Relationel velfærd, kan kommunen facilitere frivillighed

Abstract

Dette speciale undersøger de organisatoriske rammer og dilemmaer i samarbejdet mellem den kommunalt forankrede enhed Sund By Horsens og frivillige aktører, der er involveret i socialt arbejde med børn og unge i sorggrupper. Undersøgelsen er placeret i en velfærdskontekst i forandring, hvor offentlige myndigheder i stigende grad inddrager civilsamfundet som medleverandør af velfærdsydelser. Denne udvikling rejser imidlertid komplekse spørgsmål om ansvar, faglighed og grænsedragning mellem offentlige opgaver og frivilligt engagement. Projektet er motiveret af et behov for at opnå en bedre forståelse af, hvordan samarbejdet mellem kommunale medarbejdere og frivillige struktureres og opleves i praksis, og hvordan organisatoriske vilkår påvirker indsatsen over for sårbare målgrupper. Specialet undersøger kritisk, hvordan professionelle og frivillige navigerer i deres roller i en kontekst, der hverken er fuldt integreret i myndighedsudøvelsen eller fuldstændig uafhængig af offentlig styring. Den centrale problemformulering lyder: Hvordan kan de organisatoriske rammer og dilemmaer i samarbejdet mellem Sund By og frivillige aktører i socialt arbejde med børn og unge i sorggrupper forstås? For at undersøge dette anvender specialet et kvalitativt, abduktivt undersøgelsesdesign baseret på semistrukturerede interviews med en leder, en medarbejder og en frivillig fra Sund By. Analysen er teoretisk forankret i New Public Governance, Hilary Cottams begreb om relationel velfærd samt ny institutionel teori, herunder begreber som institutionelle logikker, legitimitet og organisatorisk isomorfi. Resultaterne peger på en række organisatoriske potentialer, herunder Sund Bys fleksible struktur, dets placering uden for myndighedsudøvelse samt evnen til at bygge bro mellem fagprofessionelt og civilt engagement. Samtidig identificerer analysen centrale dilemmaer knyttet til uklar ansvarsfordeling, utydelige rolleforståelser og spændingen mellem retssikkerhed og ønsket om innovative, relationelle tilgange. Studiet konkluderer, at kommunalt forankrede initiativer som Sund By kan bidrage til socialt bæredygtig velfærd – men kun under forudsætninger, der understøtter fælles forståelse af roller, fagligt ansvar og løbende refleksion på tværs af organisatoriske grænser.

This thesis examines the organizational frameworks and dilemmas in the collaboration between the municipally anchored unit Sund By Horsens and voluntary actors involved in social work with children and young people in grief support groups. The study is situated within a transforming welfare context, where public authorities increasingly rely on civil society as a co-provider of welfare services. However, this development gives rise to complex questions about responsibility, professionalism, and the boundaries between public tasks and voluntary engagement. The project is motivated by a need to better understand how cooperation between municipal staff and volunteers is structured and experienced in practice, and how organizational conditions influence the delivery of support to vulnerable groups. It critically explores how professionals and volunteers navigate their roles in a setting that is neither fully part of statutory social services nor fully independent from public governance. The central research question is: How can the organizational frameworks and dilemmas in the collaboration between Sund By and voluntary actors in social work with children and young people in grief support groups be understood? To investigate this, the thesis employs a qualitative, abductive research design based on semi-structured interviews with a manager, a staff member, and a volunteer from Sund By. The analysis is theoretically grounded in New Public Governance, Hilary Cottam’s concept of relational welfare, and new institutional theory, including concepts such as institutional logics, legitimacy, and organizational isomorphism. The findings highlight several organizational potentials, including Sund By’s flexible structure, its position outside statutory authority, and its ability to bridge professional and civic engagement. At the same time, the analysis identifies critical dilemmas concerning unclear distribution of responsibility, blurred role definitions, and the tension between legal certainty and the desire for innovative, relational approaches. The study concludes that municipally anchored initiatives like Sund By can contribute to socially sustainable welfare, but only under conditions that support shared understanding of roles, professional responsibility, and continuous reflection across organizational boundaries.

A master thesis from Aalborg University

Relationel velfærd, kan kommunen facilitere frivillighed

[Relational Welfare - Can the Municipality Facilitate Volunteering?]