‘How shall we handle this situation?’ Social workers’ discussions about risks during the Covid-19 pandemic in Swedish elder care

Dados Bibliográficos

ID21148895
AutoresJohannes Österholm (0000-0002-6241-0027, Linköping University, autor correspondente), Anna Olaison (0000-0001-9293-4932, Linköping University), Annika Taghizadeh Larsson (0000-0002-4059-3889, Linköping University)
Ano2023
Volume25
Fascículo1-2
Páginas28-44
Data de publicação2023-02-17
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoHealth Risk & Society (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 1369-8575 • E-ISSN: 1469-8331
EditoraInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13698575.2022.2154323
OpenAlexW4311947234
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas3
Referências citadas28

Within a context where New Public Management [NPM] has become increasingly influential in shaping everyday working practices, social workers often handle risks in their everyday work using formalised bureaucratic procedures, among other strategies. As the COVID-19 pandemic progressed, rapid changes occurred in Swedish elder care that social workers were required to address in their everyday work. Intra-professional case conferences amongst social workers provide one opportunity to discuss individual viewpoints and obtain suggestions from colleagues on how to proceed with a case. These discussions have so far received little scholarly attention. In this study we used a data set consisting of 39 audio-recorded case conferences to analyse social workers’ intra-professional discussions about risks during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the case conferences, social workers discussed the risks that were accentuated by the pandemic, such as the risk of spreading COVID-19 to clients, the risk of unmet care needs amongst clients, risks related to accountability, and the risks pertaining to blurred boundaries between different organisations. The collegial discussions in case conferences included opportunities for social workers to use their collective professional experience and competency to establish creative solutions ‘on the go’ and to discuss various ways of handling and balancing different risks while continuing to carry out their work in the changing and unknown situation. Our findings highlight the importance of collegial support in social work in dealing with accentuated risks during the pandemic

Accountability · Bureaucracy · Pandemic · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Sociology · Viewpoints · Engineering · Geriatric Care and Nursing Homes · Medicine · Mental Health and Patient Involvement · Psychology · Social Work Education and Practice · Social Work