”Vi märker det direkt”

Socialarbetare på familjecentralers konstruktion av ”social­arbetarhändelser” i en tid av strukturella samhällsföränd­ringar

Abstract

Recognising problems early and offering early intervention is highlighted as central to preventive social work. This is often targeted at children, young people and families, usually at the individual level and particularly at the interaction between parents and children. One activity that often is highlighted as a good example of this is the parent support work of social workers in Family Centres. Yet, In this study, we focus on a common expression among family centre staff that in their work they ‘notice early on’ the consequences of structural changes and shifts in values in (local) society. This suggests that parent support workers not only see the individual's (parent's) shortcomings and needs but are also able to recognise societal shortcomings at an early stage. The article is based on an ethnograp­hic study of two family centres, one in a large city and one in a small town, where we followed the eve­ryday work of parent support workers. Using de Montigny’s (1995) concept of social working and Lipsky’s (2010) and Brodkin’s (2011) theories of street‑level bureaucracy, we analyse what preventive social workers identify early on, how they construct “social work events,” and how they use discretion in re­lation to structural changes affecting families. The different stages of the work process include analyses of meetings with families, conversations with colleagues and collaborative meetings. Knowledge is developed about poverty and its consequences and the conditions required to provide children with stable housing and decent economic conditions. With this knowledge, parental support workers initiate interventions for families at the individual level, and they also try to demonstrate what is happening to other stakeholders in order to develop effective interventions, often without success. Social workers' knowledge of societal changes and their conse­quences for families with children is thus an untapped resource in preventive measures, such as com­munity planning and policy work. The study wants to contribute to broadening the perspective on what early intervention could be to counteract the consequences of poverty. From focusing on the individual (child/parent), to focusing on early intervention at the structural level. The valuable knowledge of pa­rental support workers can thus help to ensure children's rights at the societal level.