Social work and the profession of social workers in new contexts

Anita Røysum – Ph.D.Fellow

Advisor:

Professor Halvard Vike

Project period:

2006-2010

This project is based on the development and the coordination of the reform related to a New Employment and Welfare Administration (NAV) in Norway. The main focus is on how these changes may influence the professional practice and the professional roles for social workers within the social welfare system. How does the merging of three local labour- and welfare service offices into one affect the professional role of the social workers, and their professional competence in practice? How does this competence relate to the kind of competence demanded by the reform?

The project will use multiple methods including fieldwork, qualitative interviews and studies of public documents. The participants and the main informants of the study are the social workers and their professional practice in the context of the reform.