Fra (skole)skapet til Rikshospitalet: En kvalitativ studie av hvordan sosialarbeidere ansatt i ungdomsskoler i Stavanger kommune jobber med seksuell orientering og kjønnsidentitet

Masteroppgave Sosiologi og sosialt arbeid ME522 - Universitetet i Agder 2017 ; This master thesis is a qualitative study on how social workers working in secondary schools in Stavanger municipality works with sexual orientation and gender identity. The study is based on interviews with 11 university and college educated social workers, child welfare officers and social educators employed at 8 different secondary schools in Stavanger. The thesis is structured around three research questions: 1) What role does the social worker have in the school? 2) What knowledge and competence does the social worker have of sexual orientation and gender identity? And 3) How does the social worker work with sexual orientation and gender identity in the school? The data has been analyzed and discussed based on theory on the subject. The social worker’s role seems unclear and poorly rooted. Although the social worker has the freedom to adapt their work according to the student’s needs, their role seems confusing both to the students and the social worker. Other employees expect the social worker to handle the social aspect of the school and the student’s wellbeing. It is expected that they follow up, cooperate with parents and other agencies, and should be available for the students. The students expect to be able to trust the social worker and that she/he is there for them. In some cases, the social worker’s unclear role leads to them taking on responsibilities that they do not have the needed knowledge or competence for. Sexual orientation and gender identity is not a part of the social worker’s education, and almost none of the informants have received any more training through the school. Most of them acquire knowledge and competence on the subject themselves, largely from reprehensible sources like TV-shows and websites. The social workers work with sexual orientation and gender identity varies. At most of the schools the students rarely go to the social worker to talk about these subjects on their own initiative. These are ...