”Det har inte bara att göra med teknik i sig, utan det är även ett sätt att arbeta”

– en explorativ studie av professionella perspektiv på välfärdsteknik inom

Abstract

“It's not just about the technology itself; it's also a way of working” - An Explorative Study of social care staff’s perspectives on welfare technology in the field of disability.

The purpose of this qualitative study is to gain a better understanding of how the implementation of a welfare technology (WT) may affect the daily work of unit managers and social care staff in social care homes. It also aims to explore how residents' ability to participate, exercise self-determination, and be independent in their daily activities may be affected by this WT, as perceived by staff.

The study focuses on one WT Boet, a digital support tool, created for care professionals and residents with intellectual disabilities and/or autism. Boet is a WT that comprises a staff application and an individual application for residents.

The study is based on the experiences of care professionals working in social care homes in three Swedish municipalities covered by the Act (1993:387) on Support and Services for Certain Disabled People (LSS). Over a period of six months in 2023, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 care staff and three unit managers.  

The analysis highlights trust as a central theme and identifies three aspects that influence professional discretion: transparency, shifts in power, and safety. In conclusion, it can be assumed that the level of trust among staff plays a crucial role in establishing the framework for professional discretion concerning digitalisation, WT, and its additional working methods. This study indicates several different shifts in the professionals' discretion that may require trust in one's ability, the residents, the WT, management, and organisation.