Välfärd & Rättvisa
socialsekreterarens roll i arbetet med yttrande för unga lagöverträdare
ProsecutorSocial workerYoung offendersWelfareJusticeSocial sciencesSamhällsvetenskaperSocial changesTheory of social workSociala förändringarTeorier om socialt arbeteSocial problems and welfareNational insuranceSociala problemSocial välfärdSocialförsäkringSocial SciencesLaw and Political Science
In the last couple of years changes in the legal systems treatment of young offenders has given the social worker more legal responsibility. In view of this, our purpose with this study was to examine how social workers and prosecutors apprehend the role of the social worker during the legal process. The study was delimited to look into the handling of young offenders between the ages of 15 and 18 years old. The questions we intended to look at were: How do the social workers reason when trying to see the need of a child within a legal context; Do prosecutors and social workers experience that they have different approaches when looking at young offenders, as a consequence of their different professions; What is the opinion among social workers considering the duty of the social services to administrate community service for young offenders; How do the social workers argue when determining whether or not a young offender has a "special need for care". These questions were answered through empirical studies where six social workers and two prosecutors were interviewed. The theoretical key concepts of welfare and justice were the tools used to treat the gathered material. The study showed that social workers had different ways of handling the legal demands added to their professional role in the work with young offenders. We discovered that some of the social workers tended to take a perspective well aligned with the legal system. Most of the social workers did not find it problematic to administrate community services because they found it to be a kind of treatment for the youngsters. A majority of the social workers had difficulties in defining a "special need for care".