Sweden’s front-line: an ethnographic approach to understanding child protection decisions

Abstract

The focus of this article is on exploring the rationales behind social workers’ decision-making in everyday tasks that involve handling new referrals regarding children and families. Such decisions are made in a legal context, but at the same time require the use of discretionary space and reasoning based on sources of professional knowledge. Drawing on qualitative data compiled through an ethnographic approach, this study provides an insight into everyday practice, reasoning and decision-making. The study demonstrates that one of the important rationales for decision-making is derived from the social worker’s direct experience of interacting with parents and children. A particular aspect of the interaction, parents’ reactions to being referred, is scrutinized and serves as a form of validation for legal action.