‘How’ we do social work, not ‘what’ we do

Røysum, Anita

doi:10.1080/2156857x.2017.1284150

Cited by 15 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…This helping perspective may serve as an explanation for caseworkers' tendency to interpret non-compliance as incapability cases. Notwithstanding, this perspective reflects a wider context, one where social work traditionally has been engaged in SA in Norway (Røysum, 2017) and where activation (Lødemel & Trickey, 2001) and mild sanctions (Eleveld, 2016) have differed from other countries. Moreover, caseworkers' perceptions on conditionality seem wrapped in the wider positive and paternalistic political discourse in Norway (Eriksen & Molander, 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is it because you can’t, or don’t want to? The implementation of frontline sanctions in Norwegian social assistance

Vilhena

2020

European Journal of Social Work

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Welfare conditionality, particularly stringent benefit sanctions, has become increasingly prevalent in Western welfare states in recent decades. Although mandatory activation has received great attention in research, the need for further studies on the implementation of frontline sanctions has become evident, mainly where enabling measures are concerned. This article contributes to frontline and deservingness literature, examining how caseworkers cope with non-compliance cases and which deservingness assessments they invoke, in the Norwegian social assistance. Drawing on fieldwork and interviews with caseworkers at a Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV) office, this study shows how caseworkers informally construct a typology of non-compliance cases: 'unreachable', 'incapable' and 'unwilling'. The way caseworkers perceive the client's attitude, level of need and control over neediness seem to be decisive in distinguishing between cases. Caseworkers display a tendency to attribute non-compliance to incapability, which leads them to renegotiate activation requirements. As such, caseworkers' deservingness assessments seem to shape sanctioning practices. Based on these findings, this article argues for a more nuanced understanding of frontline sanctions. SAMMENDRAGDe siste tiårene har aktivitetsplikt og sanksjonsregimer blitt et viktig kjennetegn ved velferdsstater. Aktivering har fått mye oppmerksomhet i velferdsforskning, men hvordan sanksjoner ved brudd på aktivitetskrav iverksettes i frontlinjen har vaert mindre studert. Artikkelen undersøker hvordan NAV-veiledere håndterer brudd på aktivitetskravet i sosialhjelp og hvordan deres oppfatninger av deservingness bidrar til å kategoriserer sosialhjelpsmottakerne. Funnene fra feltarbeid og intervjuer med veiledere i et NAV kontor viser at veiledere konstruerer en uformell typologi: 'utilgjengelig', 'kan ikke', 'vil ikke'. Måten veiledere oppfatter brukernes holdning, behovsnivå, og kontroll over egen situasjon på, virker avgjørende for hvordan de kategoriserer slike situasjoner. Veiledere tenderer til å oppfatte at brukerne 'ikke kan', for deretter å forhandle om hvorvidt aktivitetskravene bør endres. På denne måten er veilederes oppfatninger av deservingness med på å forme sanksjonspraksis. Denne artikkelen argumenterer for en mer nyansert forståelse av sanksjonering i frontlinjen.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is it because you can’t, or don’t want to? The implementation of frontline sanctions in Norwegian social assistance

Vilhena

2020

European Journal of Social Work

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“…Andreassen 2018;Hansen, Lundberg, and Syltevik 2018;Røhnebaek 2013). Standardized ICT-assisted tasks reduce social workers' opportunities for discretion at the local level to provide a tailored service for clients (Barfoed 2019;Røhnebaek 2013;Røysum 2017).…”

Section: Flexibility Vs Standardizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Automation in case processing ensures that legal principles such as equality of treatment are met (Røhnebaek 2013). However, an extensive system can increase an organizations' ability to monitor their employees' activities, diminishing individual social workers' autonomy and flexibility in meeting professional goals (Parrott and Madoc-Jones 2008;Øvrelid 2018;Røysum 2017).…”

Section: Quality Control Vs Monitoringmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As previous studies highlight, NAV's digitalization process reflects the Norwegian government's political priority for new public management (NPM) and post-NPM, which emphasizes the use of ICT to improve NAV's efficiency, accountability, and monitoring (Røysum 2013(Røysum , 2017. In this sense, NAV developed its ICT to primarily addresses management and administration goals instead of supporting the fundamental tenets of social work (Røhnebaek 2013;Røysum 2017). Therefore, to continually discuss ICT's role under specific political influences is vital.…”

Section: Flexible Standardizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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ICT-mediated social work practice and innovation: professionals’ experiences in the Norwegian Labour And Welfare Administration

Zhu¹,

Andersen²

2020

Nordic Social Work Research

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The widespread adoption of ICT today has a significant impact on the social work profession. In the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV), a new specialization, ICT-mediated or digital social work, is taking shape. It requires new knowledge, including guidelines for theories, methods and ethics to support skilful ICT use for professional goals. This article combines Rogers' diffusion of innovations theory with perspectives from social work and technology to advance the understanding of ICT-mediated practice amongst frontline social workers in NAV. Through a qualitative research approach, this study reveals the distinct characteristics of current digital social work in NAV and discusses activities that help further realize ICT's potential for social work innovation.

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“…In a description of findings from interviews with social workers seconded to CMHTs, Morriss (2017) reported that participants struggled to positively articulate their role, describing it as 'operating in the gaps left by other professions ' (1348). Others have suggested that social workers believe that how they undertake their role is more important than what they do (Roysum, 2017). Social workers within CMHTs have been found to undertake a range of roles and tasks including assessment and care coordination, therapeutic interventions, support to access a wide range of services, the management of complex multi-agency meetings and provision of support under the auspices of mental health legislation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceptions of the social worker role in adult community mental health teams in England

Abendstern

Hughes

Wilberforce

et al. 2020

Qualitative Social Work

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There is a growing recognition of the importance of the social work contribution within community mental health services. However, although many texts describe what the mental health social work contribution should be, little empirical evidence exists about their role in practice and the difference it might make to service users. This qualitative study sought to articulate this contribution through the voices of social workers and their multidisciplinary colleagues via focus group discussions across four English Mental Health Trusts. These considered the impact of the social worker on the service user. Thematic analysis resulted in the identification of three over-arching themes: social workers own perceptions of their contribution situated within the social model; the high value their colleagues placed on social work support and leadership in a range of situations and the concerns for service users if social workers were withdrawn from teams. Key findings were that social workers are the only professional group to lead on the social model; that this model enhances the whole teams’ practice and is required if service users are to be offered support that promotes long-term recovery and that without social workers, the community mental health team offer would be more transactional, less timely, with the potential for the loss of the service users’ voice. If social work is to make a full contribution to community mental health team practice, it must be clearly understood and provided with the support to enable social workers to operate to their full potential.

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‘How’ we do social work, not ‘what’ we do

Cited by 15 publications

References 30 publications

Is it because you can’t, or don’t want to? The implementation of frontline sanctions in Norwegian social assistance

Is it because you can’t, or don’t want to? The implementation of frontline sanctions in Norwegian social assistance

ICT-mediated social work practice and innovation: professionals’ experiences in the Norwegian Labour And Welfare Administration

Perceptions of the social worker role in adult community mental health teams in England

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