vol. 11, No. 4, pp. 343-357.
Thomas, R., & Purdon, S. (1994). Telephone methods for social surveys, Social Research Update, Vol. 8, pp. 1-6.
Vetenskapsrådet (2011). Good Research Practice. Vetenskapsrådet: Bromma, Vetenskapsrådets rapportserie 3:2011.
Östberg, F. (2010). Bedömningar och beslut: Från anmälan till insats i den sociala barnavården, Stockholm: Institutionen för socialt arbete - Socialhögskolan, Stockholms universitet.
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Published
2014-10-01
How to Cite
Gümüscü, A., Khoo, E., & Nygren, L. (2014). Family as Raw Material: the Deconstructed Family in the Swedish Social Services. Journal of Comparative Social Work, 9(2), 199–225. https://doi.org/10.31265/jcsw.v9i2.117
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