Brukardelaktighet i planering mot självförsörjning. En kvalitativ studie ur socialarbetares perspektiv

The aim of this study was to examine service user involvement in planning for economic selfsufficiency in the social services economic aid department. More specifically the aim was to find out what experiences social workers have of service user involvement during planning, since they are responsible of maintaining the plan. Four semi-structured interviews were made with social workers in a Swedish municipality. The interviews were studied with a power perspective of service user involvement, using the theoretical framework of Skau’s (2003) concerning power and help in the relationship between social services, social workers and service users, a relation that operates on both a structural and individual level. As a conclusion, factors on both levels had an impact on service user involvement in planning for economic self-sufficiency. From the social worker’s perspective, the social services limited resources had a directly negative effect on involvement and as a consequence the social workers did not in all cases have the time nor the possibilities to create a plan towards economic self-sufficiency. And without a plan, an involvement in it is not possible. But in those cases when the social workers did plan economic self-sufficiency with a service user, they had power to control the planning and had the choice to provide help with involvement. Furthermore, the service user’s participation is identified as dependent on their ability to speak their mind, argue for their opinion or make resistance. But if there is a lack of communicative skills, user participation is difficult to achieve because of the absence of a visible will. The results demonstrated a problematic view of service user involvement as an individual process, seeing as the responsibility of involvement is placed on the service user