Professional praxes in youth welfare services as border-work An empirical analysis of group discussions

Abstract

Initiated by Susanne Maurer and Fabian Kessl in 2005, the discourse on social work as boundary- or border-work has now been taken up by the profession and scientific discussion proven in initial empirical analyses, and thus been further defined. In this article we will try to line out the analytic potential of this concept, and suggest some further differentiations which are based on the theoretical assumptions and first results from our current DFG research project on the challenges of legitimizing social work competency in areas of cooperative tension. We will approach this in three steps: first, we will summarize some of the theoretical frameworks of our project and try to connect them to boundary-analytic perspectives. Second, we will discuss our first research findings on social work in areas of cooperative tension. Thirdly, in conclusion, we will formulate some poignant thoughts as to gain a more precise theoretical understanding of the analytical potential of boundary-analytical perspectives related to cooperation especially in focus to research social work as a profession by legitimizing.