Att misstänka är tillräckligt
En intervjustudie om hur grundskollärare upptäcker och går till väga från misstanke till anmälan av barnmisshandel.
The aim of this study is to investigate how Swedish elementary school teachers proceed in cases of suspected child abuse, what knowledge teachers have in order to identify signs of child abuse and to make a report to social services, and also the obstacles teachers face during a report to social services. We used qualitative interviews with five practicing teachers; three was conducted at the teachers´ workplaces and the other two with the help of telephones. We used the role theory to analyze our results. We have concluded that teachers request more knowledge of signs of maltreatment and that they find their skills in discovering child abuse lacking. As obstacles to reporting, teachers identify their doubts and worries together with the difficulties that the often concealed child abuse brings. There are divided opinions about the criteria for reporting. Some teachers have to have concrete proof of child abuse while others only need their suspicions. All teachers agree that the child comes first and that possible negative impact reflected on them mustn´t stand in the way for a report. At the teachers´ workplaces it is the principal who files the rapport to social services and because of this, none of the teachers see a current need for more education in this. Their focus is the discovery and to present their experiences and thoughts to the student health team and the principal.Key words: child abuse, maltreatment, discovery, reporting, obstacles, elementary school.