We are exposed to violence and threats at work every day

DebattÅSIKTVi are exposed to violence and threats at work every dagDebattören: SiS-the staff deserve a good working environment and the politicians who listen This is an opinion piece. It is the writer who stands for the views that are put forward in the text, not the newspaper Aftonbladet.Photo: GettySiS have no mission to carry out psychiatric care but social services puts young people here which perhaps should be cared for in psychiatry, writing Thord Jansson, chairman of the ST within the SiS.DEBATE

DEBATE. It is good that operations on State institutionsstyrelses (SiS) home for young people and the LVM homes to be debated. But the debate must be conducted on the basis of facts and multiple perspectives.

the Review of the SiS youth care highlights among other things that many young people have deep psychological and psychiatric problems and that they do not get the treatment they need. The SiS has no mission to pursue psychiatric care but social services puts young people here which perhaps should be cared for in psychiatry.

In an emergency situation – when a youth is psychotic or made a suicide attempt – is the institutions referred to the county council psychiatric clinics. Where they meet is often of the ”this is not our responsibility”. It also applies to LVM-care, then more and more clients have mental health problems.

Staff feel that they lack the tools and knowledge in the field. We have several times requested that the SiS shall provide behandlingsassistenterna training in psychiatry, but the management has not acted.

Ills linked to lack of education and skills. Of course, education is good, but no guarantee of ethical and legal conduct. We also believe that competence is more than training; it is experience and personal suitability.

Several employees who validated the knowledge they gained through the job, turns out to be almost all that is required for a formal university. Although it does not want SiS to bet enough on the validation.

A former employee says in Aftonbladet that it is at the institutions, there is a contempt for the trained staff. We see that there is also a contempt for the untrained staff, and even from the SiS headquarters. And those who lack higher education feel that they will not be counted. These approaches must stop.

Third-party may find it difficult to understand that the SiS staff are exposed daily to violence or threats of violence

SiS has problems recruiting and retaining staff, including a residential worker-home offers a higher salary. Now, says the SiS acting director-general (AB 28/11) to do more to retain good staff, such as reviewing the salary. We welcome that promise.

Almost all the young people of SiS have been placed in the open residential worker home, where you are not able to manage their acting out behavior. Outsiders may have difficult to understand that the SiS staff are exposed daily to violence or threats of violence. 2017 was reported just over 1 900 such events. The SiS has the right to use coercive measures to carry out the care safely.

They should be used restrictively but without them it would be difficult for staff to carry out their work – and even more difficult for the SiS to retain employees. The constant questioning of coercive measure concern those who work klientnära.

the Majority are satisfied with the help they received and have been happy and felt secure,

When a columnist in Aftonbladet, writes, ”those who come out alive – often after years of incarceration – testify that they feel even worse than when they were taken,” responds our members greatly.

the Facts is that the average treatment time for the young are just over six months. The care is in progress, rarely in several years. Of the more than 1 100 young people were written out in 2017 had 16 been enrolled more than two years. SiS utskrivningsintervjuer shows that the majority are satisfied with the help they received and enjoyed and felt safe and secure. That being said, of course the goal of the SiS to be that everyone should feel that they received the help they need.

People who act inappropriate, has no place within the SiS. But the majority of the employees are doing their job properly, legally secure and with great concern for the young people and clients. They do not deserve to be described as uneducated persons who commit abuses and fail to help the inmates.

They deserve respect, a good working environment, higher salary, and – above all – to the SiS management and the politicians listen to them.

Thord Jansson, chairman of the ST SiS

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