Study title

Client Perceptions of Adult Social Work Services in Tampere 2014

Dataset ID Number

FSD3390

Persistent identifier

urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3390

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• Kuusisto, Katja (University of Tampere. School of Social Sciences and Humanities)
• Tampere University
• City of Tampere
• SOS II project (City of Tampere, Kaste programme by Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (STM))

Abstract

This survey charted client satisfaction with adult social work and basic social assistance services provided by the Sarvis service point in Tampere. Themes of the survey included applying for basic social assistance, visits to the Sarvis service point, effectiveness of services, and the respondents' sources of information on social work services.

First, the respondents' experiences of applying for basic social assistance were examined. Questions included, for example, whether the respondents thought the application for basic social assistance was clear and obtaining the necessary supporting documents had been easy for them. The respondents were also asked whether they thought they had been treated fairly during the process and whether they had understood the contents of the decision they had received regarding basic social assistance. Additionally, the respondents were asked whether they would prefer to apply for basic social assistance online, by post, or face-to-face during an appointment.

Opinions on visiting the Sarvis service point were surveyed next with questions concerning the accessibility of the service point and the availability of services (e.g. whether they thought it was easy to book an appointment and whether enough time had been reserved for the appointment). Further questions examined the interaction and relationship between the client and social work employee during client meetings (e.g. whether the respondents thought the interaction had been empathetic and attentive in nature, they had received information on relevant services, and they could discuss difficult matters with the employee).

The respondents' views on the effectiveness of social work services were charted with questions on whether their situation in life had improved or worsened after becoming a client of social work services and whether the services had met their expectations. The respondents' confidence in their future and future expectations were also surveyed. Finally, the respondents' sources of information on social work services (e.g. the Internet, service point employees, school/educational institution, newspaper) were investigated.

Background variables included the respondent's year of birth, gender, level of education, household composition, number of children aged under 18 living in the household, economic activity and occupational status, length of possible unemployment period, and mother tongue. Information was also collected on the respondent's social services clienthood.

Keywords

customer service; social security; social security benefits; social services; social work

Topic Classification

• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Specific social services: use and availability (CESSDA Topic Classification)

Series

Individual datasets

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

The dataset is (D) available only by permission from the data depositor/creator.

Data Collector

• City of Tampere
• Tampere University

Time Period Covered

2014

Collection Dates

2014-02-17 – 2014-03-14

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland, Tampere

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

Clients of adult social work services and basic social assistance services at the Sarvis service point in Tampere between 17 February and 14 March 2014

Time Method

Cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Other sampling procedure

Unselected population

The participants were given the choice of responding to a paper or an online questionnaire. The link to the online questionnaire was included in the cover letter of the paper questionnaire. Clients of basic social assistance services were sent questionnaires (n=1,000) by post as an attachment of the decision regarding their application for basic social assistance. 600 questionnaires had been printed out to be distributed during booked client appointments at the Sarvis service point. 387 of the printed questionnaires were distributed to the clients. In total, 1,387 paper questionnaires were delivered to clients. 272 completed paper and online questionnaires were returned.

Collection Mode

Self-administered questionnaire: Paper

Self-administered questionnaire: Web-based (CAWI)

Research Instrument

Structured questionnaire

Response Rate

20

Data File Language

Downloaded data package may contain different language versions of the same files.

The data files of this dataset are available in the following languages: Finnish.

FSD translates quantitative data into English on request, free of charge. More information on ordering data translation.

Data Version

1.0

Completeness of Data and Restrictions

To prevent identification of individuals, the researcher removed open-ended variables (q22 and q24) and open-ended responses to response option "Other, please specify" from the data before delivering the data to FSD.

Weighting

There are no weight variables in the data.

Citation Requirement

The data and its creators shall be cited in all publications and presentations for which the data have been used. The bibliographic citation may be in the form suggested by the archive or in the form required by the publication.

Bibliographical Citation

Kuusisto, Katja (University of Tampere) & Tampere University & City of Tampere & SOS II project (City of Tampere, Kaste programme by Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (STM)): Client Perceptions of Adult Social Work Services in Tampere 2014 [dataset]. Version 1.0 (2020-08-20). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3390

Deposit Requirement

Notify FSD of all publications where you have used the data by sending the citation information to user-services.fsd@tuni.fi.

Disclaimer

The original data creators and the archive bear no responsibility for any results or interpretations arising from the reuse of the data.

Related Publications

Kuusisto, Katja & Ekqvist, Eeva (2020). Aikuissosiaalityön asiakkaiden tulevaisuuteen suhtautuminen ja toiveet. Janus 28(1), 42-59.

Kuusisto, Katja & Ekqvist, Eeva (2016). Aikuissosiaalityön asiakkaiden kokemus asiakkuuden vaikutuksesta elämäntilanteen muutokseen. Yhteiskuntapolitiikka 81(6), 655-669.

Pietilä, Samuli (2017). Kirjallinen toimeentulotuki ja muutossosiaalityö. Poikittaistutkimus Tampereen toimeentulotuen yksikön lyhyt- ja pitkäaikaisasiakkaista. Sosiaalityön pro gradu -tutkielma. Tampereen yliopisto, Yhteiskuntatieteiden tiedekunta.

Ekqvist, Eeva (2015). Tulevaisuus ja toivo. Monimenetelmällinen tutkimus aikuissosiaalityön asiakkaiden elämäntilanteiden muutoksista ja tulevaisuudenkuvista. Sosiaalityön pro gradu -tutkielma. Tampereen yliopisto, Yhteiskunta- ja kulttuuritieteiden yksikkö.