"Vem tar ansvar?" : En kvalitativ studie om socialarbetares handlingsutrymme i arbetet med kvinnor som utsätts för både våld och missbruk

Previous research shows that intimate partner violence often coexists with substance abuse, where alcohol and drug use both function as coping strategies and increase women’s vulnerability. At the same time, increased specialization within social services has created organizational boundaries that may lead to fragmented support, causing women with complex needs to risk falling between services. This underscores the need for deeper knowledge about how social workers manage these boundaries and how this affects their discretionary power. The aim of this study was to describe and understand how social workers in substance abuse units exercise discretion in cases involving simultaneous substanceabuse and suspected exposure to violence. The study also explores this practice as forms of boundary work within a specialized welfare system. Using a qualitive approach, eight social workers from municipal substance abuse units in different Swedish municipalities were interviewed. The analysis is based on Lipskys (2010) concept of discretion and the concept of boundary work (Liljegren 2008). The results show that violence among women with substance abuse shapes social worker’s professional pre-understanding. While manual-based methods are used to identify violence they are often insufficient, making professional judgement and relationship-building central to disclosure. The result further indicate that smaller municipalities offer more integrated support while larger municipalities are more specialized which requires social workers to navigate organizational boundaries to ensure coherent support