Försäkringskassans roll i den arbetslivsinriktade rehabiliteringen : Ett handläggarperspektiv

The purpose of this essay was to describe and analyse the tension/conflict between external demands and actual conditions, as experienced (and told in interviews) by employees at two social insurance offices in Scania, concerning their roles in the process of working life rehabilitation. The theoretical starting point is the theory of street-level bureaucrats, as defined by Lipsky. The comprehension among the employees were that working life rehabilitation services are approved less today compared to a few years ago. The discretion, i.e. the position to choose among competing alternatives; about what to do, how to do it etc., characteristic of street-level bureaucrats, according to the employees is less prominent, as the routines of handling cases and decision making are regulated. The role of being a person in authority is complex, in the interviewed persons' opinions. On the one hand there's the potential of being a supportive person, though, on the other hand, the main task is to administrate the social insurance system. Furthermore working life rehabilitation takes place between several parties, with different ambitions, goals, logics and responsibilities. This context makes the interviewed persons' role even more complex