Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The point of departure for the study reported in this article is the pressure on social work competencies and perspectives. Our purpose is to explore the status of Norwegian social work empirically through the consideration of the following research question: What social work competencies and perspectives are apparent in Norwegian health and welfare services? We adopt a social constructionist approach to our analysis, examining the interplay between professional and political discourses and structural changes within the services. The study employs a mixed-method design that includes document analysis and individual and focus group interviews. We gathered data from both managers and social workers across three different parts of Norwegian health and welfare services: child welfare services, labour and welfare administration (NAV) and mental health and substance abuse services. We identify two key trends that impact the status of social work: service specialisation and professional agnosticism. Services have become more individualised, with increased requirements for specialist competencies that challenge the holistic approach at the heart of social work. We also find that service-specific competencies are gaining hegemony over profession-specific competence, which challenges the professional status and autonomy of social work.
Source: European Journal of Social Work
Institutions: Nord University, Nordland Research Institute
Language: English
Subfield: Public Administration
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7147057076