Han, hon, hen i socialtjänsten : En kvalitativ undersökning om mötet mellan transpersoner och socialarbetare

This is a qualitative interview study, which aims to examine what encounters between transgender people and social workers may look like. We also wanted to understand the mistrust that transgender people may experience towards social services. The study encompasses four semi-structured interviews, three of which are with social workers, and one is with a transgender woman who has been in contact with social services. In the study, the respondents’ experiences have been analyzed using a gender perspective, where social structures have been the main focus of the analysis. Our analysis indicated that the social workes felt there was a lack of existing discussion of transgender issues, both in their education and at their work space. Furthermore, the non-existing discussion lead to an insecurity in their encounters with transgender people, which could also lead to an inadequate treatment, which in turn can affect transgender people’s view of the social services negatively. The results indicate that an insufficient competence on transgender issues may affect the social worker’s treatment of transgender people which in turn, could lead to an increased mistrust by transgender people towards social services. The results show that transgender people is an especially vulnerable group in society and is therefore not only affected by authorities, but by a normalizing structure that influences the attitudes of the social services