Social workers in the Social Services are seen as professionals and they are associated with a substantial degree of freedom to carry out their work in order to interpret the Social Services Act and make decisions. This freedom is referred to as discretion and is a central aspect of the role of the social worker. But the social worker is employed within an organisation that exists in an environment influenced of political decisions which sets boundaries to how far the freedom stretches. The general aim with this thesis is to gain insight in how social workers within the Social Services experience their discretion. Secondary this thesis also aims to explore how discretion is shaped and negotiated. My research questions guiding my aim concerns which factors influence and promotes discretion and how social workers describe their discretion. This thesis presents findings from a qualitative study based on individual interviews with six social workers within different units of the Social Services. The empirical material was analyzed with a systems theoretical and social ecological perspective. I also used Kouzes & Mico’s Domain Theory as well as Lundquist’s concept of autonomy and the concept of subjective and objective discretion. This study shows that multiple factors on different structural levels including relational, organizational, local community and societal levels, are influencing discretion but it does not necessarily mean that it leads to the experience of discretion as being limited. The factors are rather seen as a framework which the social worker acts within. Promoting factors were related to the individual and relational level and concerned the practioners competence and professional experience as well as the ability to create trustful relations to clients. This thesis suggests that a systems- and social ecological perspective is of value in understanding how discretion is shaped as well as to gain an understanding of the professionals possibility and ability to act within the context of the Social Services.