Samma profession, olika verksamheter och rutiner : Hantering av oro kring barn i föräldrakooperativ och kommunal förskola

Abstract: The aim of this study was to interpret and increase the understanding of how various factors have an effect on preschool teachers’ assessments to report maltreated children to the social services and to study their routines and guidelines. Interviews with four managers for preschools form the basis of this study, including their written guidelines. The study also focused on the differences between parent cooperatives and public preschools. The analyses were based on two theories, Theory of professions by Tacott Parson and Andrew Abbott and the other about system theory (Öqvist 2003, Schjodt & Egeland 1994). The study shows that there is a need for more clear guidelines and routines and that there is some uncertainty around who has the overall responsibility to report to the social services, the preschool teacher or the manager. There are also some slots in the knowledge of each other professions, between the preschool teachers and the social workers. The study shows that there is a difference between parent cooperatives and public preschools in terms of the relationships between the preschool teachers and the parents which can have an effect on the assessments to report maltreated children to social services. The issues contribute to the fact that only a part of the concern for maltreated children is reported to the social services.