Negotiating the Administrative Burden: The Navigation of Welfare Services by Parents with Disabled Children

Drawing on interviews with parents and coordinators, this paper explores the system for providing public service coordinators to parents with disabled children in Norway and how parents and coordinators understand and negotiate their roles in administering public services. Coordinators are service p...

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Main Author: Sigurd Eid Jacobsen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Stockholm University Press 2023-11-01
Series:Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research
Subjects:
Online Access:https://account.sjdr.se/index.php/su-j-sjdr/article/view/1044
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author Sigurd Eid Jacobsen
author_facet Sigurd Eid Jacobsen
author_sort Sigurd Eid Jacobsen
collection DOAJ
description Drawing on interviews with parents and coordinators, this paper explores the system for providing public service coordinators to parents with disabled children in Norway and how parents and coordinators understand and negotiate their roles in administering public services. Coordinators are service providers employed by municipalities to help families in need of long-lasting and comprehensive services. The findings reveal that parents carry an administrative burden, which involves learning about services, complying with rules and regulations, and managing psychological stress related to encounters with professionals. Coordinators vary in their interpretation of whether their role should go beyond providing information regarding services. Parents try to negotiate a higher degree of involvement from their coordinators, but coordinators often lack the necessary time and resources. The current state of the coordinator role may lead to inequalities and arbitrariness in the way families are supported while navigating welfare services.
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spelling doaj.art-5461d0508c46415491b5f395096d37df2023-12-22T06:42:50ZengStockholm University PressScandinavian Journal of Disability Research1745-30112023-11-01251391–403391–40310.16993/sjdr.10441044Negotiating the Administrative Burden: The Navigation of Welfare Services by Parents with Disabled ChildrenSigurd Eid Jacobsen0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9853-4451Norwegian Social Research, Oslo Metropolitan University, Postboks 4, St. Olavs plass, 0130 OsloDrawing on interviews with parents and coordinators, this paper explores the system for providing public service coordinators to parents with disabled children in Norway and how parents and coordinators understand and negotiate their roles in administering public services. Coordinators are service providers employed by municipalities to help families in need of long-lasting and comprehensive services. The findings reveal that parents carry an administrative burden, which involves learning about services, complying with rules and regulations, and managing psychological stress related to encounters with professionals. Coordinators vary in their interpretation of whether their role should go beyond providing information regarding services. Parents try to negotiate a higher degree of involvement from their coordinators, but coordinators often lack the necessary time and resources. The current state of the coordinator role may lead to inequalities and arbitrariness in the way families are supported while navigating welfare services.https://account.sjdr.se/index.php/su-j-sjdr/article/view/1044administrative burdendisabilityhealth and welfare servicesparentsnegotiated discretion
spellingShingle Sigurd Eid Jacobsen
Negotiating the Administrative Burden: The Navigation of Welfare Services by Parents with Disabled Children
Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research
administrative burden
disability
health and welfare services
parents
negotiated discretion
title Negotiating the Administrative Burden: The Navigation of Welfare Services by Parents with Disabled Children
title_full Negotiating the Administrative Burden: The Navigation of Welfare Services by Parents with Disabled Children
title_fullStr Negotiating the Administrative Burden: The Navigation of Welfare Services by Parents with Disabled Children
title_full_unstemmed Negotiating the Administrative Burden: The Navigation of Welfare Services by Parents with Disabled Children
title_short Negotiating the Administrative Burden: The Navigation of Welfare Services by Parents with Disabled Children
title_sort negotiating the administrative burden the navigation of welfare services by parents with disabled children
topic administrative burden
disability
health and welfare services
parents
negotiated discretion
url https://account.sjdr.se/index.php/su-j-sjdr/article/view/1044
work_keys_str_mv AT sigurdeidjacobsen negotiatingtheadministrativeburdenthenavigationofwelfareservicesbyparentswithdisabledchildren