What is the purpose? Caseworkers’ perception of performance information

ABSTRACT

Caseworkers in welfare organisations play a pivotal part in the production of performance information (PI), since the information they record determines the quality of the PI. Previous studies have demonstrated how tasks that are considered illegitimate are stressful for the professionals performing them and are not performed properly. Caseworkers’ perception of the PI, which their recordings feed into, must therefore be of great importance with regard to how the caseworkers perform the task of recording. From a qualitative study of the production and use of PI in municipal disability services in Denmark, we gained insight into how caseworkers perceived the purposes of PI. We conclude that PI used in the planning of services to meet clients’ needs is recognised as a legitimate purpose. The distance between the manager and caseworkers seems to be important for the degree of understanding of the purpose of the tasks: The shorter the distance, the more understanding. Furthermore, caseworkers also see more subjective purposes of doing the recordings properly. Firstly, it makes management aware of the size of their workload. Secondly, the recordings serve as a documentation tool, which can be useful when clients file complaints.

RESUMÉ

Hvordan opfatter socialrådgivere ledelsesinformation? Socialrådgivere og andre sagsbehandlere spiller en afgørende rolle i forhold til ledelsesinformation, da det er dem, der indtaster oplysninger i de systemer, hvor ledelsesinformationen trækkes fra. Et fast kritikpunkt fra socialrådgiverside er, at de bruger for meget tid på unødige administrative opgaver. Tidligere studier har vist, at opgaver, der opfattes som illegitime ikke udføres ordentligt og medvirker til stress blandt de medarbejdere, der skal udføre opgaverne. Sagsbehandleres opfattelser af ledelsesinformationen, som deres registreringer bidrager til, må derfor være af stor betydning for, hvordan de udfører de registreringer. Fra et kvalitativt casestudie af produktion og anvendelse af ledelsesinformation i danske kommunale handicapafdelinger i Danmark, har vi fået viden om, hvordan sagsbehandlere opfatter formålet med ledelsesinformation. Vi konkluderer, at ledelsesinformation der bruges til at tilrettelægge services, så de modsvarer klientgruppens behov, anses for legitimt. Distancen mellem sagsbehandler og deres leder, synes at være vigtig i forhold til sagsbehandleres forståelse af formålet med ledelsesinformation: jo kortere afstand desto bedre forståelse for formålet med ledelsesinformationen. Derudover har sagsbehandlerne også en mere subjektiv interesse i at udføre registreringer ordentligt fordi 1) registreringerne kan tydeliggøre sagsmængden for ledelsen og 2) registreringerne fungerer som dokumentation for afgørelser, hvilket er nyttigt i klagetilfælde.

KEYWORDS:

• Performance information
• caseworker
• organisations/management
• recording practices
• information systems

NØGLEORD:

• Ledelsesinformation
• sagsbehandling
• socialt arbejde
• digitalisering
• administration

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Matilde Høybye-Mortensen is a lecturer at VIA School of Social Work in Holstebro, Denmark. Her research has focused on the management of social services and in particular the various technologies and tools used in the front line. She holds a PhD in public administration, and has published in both English and Danish. See for instance the journal article ‘Decision-making tools and their influence on caseworkers’ use of discretion’ (BJSW) and the book I velfærdsstatens frontlinje.

Peter Ejbye-Ernst is a PhD candidate at the Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR) in Amsterdam. In his current research he is analysing CCTV video footage of violent conflicts in public spaces with a specific focus on the behaviour of third parties to the conflicts.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Det Frie Forskningsråd [11-105317].