“Alla vill ju barnen väldigt, väldigt väl” : Samverkan i det brottsförebyggande arbetet med barn och unga - en kvalitativ intervjustudie

Sammanfattning

Inter-agency collaboration between schools, youth outreach services, and social services in crime prevention work with children and young people is examined, focusing on how collaboration is organised and enacted in practice, and what enablers, barriers, and development needs professionals report. The study is conducted in Uppsala municipality. The theoretical framework combines governance, which addresses network-based steering and negotiation among actors, and street-level bureaucracy, which focuses on frontline workers’ discretion and how policy is shaped in everyday practice. Together, these theories enable an analysis of both governance logics and responsibility, as well as the practical judgements involved in collaborative work. A qualitative design is used, based on semi-structured interviews analysed through thematic analysis. The material consists of nine interviews and the sample is dominated by school representatives. Results are organised into two thematic parts the first is collaboration and organisation, and the second is conditions and barriers Overall, collaboration emerges as a balance between formal structures and informal practices. Confidentiality functions both as a necessary safeguard and as a practical barrier when uncertainty about regulations limits information sharing and consent is repeatedly described as a key mechanism enabling more coherent collaboration. Findings also highlight goal conflicts despite shared overarching aims and show how frontline discretion can support flexible long-term work, while constrained discretion increases vulnerability and personal-based collaboration.