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ABSTRACT
Many faith-based organisations (FBOs) provide social work services to marginalised groups in need of care such as people who use drugs (PWUD), but little is known about how diaconal or faith-based social work with PWUD is carried out and how staff view their work. The aim of this study was to explore how social work with PWUD within FBOs in Sweden is conducted. This study is based on semi-structured qualitative interviews with 14 employees at a range of churches in Sweden. The empirical material was analysed with qualitative textual analysis. FBO staff channeled a personal calling to offer services through their organisations and found PWUD be in need mainly of emergency support. Staff engaged in boundary work such as differentiating between activities conducted at the church premises or on the streets. Staff accompanied clients to meetings with publicly funded welfare services to the benefit of the clients, and they appreciated their free role compared to social services staff. FBOs mainly act as stabilisers in relation to official public welfare services. The role of prophetic diaconal work aiming at social justice was limited and clients’ emergency needs were in focus, which indicates that FBOs in Sweden mainly complement welfare state services.
ABSTRACT
Många diakonala organisationer (FBOs) utövar socialt arbete riktat mot marginaliserade grupper såsom personer som använder narkotika, men vi vet lite om hur diakonalt eller trosbaserat social arbete med denna grupp genomförs och hur personal ser på sitt arbete. Syftet med den här studien var att utforska hur socialt arbete med missbruk och beroende inom diakonala organisationer bedrivs. Studien är baserad på semistrukturerade kvalitativa intervjuer med 14 anställda vid olika kyrkor i Sverige. Det empiriska materialet analyserades med hjälp av kvalitativ textanalys. Personalen kanaliserar ett personligt kall genom att erbjuda sociala insatser via organisationerna och de ansåg att personer med missbruk framför allt behöver akuthjälp. Personalen ägnade sig åt gränsdragningsarbete som att skilja mellan aktiviteter genomförda i kyrkan eller på gatunivå. Personal följde med klienter till möten med socialtjänst för att bistå klienterna och de såg fördelar med den mer fria rollen jämfört med socialtjänstpersonalen. Organisationerna agerar framför allt som stabiliserande i relation till offentliga sociala välfärdsinsatser. Profetiskt diakonalt arbete med fokus på social rättvisa var begränsat och klienternas nödhjälpsbehov var i fokus, vilket indikerar att organisationerna mestadels kompletterar det sociala välfärdssystemet i Sverige.
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Notes on contributors
Johan Nordgren
Johan Nordgren is PhD in social work and senior lecturer at the Department of Social Work at Malmö University, Sweden. His research mainly concerns social work interventions for people who use drugs, and he has conducted research about drugs and ethnicity, online drug dealing, police officers’ views on harm reduction services, and parents to adult children with drug use problems. His work has been published in several international journals such as International Journal of Drug Policy, Nordic Social Work Research, Contemporary Drug Problems, Journal of Family Issues and Harm Reduction Journal. He teaches on the social work programme at Malmö University and is course coordinator for the online course Social work: Alcohol and drug problems – understanding and working with drug abuse and addiction.
Torkel Richert
Torkel Richert is PhD in social work an holds a position as associate professor at the Department of Social Work at Malmö University, Sweden. Richert’s research concerns drug markets and drug policy, social work and harm reduction services for people who use drugs, everyday life and risks for marginalised people who use drugs, women’s roles, opportunities and vulnerability in drug economies, drug addiction and affected family members, older people with drug use problems, and substitution treatment and diversion of medications. Richert's work has been published in several international journals such as International Journal of Drug Policy, Nordic Social Work Research, Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research, Addiction Research & Theory, Contemporary Drug Problems, Journal of Family Issues and Harm Reduction Journal. Richert works as a teacher and course manager on the bachelor’s and master’s programmes in social work and on the master’s programme in sexology at Malmö University.