In the tension between law, organization and ethics : A qualitative study of professional discretion and ethical dilemmas in social assistance

Economic social assistance constitutes the final safety net within the Swedish welfare system and requires extensive discretionary decision-making at the frontline of public administration. Social workers responsible for economic social assistance operate within a context shaped by legal frameworks, organizational guidelines, and political priorities, while simultaneously being expected to uphold professional and ethical values. The aim of this study is to explore how social workers experience and manage their professional discretion, and how ethical dilemmas arise in everyday work with economic social assistance. The study is based on seven semi-structured interviews with social workers employed in Swedish municipalities of varying size. A qualitative research approach was adopted, and the material was analysed using thematic analysis. The theoretical framework is primarily informed by street-level bureaucracy, complemented by theories of human service organizations and moral distress. The findings show that professional discretion is situational and organizationally conditioned. While discretion enables individualized assessments, it is often constrained by municipal guidelines, administrative demands, and heavy workloads. Ethical dilemmas frequently emerge when organizational or legal requirements conflict with social workers’ professional judgments, particularly in cases involving acute financial hardship or children. These situations are closely associated with experiences of moral distress. The study concludes that social workers continuously navigate tensions between legal regulation, organizational control, and professional ethics in their daily practice.