Study title

Clients' Experiences about Discretion in Disability Social Work and Disability Services 2022

Dataset ID Number

FSD3966

Persistent identifiers

https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3966
https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3966

Data Type

Qualitative

Authors

• University of Eastern Finland

Other Identification/Acknowledgements

• The contact person for the writing collection was University Lecturer Merja Tarvainen from the University of Eastern Finland. The research project was led by Jari Lindh, Associate Professor at the University of Lapland, with the participation of the The Finnish Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (Kehitysvammaliitto).

Abstract

The data consists of writings in which clients describe their experiences of the use of discretion in disability social work and disability services. The data was collected as part of a larger research project (HaraVa 2022-2023) funded by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.

The writing invitation asked people to write freely and in their own way about their own experiences of using discretion in disability services and social work for people with disabilities. The writing invitation asked respondents to describe the type of discretion they had encountered in social work for people with disabilities, for example when applying for or deciding on services. It also asked about the impact of discretion and decisions in the respondent's life, how the respondent has experienced discretion in social services' practices, and how the respondent's own perspective has been taken into account. The respondents could write either about their own experiences or, for example, as a parent of a disabled person. If they so wished, they could also ask someone else to write a report on their behalf.

The writing invitation did not ask for respondents' background information.

Keywords

legislation; persons with disabilities; rights and privileges; sickness and disability benefits; social work

Topic Classification

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

Series

Individual datasets

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

The dataset is (B) available for research, teaching and study.

Data Collector

• University of Eastern Finland

Funders

• Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (VN/13817/2021)

Collection Dates

2022-03-31 – 2022-05-31

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

Disability and social work clients and their families.

Time Method

Cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Non-probability: Availability

Collection Mode

Self-administered writings and/or diaries: Web-based (Webropol online form)

Research Instrument

Data collection guidelines: Self-administered writings guide

Data Files

36 writings in odt format

Data File Language

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

Qualitative data are available in their original language only and are not translated.

Data Version

1.0

Completeness of Data and Restrictions

The authors have anonymised the data before archiving.

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

University of Eastern Finland: Clients' Experiences about Discretion in Disability Social Work and Disability Services 2022 [dataset]. Data version 1.0 (2025-04-04). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. DOI: https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3966; URN: https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3966

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

Kivistö, Mari & Tarvainen, Merja (2024). Construction of Discretion-related Characters in Social Work with Persons with Disabilities in Finland. European Journal of Social Work, 1-12. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/13691457.2024.2387014

Tarvainen, Merja (2024). Vammaispalveluissa eletyn kansalaisuuden ulottuvuudet. Sosiologia 61(2), 114-127. https://journal.fi/sosiologia/article/view/146562

Tarvainen, Merja (2024). Vammaissosiaalityön harkinta asiakkaiden kokemana tarinallisesta näkökulmasta, Janus: Sosiaalipolitiikan ja sosiaalityön tutkimuksen aikakauslehti 32(1), 73-88. https://doi.org/10.30668/janus.125824

Tarvainen, Merja & Kivistö, Mari (2023). Clients' and social workers' stories about discretion in social work with persons with disabilities. Qualitative Social Work 23(6), 936-950. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/14733250231214198