Cooperation is a puzzle : Teamwork on dealing with child abuse

In Sweden, all school staffs are obligated to notify suspected of child abuse or neglect. The study's purpose is to investigate how the notification requirements in Social Services Act, chapter 14, section 1, are applied in primary schools and how to best collaborate among the team of professionals responsible for dealing with suspected child neglect or abuse. The study's research question is: How do the various professions at school (apart from the teachers) deal with suspicions of child neglect or abuse? How does this affect the school management and structural management of suspected neglect? How is the report prepared and submitted to the social services? The results are based on in-depth interviews with nine people of different professions within the school health. Collaboration within the pupil health team worked mainly very well, but in one case, it did not work well at all. Many times, however, it was a lack of communication between student health teams and the teachers. The main conclusion of the study is that the importance of a well-functioning student health team is of paramount importance for dealing correctly with suspected child neglect. Firstly, this is best achieved by ensuring the quality training for school heads in matters relating to the notification obligation. Secondly, the student health personnel have to be well known faces among the teachers. Thirdly, it is crucial that horizontal cooperation is initiated by the principal. Fourthly, it also emerged that team members, teachers and other staff within the school has to be continuously updated with the details of the notification requirement