Gemensamma förhållnings- och arbetssätt inom LSS – betydelsen för hantering av utmanande beteenden

Sammanfattning

This study aims to explore professionals’ experiences of shared approaches and working practices in managing challenging behaviour within municipal disability services (LSS), with a focus on how these contribute to a health-promoting work environment and the quality of support. The study is grounded in social work and a health-promoting perspective on working life and is interpreted through a salutogenic perspective and the demand–control–support model. A phenomenological hermeneutic approach with an inductive design was applied, based on 14 semi-structured interviews with professionals in various roles. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings show that shared approaches and practices, together with structured ways of working, create consistency in staff responses, contributing to stability and reducing the risk of escalation. A low-arousal and preventive approach, where demands are adapted to the individual’s capacity, is described as central in both preventing and managing challenging behaviour. Such behaviours are understood as communicative expressions, requiring ongoing interpretation and ethical sensitivity. Shared approaches and practices also emerge as key organizational resources that enhance predictability, reduce uncertainty, and strengthen professionals’ sense of safety at work. At the same time, high workload, limited recovery, and insufficient organizational support may negatively affect well-being. Collegial support, communication, competence, and leadership are highlighted as crucial in managing demands. Finally, shared approaches and practices contribute to collaboration, continuity, and more coherent support, although limited coordination between services may lead to fragmentation. Overall, the findings illustrate how shared professional practices can support both sustainable working conditions and high-quality support.