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  • 1.
    Andreasson, Ingela
    et al.
    Institutionen för pedagogik och specialpedagogik, Göteborgs universitet.
    Asp-Onsjö, Lisa
    Institutionen för didaktik och pedagogisk professsion, Göteborgs universitet.
    Isaksson, Joakim
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Lessons learned from research on individual educational plans in Sweden: obstacles, opportunities and future challenges2013In: European Journal of Special Needs Education, ISSN 0885-6257, E-ISSN 1469-591X, Vol. 28, no 4, p. 413-426Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    Since 1995 all Swedish compulsory schools have had a legal obligation to establish Individual Educational Plans (IEPs) for pupils with special educational needs. However, previous research shows that there are a number of issues associated with how these plans are used in schools’ overall work, and identifies a discrepancy between educational policy and practice. In this article we review previous research on authentic IEPs in Sweden to clarify issues and obstacles associated with each step of the process of working with these plans. We then problematise and critically discuss the role that IEPs have come to play in the current Swedish education system and Swedish education policy, following recent reforms. Informed by our review of previous research and the transformation of the Swedish education system during recent years, we conclude that the following issues regarding the use of IEPs require particular consideration on both policy and local school levels. Firstly, partly (at least) because guidelines for implementing IEPs are inadequate, schools appear to enact rather than implement these policy demands, without critically considering what an IEP is and how it should be used in practice. Secondly, in contrast to initial intentions, IEPs largely seem to be used primarily as administrative tools rather than to help meet the educational and developmental needs of the pupils concerned. Hence, there is a risk of IEPs being used merely for ‘fabricating’ a sanitised version of the schools’ procedures to demonstrate accountability in national quality audits and give a favourable representation of the schools. Finally, parents and pupils’ participation and involvement in developing IEPs need further exploration in schools. These issues should ideally be critically examined in future studies regarding the use of IEPs both nationally and internationally.

  • 2.
    Backlund, Åsa
    et al.
    Institutionen för social arbete, Stockholms universitet.
    Ekberg, Margareta
    Institutionen för pedagogik, psykologi och idrottsvetenskap, Linnéuniversitetet.
    Hugo, Martin
    Högskolan i Jönköping.
    Isaksson, Joakim
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Strand, Ann-Sofie
    Avdelningen för beteendevetenskap och socialt arbete, Högskolan i Jönköping.
    Skolsocialt arbete - en angelägenhet för alla?2012In: Socionomen Facktidsskriften för kvalificerat socialt arbete, ISSN 0283-1929, no 2, p. 26-31Article in journal (Other academic)
  • 3.
    Ek, Hans
    et al.
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Isaksson, Joakim
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Eriksson, Rikard
    Høgskolen i Østfold, Avdeling for helse- og sosialfag.
    Professioner, makt och samverkan mellan myndigheter: socialtjänstens, skolans och BUP:s arbete med ungdomar som inte går till skolan2017In: Socialvetenskaplig tidskrift, ISSN 1104-1420, E-ISSN 2003-5624, Vol. 24, no 1, p. 59-77Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    School non-attendence is often a sign of a complex combination of different kinds of problems, which means that these children and young people are often in need of composite help from several different types of professions within various authorities. The purpose of the study was to examine how school authorities, the Social Services and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (BUP) collaborate in their work with young people who do not go to school. The study comprised a thematic analysis of qualitative interviews with managerial representatives of the respective authorities. The empirical material consisted of 12 qualitative interviews with heads of units at BUP (5 individuals), section managers from Social Services (3 individuals) and principals from compulsory schools (4 individuals) in three municipalities in western Sweden. According to the results, it seems problematic to manage the positions of power that may arise in collaboration between the parties. A position of power thus implies the right to make a desicion as a profession as well as activities that are related to each other. The right to make a desicion means the mandate to determine which measures should be put in place for the young people and their families. This study also shows that the parties should develop a common knowledge base that is a combination of educational, social and psychiatric perspectives. The common knowledge base can reduce the risk of power imbalance between the parties.

  • 4.
    Eriksson, Malin
    et al.
    Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine.
    Ghazinour, Mehdi
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Hanberger, Anders
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of applied educational science.
    Isaksson, Joakim
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Wimelius, Malin
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Political Science.
    Utvärdering av insatser för ensamkommande barn och ungdomar i Umeå 2012-2013: slutrapport2014Report (Other academic)
    Abstract [sv]

    I denna slutrapport redovisas en utvärdering av hur mottagningssystemet och samhällets insatser för ensamkommande barn och ungdomar har utformats och fungerat i Umeå kommun under perioden 2012-2013. Rapporten har utvecklats inom ramen för forskningsprojektet ”Hur fungerar samhällets insatser för ensamkommande flyktingungdomar?” och handlar om flyktingungdomars introduktion och etablering i det svenska samhället.

    En av slutsatserna är att det saknas en tydlig politisk styrning och vägledning av mottagandet av ensamkommande i Umeå och att aktörerna i hög grad själva har fått tolka sina uppdrag och samordna insatserna. En annan slutsats är att samhällets insatser har bidragit till att stödja, stärka och förbereda ungdomarna på att leva i Sverige och till att socialisera dem till vad som förväntas och krävs för att anpassa sig i det svenska samhället, men det finns stora utmaningar när det gäller ungdomarnas fortsatta integration i samhället.

    I rapporten presenteras också rekommendationer för hur mottagandet kan utvecklas. Bland annat rekommenderas att de olika aktörernas uppdrag förtydligas och att en mer utvecklad målsättning och vägledning för Umeå kommuns mottagande av ensamkommande arbetas fram. Aktörerna bör också utveckla och pröva nya sätt att främja ungdomarnas integration i samhället som bättre tillvaratar resurser i civilsamhället.

    Forskningsprojektet har utvecklats och genomförts av en tvärvetenskaplig forskargrupp vid Umeå universitet i samverkan med Umeå kommun och KFUM i Umeå. Projektet har medfinansierats av Europeiska Flyktingfonden.

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    slutrapport
  • 5.
    Eriksson, Malin
    et al.
    Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine.
    Ghazinour, Mehdi
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Hanberger, Anders
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of applied educational science.
    Isaksson, Joakim
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Wimelius, Malin E
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Political Science.
    Utvärdering av insatser för ensamkommande flyktingungdomar i Umeå: delrapport2013Report (Other academic)
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    fulltext
  • 6.
    Hanberger, Anders
    et al.
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of applied educational science.
    Eklund Wimelius, Malin
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Political Science.
    Ghazinour, Mehdi
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Police Education Unit at Umeå University.
    Isaksson, Joakim
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Police Education Unit at Umeå University.
    Eriksson, Malin
    Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Epidemiology and Global Health.
    Local Service-Delivery Networks for Unaccompanied Children in Sweden: evaluating Their Effectiveness2016In: Journal of social service research, ISSN 0148-8376, E-ISSN 1540-7314, Vol. 42, no 5, p. 675-688Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    This article defines the effectiveness of local service-delivery networks for unaccompanied and separated children (UASC) and develops criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of such networks in Sweden. It also explores factors and conditions that enhance network performance and suggests that cultural and multicultural competences are required for such networks to be effective. Twentyone evaluation criteria are developed for enhancing network performance generated from research into UASC, network governance theory, and the authors’ own evaluation of the reception of UASC in a Swedish municipality. The evaluation and this article are based on 32 interviews with social workers, legal guardians, care-home staff, teachers and school personnel, a questionnaire, and 11 interviews with UASC. The article reanalyzes data from the authors’ evaluation study finalized in 2014 and applies the criteria tentatively on this reception system. Experiences and findings include the importance of taking into account client needs and involvement in services when evaluating the effectiveness of service-delivery networks. The criteria can productively inform policy and practice when actors deliberate on how to assess and improve local reception-system and servicedelivery-network performance in different contexts.

  • 7.
    Isaksson, Joakim
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Elevers och föräldrars upplevelser av skolans stödinsatser2010In: Vårboken, Umeå: Umeå School of Education, Umeå University , 2010, p. 15-24Chapter in book (Other (popular science, discussion, etc.))
  • 8.
    Isaksson, Joakim
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Re-evaluating the meaning of school difficulties2011In: Tracking discourses: politics, identity and social change / [ed] Annika Egan Sjölander & Jenny Gunnarsson Payne, Lund: Nordic Academic Press, 2011, p. 113-141Chapter in book (Other academic)
  • 9.
    Isaksson, Joakim
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Sociala perspektiv på skolans arbete med åtgärdsprogram och särskilt stöd2017In: Skolsocialt arbete: skolan som plats för och del i det sociala arbetet / [ed] Åsa Backlund, Sara Högdin & Ylva Spånberger Weitz, Malmö: Gleerups Utbildning AB, 2017, p. 171-182Chapter in book (Other academic)
  • 10.
    Isaksson, Joakim
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Spänningen mellan normalitet och avvikelse: om skolans insatser för elever i behov av särskilt stöd2009Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
    Abstract [en]

    In Sweden, an increasing number of pupils are defined as having some form of difficulties in school. In order to receive special support measures in school, these difficulties must have been subject to a pedagogical examination that state that the pupil is in need of special support measures. This work of identifying and defining difficulties implies that questions about normality and deviance inevitably come into play in school. There has been an increasing demand in school politics to identify these difficulties as early as possible, and this demand has placed further pressure on school personnel in this issue. Furthermore, the personnel’s perspective on the difficulties is also important, i.e., in terms of their origin, because this has importance for the design and content of the special support measures.

    The overall aim of this thesis is to analyse the tension between normality and deviance that is manifested in the school’s work procedures for pupils with special educational needs. Related to the overall aim, four overarching research questions are addressed. How have pupils with special educational needs and special education been articulated in national policy documents during recent decades? What perspective on school difficulties are being portrayed in schools’ individual educational plans for pupils with special educational needs? How do school personnel identify and differentiate pupils with special educational needs from “normal” pupils? How do pupils with special educational needs and their parents experience the special support measures that they receive in school and what seems to be the main concern of such support measures?

    The thesis consists of four studies that are based on different empirical materials such as policy documents, individual educational plans (IEPs) and qualitative interviews with school personnel, pupils and parents. The methods that are used for analysing the material are policy analysis, content analysis and grounded theory.

    The results show that the target group for special support measures has been ascribed with different meanings (over time) in policy documents, something that has affected the recommendations of the support measures and the choice of actors who are assigned to provide such support. Furthermore, the IEPs, as well as the interviews, reveal that an individual perspective on school difficulties seems to be deeply rooted in school.  The identification process of special educational needs followed three models: a pedagogical model, a social model, and a medical/health model.  However, the process of sorting out and defining these pupils invoked ambivalent feelings in the school personnel and the school class usually became the frame of reference for normal or deviant behaviour. Finally, the pupils’ and parent’ main concern of special support measures in school were described as a struggle for recognition and inclusion. The results are discussed with theoretical perspectives on school difficulties and special education. In the concluding discussion, it is argued that pupils with special educational needs have to balance between normality and deviance in school, but also between a pedagogical and a medical discourse by means of having a medical diagnosis in school.

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  • 11.
    Isaksson, Joakim
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Särskilja eller inkludera?2009In: Kritisk Utbildningstidskrift (KRUT), ISSN 0347-5409, Vol. 136, no 4, p. 39-47Article in journal (Other (popular science, discussion, etc.))
  • 12.
    Isaksson, Joakim
    et al.
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Enbom, Jesper
    Umeå University, Faculty of Arts, Department of culture and media studies.
    News management in the Swedish school sector2015In: Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Management Leadership and Governance (ICMLG 2015), Reading, UK: Academic conferences and publishing international ltd , 2015, p. 127-133Conference paper (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    Within the school sector, the development towards market orientation, privatisation, managerialism and mediatisation has put issues of measurement of performance and accountability in a new context. Such reforms have placed an increased stress on performance in  school. During the last two decades, this development has been especially apparent in Sweden where substantial reforms have transformed the entire school system. Within a few years, Sweden transitioned from one of the most centralised to one of the most decentralised systems in the Western World and opened up the educational market for profit-maximising organisations and competition between schools. Based on such premises, it might be argued that impression management strategies - i.e. creating an appealing image to consumers on the educational market - become an important dimension of the management of educational organisations.

    To the the best of our knowledge, empirical research that in detail investigates news management in the school sector has not been carried out before. Therefore, we consider this  paper as an important contribution to the global litterature on marketisation and public sector communication. The empirical data on which this study is based consists of survey-based interviews with persons responsible for communication/pubiic relations in upper secondary school at the municipal/administrative level and constitutes a national representative sample of local school authorities (n=91) (attrition rate=9%). Topics covered in the interviews were the purpose regarding education in media relations, problems associated with the work of news management, potential conflicts between organisational self-interest and the information displayed to the public, and future concerns regarding news management (5-10 years). The interviews were written down in a narrative form and coded according to the similarities/differences-technique.

    Based on the results, we point out some inherent paradoxes associated with news management in the Swedish school sector. Firstly, there is an overarching paradox related to the ideal of openess in public sector organisations and the increasing necessity of providing a positive image of the organisation. Secondly, social media is considered an important tool to use in the future for communicating directly with clients on the educational market, but also seems to encompass the same dilemmas and problems associated with traditional news management. We conclude the paper by arguing that the introduction of market principles within the public sector in Sweden has had a great impact on the need for information control and we point to the necessity of further discussions and explorations of the relation between the marketisation and the question and ideal of organisational transparancy in a democratic society.

  • 13.
    Isaksson, Joakim
    et al.
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Lilliehorn, Sara
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work. Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Radiation Sciences, Oncology.
    Salander, Pär
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    A nationwide study of Swedish oncology social workers: Characteristics, clinical functions and perceived barriers to optimal functioning2017In: Social work in health care, ISSN 0098-1389, E-ISSN 1541-034X, Vol. 56, no 7, p. 600-614Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    Oncology social workers (OSWs) play a key role in cancer services, but they have mainly been described from an Anglo-Saxon perspective. This study aims to widen the field by scrutinizing the role and function of OSWs in Sweden. By means of a nationwide questionnaire to Swedish OSWs, the professional characteristics of this group are described, as well as their descriptions and reflections on their clinical function and their experiences of barriers to optimal functioning. Our findings indicate that Swedish OSWs seem to have taken a different path than in other countries by mainly providing therapeutic treatment and counselling to the patients rather than working with discharge planning. However, due to a mismatch between clinical demands and the training of Swedish OSWs, some suggestions are provided for future social work education in Sweden.

  • 14.
    Isaksson, Joakim
    et al.
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work. Institutionen för socialt arbete, Stockholms universitet.
    Lilliehorn, Sara
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work. Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Radiation Sciences, Oncology.
    Salander, Pär
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Cancer patients' motives for psychosocial consultation: Oncology social workers' perceptions of 226 patient cases2018In: Psycho-Oncology, ISSN 1057-9249, E-ISSN 1099-1611, Vol. 27, no 4, p. 1180-1184Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    Objective: Although oncology social workers (OSWs) have emerged as a core profession in the provision of psychosocial  services, there is a lack of empirical studies that describe their daily clinical work with patients. The overall aim of this study was to explore cancer patients' motives for consulting an OSW.

    Methods: From a nationwide survey, we used data from 226 patient cases that OSWs met face to face. The OSWs were asked to describe how the case was referred to them, the patient's characteristics, and what they perceived as the patient's motives for contacting them as well as additional motives that came up during the consultations.

    Results: Patients have different motives for consulting an OSW, and these motives change over the course of consultations; while feeling associated with being diagnosed with cancer were often the initial motive, questions associated with moving on in life and dealing with relationships and the overall life situation were added over time.

    Conclusions: The results show that Swedish OSWs' function is multifaceted and that the initial motives among patients rarely predicts the content in consultations over time. Based on the diversity of motives, it seems obvious that OSWs (at least in Sweden) need a broad education in the psychology of counselling. It also seems obvious that even if patients initially were referred by health care staff to the OSW due to psychological reactions to being ill, staff should also be attentive to the fact that relational and socio-economic/juridical issues are of great concern for the patients.

  • 15.
    Isaksson, Joakim
    et al.
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Lilliehorn, Sara
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work. Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Radiation Sciences, Oncology.
    Salander, Pär
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    The role and function of Swedish oncology social workers2017In: Psycho-Oncology, ISSN 1057-9249, E-ISSN 1099-1611, Vol. 26, p. 67-67, article id 271Article in journal (Other academic)
  • 16.
    Isaksson, Joakim
    et al.
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Lindqvist, Rafael
    Göteborgs universitet, Institutionen för Socialt arbete.
    Articulatory practices on the meaning of special education in Swedish policy documents2009Other (Other academic)
    Abstract [en]

    This study focuses on how the meaning of special education has been constructed in policy documents and public investigations during recent decades. More specifically, the analysis focuses on acts of articulations regarding the target group for special education, the recommendations about special support measaures and the groups of professionals assigned to deliver such support. The material consists of policy documents, 4 Government Bills and 1 Official report, from the late 1980s, the 1990s and the 2000s. The documents were selected because of their relevance for special education and pupils with special educational needs. Furthermore, the material was subjected to a policy analysis that was inspired by a discourse theory approach. The results of the analysis shows that the target group for special education, i.e. pupils with special educational needs, have been articulated and attributed with different meanings in the selected documents. Such articulations have ascribed different meanings to the official special education discourse over time and affected the choice of recommended support measures and actors involved in such measures.

  • 17.
    Isaksson, Joakim
    et al.
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Lindqvist, Rafael
    Sociologiska institutionen, Uppsala universitet.
    What is the meaning of special education?: Problem representations in Swedish policy documents: late 1970s-20142015In: European Journal of Special Needs Education, ISSN 0885-6257, E-ISSN 1469-591X, Vol. 30, no 1, p. 122-137Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    In Sweden, as in many other countries, inclusion has been on the political agenda for a long time and has served as a blueprint and guiding principle for practical work in school. However, inclusive education has, by and large, been associated with special education measures, which seriously limit the chances of achieving the vision of inclusion. In this article, we analyse how the meaning of special education is constructed in policy documents from four distinct time periods of Swedish education policy from the late 1970s to 2014. The paper draws on an approach to scrutinise the process of problematisation in public policy making. Based on the analysis, we argue that there are prospects of a hegemonic intervention regarding the meaning of special education during later years in Swedish education policy, emphasising an individual perspective and individual deficiencies. In contrast to inclusive ambitions, this perspective advocate segregated support measures. Finally, based on previous research and tendencies within the field, we present arguments in the concluding discussion why this hegemonic intervention in education policy also might attract the support of school personnel at the local school level and some potential consequences of the expansion of special education in Sweden

  • 18.
    Isaksson, Joakim
    et al.
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Lindqvist, Rafael
    Göteborgs universitet, Institutionen för Socialt arbete .
    Bergström, Erik
    Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Epidemiology and Public Health Sciences.
    Mellan normalitet och avvikelse: om skolans insatser för barn och ungdomar i behov av särskilt stöd2007In: Funktionshinder, kultur och samhälle, Lund: Studentlitteratur , 2007, p. 147-169Chapter in book (Other academic)
  • 19.
    Isaksson, Joakim
    et al.
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Lindqvist, Rafael
    Göteborgs universitet, Institutionen för Socialt arbete .
    Bergström, Erik
    Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, Paediatrics.
    'Pupils with special educational needs': a study of the assessments and categorizing processes regarding pupils' school difficulties in Sweden2010In: International Journal of Inclusive Education, ISSN 1360-3116, E-ISSN 1464-5173, Vol. 14, no 2, p. 133-151Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    One important goal of Swedish educational policies is to integrate all pupils within regular education, irrespective of disability or difficulties in school, and to adjust education to individual needs. The aim of this article was to explore how schools ‘socially construct’, i.e. identify and support, pupils with special educational needs. Another aim was to explore if there were any dominant patterns in the schools’ procedures to differentiate pupils with such needs from ‘normal’ pupils, and how such patterns can be understood in a broader context of educational policies. Interviews were conducted with school personnel from two compulsory schools in a municipality in northern Sweden. We chose to use the grounded theory approach for analysing the interview data. The analysis indicated that there were three different patterns or models for identifying and supporting pupils with special educational needs: a pedagogical, a social or a medical model. Various professionals were involved in different ways in each model. Another finding was that school personnel did not find it easy to sort out and assess ‘special educational needs’, and that the identification of such needs were conditioned upon resources available for the schools.

  • 20.
    Isaksson, Joakim
    et al.
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Lindqvist, Rafael
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Bergström, Erik
    Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Clinical Sciences, Paediatrics.
    School problems or individual shortcomings?: A study of individual educational plans in Sweden2007In: European Journal of Special Needs Education, ISSN 0885-6257, E-ISSN 1469-591X, Vol. 22, no 1, p. 75-91Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    In 1995 it became mandatory to establish individual educational plans (IEPs) for children with special educational needs in the Swedish compulsory school. On the basis of the pupils' needs, such a plan should contain information about the pupils' school situation and performance, the class, teaching etc. The aim of this article was to study how special educational needs are defined and described and what support measures the school is suggesting, using IEPs from a sample of Swedish compulsory schools. Our study is based on an analysis of IEPs for pupils with special educational needs in the nine-year compulsory school in a municipality in northern Sweden. A strategic selection of three compulsory schools was made and we restricted the study to grades 3, 6 and 9. The method used to analyse the IEPs was content analysis. Using different theories within the field of special education and disability studies, we have tried to discern to what extent the problems described, and the proposed measures (intervention), are related to predetermined theoretical models of disability and special needs education. Our analysis indicates that difficulties are predominantly attributed to the pupils' shortcomings and individual characteristics, and the same holds for the recommended measures. Another interesting finding is that a number of the plans were established without involving the parents, and many of them did not even know that their child had an IEP. Finally, we discuss our findings in relation to different research traditions within the field of special education.

  • 21.
    Isaksson, Joakim
    et al.
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Lindqvist, Rafael
    Göteborgs universitet, Institutionen för Socialt arbete .
    Bergström, Erik
    Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, Paediatrics.
    Struggling for recognition and inclusion: parents' and pupils' experiences of special support measures in school2010In: International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being, ISSN 1748-2623, E-ISSN 1748-2631, Vol. 5, no 1Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    During the last decade an increasing use of differentiated support measures for pupils with special educational needs, indicative of a discrepancy between educational policies and practices, has been witnessed in Sweden.  Another trend has been the increased use of medical diagnoses in school. The aim of this study was to explore the main concern of support given to pupils with special educational needs and how pupils and parents experience and handle this. Interviews were conducted with 8 pupils in grades 7-9 – and their parents – at two compulsory schools in a city in northern Sweden. A grounded theory approach was used for analysing the interview data. A conceptual model was generated illuminating the main concern of special support measures for pupils and parents. The core category of the model, struggling for recognition and inclusion, was related to two categories which further described how this process was experienced and handled by the participants. These categories were labelled negotiating expertise knowledge within a fragmented support structure and coping with stigma, ambivalence and special support measures. The developed conceptual model provides a deeper understanding of an ongoing process of struggle for recognition and inclusion in school as described by the pupils and parents.

  • 22.
    Isaksson, Joakim
    et al.
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Salander, Pär
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Granström, Brith
    Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, Otorhinolaryngology.
    Laurell, Göran
    Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för klinisk vetenskap, Öron- näs- och halssjukdomar.
    Critical incidents reveal how patients with head and neck cancer construct their 'secure base' as a 'helping system'2014In: Journal of psychosocial oncology, ISSN 0734-7332, E-ISSN 1540-7586, Vol. 32, no 3, p. 322-341Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    Most studies of the psychosocial needs of patients with head and neck cancers' (HNC) use predefined categories and explicitly ask for specified needs. These studies are important but should be complemented with inductive studies based on patients' own descriptions of experiences. The present qualitative study is such a contribution. In repeated interviews positive and negative incidents were collected from 137 patients with HNC, and these experiences were categorized in dimensions expressing needs. A core category - 'being included - neglected by a helping system' - emerged from the narrated incidents and it was based on the dimensions 'engagement', 'competence' and 'information'. The findings are easily related to attachment theory by stressing the significance of establishing trustful relationships with the health care staff, as attachment figures, who respond flexibly and sensitively to the patient's needs. In the constitution of health care as a helping system, all encounters between the patient and health care staff matters. Further research should preferably focus on the creation of guidelines for the constitution of health care as a helping system, i.e. how the found factors of a helping system can be operationalized in clinical practice.

  • 23.
    Isaksson, Joakim
    et al.
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Salander, Pär
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Granström, Brith
    Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, Otorhinolaryngology.
    Laurell, Göran
    Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för kirurgiska vetenskaper, Öron-, näs- och halssjukdomar.
    Patients with head and neck cancer narrate the importance of being included in a helping system2013In: Psycho-Oncology: Abstracts of the IPOS 15th World Congress of Psycho-Oncology, 4–8 November 2013, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, John Wiley & Sons, 2013, p. 63-63Conference paper (Refereed)
  • 24.
    Isaksson, Joakim
    et al.
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Salander, Pär
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Lilliehorn, Sara
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Laurell, Göran
    Different transitions in returning to everyday life for patients with head and neck cancer: a qualitative prospective study2016In: Psycho-Oncology, ISSN 1057-9249, E-ISSN 1099-1611, Vol. 25, no SP. S3, p. 95-95Article in journal (Other academic)
  • 25.
    Isaksson, Joakim
    et al.
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Salander, Pär
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Lilliehorn, Sara
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work. Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Radiation Sciences, Oncology.
    Laurell, Göran
    Institutionen för kirurgiska vetenskaper, Öron-, näs- och halssjukdomar, Uppsala universitet.
    Living an everyday life with head and neck cancer 2-2.5 years post-diagnosis: a qualitative prospective study of 56 patients2016In: Social Science and Medicine, ISSN 0277-9536, E-ISSN 1873-5347, Vol. 154, p. 54-61Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    Rationale: There are many studies available describing how patients are affected by head and neck cancer (HNC) and its treatment. Usually these studies are quantitative and focus on assessing patients' quality of life or distress post-treatment. These studies are important, but they are of limited value if we are interested in understanding more about HNC in an everyday life context.

    Objective: The purpose was to determine how life was lived and valued during and after treatment for HNC and to detect different transitions in returning to everyday life.

    Methods: During 2009-2012, 56 patients with HNC were consecutively included, and interviewed at 6, 12, and 24 months post-treatment about how they lived their lives. All patients received primary treatment at a tertiary referral university hospital in Sweden.

    Results: Four different trajectories and transitions emerged. The first group (n=15) evalutated their illness experience as a past parenthesis in their life suggesting that they had psychologically left the illness behind. In the second group (n=9), the impact of the disease seemed to be diluted by other strains in their life, and although these patients to some extent were still hampered by side effects, they regarded them as 'no big deal'. The cancer really made a difference in the third group (n=12) in both positive and negative ways and seemed to reflect a balance between such effects. In the fourth group (n=20), the physical and/or psychological problems predominated and the patients' lives had changed for the worse.

    Conclusion: The narratives showed that being afflicted by HNC has different impacts depending on how the patients live their lives – it is a matter of individual transition in an everyday life context. This idiosyncracy challenges the meaningfulness of screening efforts to identify vulnerable groups for psychosocial intervention.

  • 26.
    Isaksson, Joakim
    et al.
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Törnqvist, Daniel
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Professional dilemmas of defining a problem: the case of addiction treatment2017In: Social and caring professions in European welfare states: policies, services and professional practices / [ed] Björn Blom, Lars Evertsson, Marek Perlinski, Bristol: Policy Press, 2017, p. 161-174Chapter in book (Refereed)
  • 27.
    Isaksson, Joakim
    et al.
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Wilms, Torben
    Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, Otorhinolaryngology. Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medical Biosciences, Pathology.
    Laurell, Göran
    Institutionen för kirurgiska vetenskaper, Öron-, näs- och halssjukdomar, Uppsala universitet.
    Fransson, Per
    Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Nursing.
    Tiblom Ehrsson, Ylva
    Institutionen för kirurgiska vetenskaper, Öron-, näs- och halssjukdomar, Uppsala universitet.
    Meaning of work and the process of returning after head and neck cancer2016In: Supportive Care in Cancer, ISSN 0941-4355, E-ISSN 1433-7339, Vol. 24, no 1, p. 205-213Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    Purpose: The purposes of this study were (1) to investigate employment status at diagnosis, sick leave, and returning to work patterns in correlation to quality of life, anxiety, and depression in patients treated for head and neck cancer (HNC) and (2) to explore patients' experiences of the process of returning to work.

    Methods: Sixty-six patients with HNC (aged 34-66 years) were repeatedly interviewed over a period of 24 months. Interview responses that concerned the patients' experiences and ideas about work were categorised using the similarities-differences technique. Questionnaires on quality of life, anxiety, and depression were used to describe the patient characteristics and the differences between groups.

    Results: In total, 53 % of the patients had returned to work at 24 months after treatment, and 17 % were deceased. Several quality of life parameters were significantly worse for patients not working at 24 months after treatment. Nine categories were found to describe the return-to-work-process starting with symptoms causing sick leave, thoughts about the sick leave, and ending with the return to work and/or retirement.

    Conclusions: Returning to work is an important part of life because it structures everyday life and strengthens the individual's identity. The quality of life results showed significant differences between workers and non-workers at the 24 month follow-up. The patients need to be both physically and mentally prepared for the process of returning to work. It is important to take an individual rehabilitation approach to guide and support the patients in returning to work and regaining an important aspect of their everyday life. In such an approach, it is vital to understand the patients' overall life context and the patients' own perspective on the process and meaning associated with work.

  • 28.
    Lilliehorn, Sara
    et al.
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work. Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Radiation Sciences.
    Isaksson, Joakim
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Salander, Pär
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Social work in oncology: an empirical study of patient contacts during a 12‐month period2017In: Psycho-Oncology, ISSN 1057-9249, E-ISSN 1099-1611, Vol. 26, p. 66-67, article id 645Article in journal (Refereed)
  • 29.
    Lilliehorn, Sara
    et al.
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work. Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Radiation Sciences, Oncology.
    Isaksson, Joakim
    Stockholms universitet, Institutionen för socialt arbete, Department of social work.
    Salander, Pär
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    What does an oncology social worker deal with in patient consultations?: An empirical study2019In: Social work in health care, ISSN 0098-1389, E-ISSN 1541-034X, Vol. 58, no 5, p. 494-508Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    The oncology social worker is a core profession in the psycho- social care of cancer patients, and has been scrutinised accord- ing to its role, function, and delivery of care, primarily from an Anglo-Saxon perspective. There is, however, a lack of studies outside this context, and empirical studies based on individual data. This study is a contribution by exploring the variability in clinical practice from a Swedish perspective. It is based on documentation from one oncology social worker’s (OSW’s) patient contacts over the course of one year. The essence of the majority of contacts was counseling and the patients dis- played a wide variety of motives for seeing an OSW. The function of the OSW is thus multifaceted, and the findings suggest that the OSW, in addition to guiding patients in social legislation issues, also should be prepared to act as an anchor in an acute crisis, contain despair in different phases of the trajectory, and facilitate the ‘carrying on as before’ or finding a ‘new normal’. The paper discusses the importance of the OSW being acquainted with different counseling/psychother- apy perspectives in the illness context, but primarily the impor- tance of having the ability to establish a ‘working alliance’ with their patients.

    Download full text (pdf)
    fulltext
  • 30.
    Salander, Pär
    et al.
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Isaksson, Joakim
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Granström, Brith
    Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, Otorhinolaryngology.
    Laurell, Göran
    Institutionen för kirurgiska vetenskaper, Öron- näs- och halssjukdomar.
    How patients make use of a specialist nurse function in head and neck cancer: an empirical study2014In: Psycho-Oncology, ISSN 1057-9249, E-ISSN 1099-1611, Vol. 23, no Special issue S3, p. 159-Article in journal (Other academic)
  • 31.
    Salander, Pär
    et al.
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Isaksson, Joakim
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Granström, Brith
    Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, Otorhinolaryngology.
    Laurell, Göran
    Uppsala Universitet, Department of Surgical Sciences - Otolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery.
    Motives that head and neck cancer patients have for contacting a specialist nurse: an empirical study2016In: Journal of Clinical Nursing, ISSN 0962-1067, E-ISSN 1365-2702, Vol. 25, no 21-22, p. 3160-3166Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    Aims and objectives: The purpose of this study is to systematically explore the motives for patients with head and neck cancer to contact a speciaist nurse during two years postdiagnosis.

    Background: Research focusing on the role of specialist nurses in cancer care almost exclusively concern cancers other than head and neck cancer

    Design: Qualitative, descriptive study based on the contacts between patients with head and neck cancer and a specialist nurse.

    Methods: Patients were invited to contact a specialist nurse by telephone. The specialist nurse took systematic field notes, that is, she registered who contacted her, the nature of the call and the outcome. Sixty patients were included.

    Results: In descending order, the motives for contact were questions about practical and uncomplicated matters, consultations about medical troubles/worries, presenting a report of the patient's situation, requests for additional information about the treatment plan and requests for medical information. The pattern of the patients' motivations for calling was not related to medical or social factors, suggesting that the initiative to make a contact is very much a question of the complexity of individual life circumstances. Very few referrals were sent from the specialist nurse to other professionals.

    Conclusions: The specialist nurse turned out to be more than just a coordinator of health-care resources. The findings bring up questions about the potential of the nurse's function as a coordinator, but also as a potential attachment figure, and questions about the nurse's relationships to other professionals.

    Relevance to clinical practice: When implementing a specialist nurse function, it is important to decide whether the function should be inspired by a broader relational perspectice. In addition to the indispensible competence and experience in the clinical field of head and neck cancer, training in counselling and acquaintance with object-relational psychology will then be desirable.

  • 32.
    Salander, Pär
    et al.
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Isaksson, Joakim
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Lilliehorn, Sara
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work. Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Radiation Sciences, Oncology.
    A nationwide study of the function of the social worker in cancer care and rehabilitation: the present status and prospects for the future2016In: Psycho-Oncology, ISSN 1057-9249, E-ISSN 1099-1611, Vol. 25, no S3, p. 94-, article id 271Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    The number of patients living with cancer as a chronic disease is increasing. This stresses the importance of efforts to facilitate for these persons to resume a new everyday life in work, family and leisure time. In Sweden, the social worker is the professional who more than other professionals in health care represents the psychosocial perspective in rehabilitation. However, the function of the social worker in cancer care is poorly studied. The purpose of the present study is therefore to explore the function of the social worker – its present status and future prospects. In March 2016, 299 questionnaires were distributed to the social workers in Sweden practicing at least half-time in oncology. The questionnaire covered background data as affiliation, position and collaboration in an organizational context, complementary education, main tasks, but also a detailed description of their last three clinical cases, i.e. initiative and motive/subject for contact in each case. In addition, we ask the social workers to evaluate their present work and to identify requirements for improved interventions. Analysis will be conducted with descriptive statistics as well as with continuous comparisons in grounded theory. The results will display a condensed description of the background variables characterizing this group of social workers, but it will first of all focus on their clinical function and the social workers' prospects for development of the function. The conclusions will be presented in terms of a typology of different roles as social workers combined with ideas about development of these roles.

  • 33.
    Stenhammar, Christina
    et al.
    Institutionen för kvinnors och barns hälsa, Uppsala universitet.
    Isaksson, Joakim
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Granström, Brith
    Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, Otorhinolaryngology.
    Laurell, Göran
    Institutionen för kirurgiska vetenskaper, Öron-, näs- och halssjukdomar, Uppsala universitet.
    Tiblom Ehrsson, Ylva
    Institutionen för kirurgiska vetenskaper, Öron-, näs- och halssjukdomar, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för folkhälsa- och vårdvetetenskap, vårdvetenskap, Uppsala universitet.
    Changes in intimate relationships following treatment for head and neck cancer: a qualitative study2017In: Journal of psychosocial oncology, ISSN 0734-7332, E-ISSN 1540-7586, Vol. 35, no 5, p. 614-630Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    The aim of this study was to determine how patients with head and neck cancer experience changes within their intimate relationships at the end of treatment and detect detrimental and facilitating factors in the process of resuming intimate relationships. Interviews were conducted with 131 patients. A core category – "Being open vs. not sharing the cancer journey" – emerged from the patients' narratives and was based on the experiences of engagement/disengagement, openess/fear, and patronising attitudes/sharing the burden. The findings point to the necessity of patients being open about the disease trajectory and might be understood in the light of theories about potential changes in identity and self-concept.

  • 34.
    Wimelius E, Malin
    et al.
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Political Science.
    Isaksson, Joakim
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Eriksson, Malin
    Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Epidemiology and Global Health.
    Hanberger, Anders
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of applied educational science.
    Ghazinour, Mehdi
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Ensamkommande flyktingbarn och ungdomar : förutsättningar för mottagandet och kunskapsläget2012Report (Other academic)
    Download full text (pdf)
    Ensamkommande flyktingbarn och ungdomar
  • 35.
    Wimelius, Malin E.
    et al.
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Political Science.
    Eriksson, Malin
    Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Epidemiology and Global Health.
    Isaksson, Joakim
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work.
    Ghazinour, Mehdi
    Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work. Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Police Education Unit at Umeå University.
    Swedish reception of unaccompanied refugee children: promoting integration?2017In: Journal of International Migration and Integration, ISSN 1488-3473, E-ISSN 1874-6365, Vol. 18, no 1, p. 143-157Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    In this article we describe and analyse the Swedish reception of unaccompanied refugee children and efforts to promote their integration into Swedish society. We identify the actors involved in the reception and promotion of the children's integration and investigate their efforts through the lens of social ecological systems theory. We show that reception is fraught with challenges that concern lack of interconnections between actors; lack of an articulated political vision of integration and absence of systematic evaluations and long-term follow-ups of how the reception effects integration.

1 - 35 of 35
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