När sekretess blir ett problem : En kvalitativ studie om fältarbetares upplevelser av samverkan kring ungdomar i gängkriminalitet

Sammanfattning

Several studies show that the number of kids, and young adults, joining criminal gangs is on the rise. Outreach workers share the specific purpose of finding and building relationships with troubled youth. Previous research shows the importance of collaboration between different professions, such as social workers, policemen, and school personnel, in the endeavors to prevent youths from engaging in criminal activity. Previous research also indicates that there are different positive and negative aspects of collaborating, that can either help or hinder its efficiency, some of which are information sharing and secrecy. In this qualitative study, nine outreach social workers were interviewed about their experiences of collaboration with schools and police. A central focus was their experience and view of the new, more liberal, legislation regarding secrecy and confidentiality in the Offentlighets- och sekretesslagen, which was implemented in December of 2025. One of the expressed intentions with this new law was to facilitate information sharing among professionals of various kinds. A central theme of the study was to explore the experienced effect of this altered legislation.The results in the study showed that a large part of an outreach workers job is to establish relationships with troubled youth. They also showed that collaborationwith other professional groups was a key aspect of this work, but that such collaboration was impeded by certain factors, among which the previous restrictive legislation of secrecy was a central one. It showed that secrecy couldlead to conflict and frustration between outreach workers and police. Most of the respondents had a positive view of the new legislation, hoping it would make collaboration easier. However, a majority of the respondents felt that the new legislation was too vague, and that it was too early to tell what effect the new legislation will have in the future.