En logisk samverkan? En kvalitativ studie om samverkan mellan socialarbetare och polis gällande ungdomars kriminalitet och missbruk

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative research study is to examine how individuals within the police force and social services experience cooperation between their organizations, specifically regarding their work with adolescents with a history of juvenile crime and/or substance abuse. This study is significant to the field of social work as cooperation is often viewed as the solution to bringing attention to the issues of juvenile crime and substance abuse. The data collected for this study consists of six one-on-one interviews with social workers and police officers who describe working with adolescents struggling with these issues in two municipalities in western Sweden. The theory we used is institutional theory, specifically the Scandinavian institutional theory. We studied the individuals’ experiences of cooperation within the organizations through the constructs of institutional logics and translations. The results of the study showed that both logics are in consequence of cooperation adapted into the practice of the other organization. New logics have also shown to be formed, such as the controlling and supporting logic that both organizations have adapted through close cooperation. The results also showed that the translation of laws and confidentiality are affected depending on the degree of cooperation that is occurring between the organizations.