Collaboration - Key to discretion? : A qualitative study of collaboration in compulsory school from the perspective of school social workers

Collaboration between different professions within the school is important for promoting students' health and knowledge goals. Research in the school area shows both promoting and hindering factors for interprofessional teams to work with health promotion and prevention work. It appears that collaboration between school social workers and other professionals is influenced by different knowledge backgrounds and approaches to definitions as well as solutions to problems, which have an impact on the collaboration work. The purpose of this study was to examine, from the perspective of school social workers, what the collaboration process within compulsory school looks like and how different professional perspectives emerge between school staff. Furthermore, we wanted to know what the collaboration process means for the school curative work. This study has been based on a qualitative method where seven semi-structured interviews with school social workers in two medium-sized municipalities have been conducted. The result shows that collaboration varies between different schools and professions. Conditions and obstacles can be related to both organizational conditions, professional similarities and differences as well as individual factors. Collaboration is important for the school social worker’s professional role, just as the school social worker’s room for maneuver is important for working to promote health and prevention and for taking a holistic perspective