In this thesis we have examined how the public sector and the voluntary sector can collaborate to solve social problems affecting vulnerable children and their families in a way which combines the best of both sectors. Our motivation has been to explore the possibilities of how the voluntary sector kan help in the prevention of social problems. This study is based on the assumption that the political interest in involving the voluntary sector in a collaboration with the public sector arose as a result of scarce economic resources and the need for flexible solutions, and that civil society holds some potential which the public sector can not meet due to standardised solutions.
We have examined the challenges inherent in anchoring voluntary work in a collaboration with the public sector. As part of the states launch of the civil society strategy and the year of volunteering, financial resources have been allocated both to the public and voluntary sectors as incentive for implementation. However, there may be a risk that projekts and all new action will cease together with the financial subsidies, and that is a challenge for the anchoring of a collaboration between the public and the voluntary sector, as this will result in a lack of continuity in the collaboration over time.
A challenge to anchoring the voluntary sector in a collaboration with the public sector is dependent on the individual council’s orgaisation and catalogue of services, as well as the visible/front employee’s own will and motivation to implement a policy. A front employee’s attitude to and knowledge of the voluntary sector’s services are of great importance to transparency in the opportunities available for support.
There has been an increased professionalism of the voluntary sector and as a result the meeting between volunteers and citizens is no longer in the same way marked by an equal dialogue between two equal parties, and interpersonal relations, which have otherwise been the a characteristic of the voluntary sector. The increased professionalism of the sector has resulted in there being limitations to who can be a volunteer.
The civil society strategy can also be seen as an expression of ”governmentality”, which requires that all citizens have the resources to take responsibility for their own and for other’s lives and make rational choices. In addition to this, citizens are required to join or build the local networks which are needed