School counselors´ work with reports of concern in primary school : Interagency collaboration and challenges

Child abuse and neglect is a global and underreported problem. Despite a decrease in recent years, schools are the second largest reporters of concerns about children at risk. The social work carried out in schools regarding children at risk and reports of concerns is therefore of great importance in addressing this problem. The purpose of this study is to shed light on how work with reports of concerns is carried out in primary schools in the city of Malmö, with a focus on collaboration and challenges. Through semi-structured interviews and a qualitative research method, this study examines school counselors´ work and collaboration regarding reports of concerns, as well as their descriptions of the challenges they see in this work. The study´s theoretical starting points are organization theory with a focus on collaboration and stigmatization theory. The results of the study show that stigmatization of social services constitutes a major challenge in the handling of reports of concern in schools, as it affects both staff and families. This has major consequences for the work, as it hinders cooperation and affects the relationship with the families.