Föräldraförmåga i fokus : Socialsekreterares upplevelser av att bedöma föräldraförmåga

Sammanfattning

Assessing parental capacity is a central aspect of child welfare investigations. However it is also a complex process in which several factors need to be considered. Uncertainty remains regarding which aspects should be included in such assessments and how social workers practically approach this task. The aim of this study was therefore to examine how social workers reason about assessment of parenting capacity in child welfare investigations and to analyze how they relate to their professional role and its significance in their professional relationships with parents. The study employed a qualitative research method and was based on four semi- structured interviews, which were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings showed that collegial support, assessment tools and analytical work were central components in social workers assessments of parenting capacity. Furthermore, the results indicated that individual assessments were considered important, while basic care, guidance, and parent-child interaction were highlighted as key criteria in the assessment process. The findings also demonstrated that the professional relationship with parents is complex, as it can both facilitate a sound assessment and create challenges by shifting the focus from the child’s perspective to the parents’ perspective. In addition, the social workers reflected on how power dynamics influence their professional relationships with parents and described strategies used to reduce perceived power imbalance. Examples of these strategies include maintaining a respectful approach and being transparent in the work with the parents. The study shows that assessments of parenting capacity are characterized by individual considerations, and that sufficiently good parenting capacity does not necessarily imply optimal parenting capacity.