Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-cc8bf7c57-l9twb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-10T06:25:36.776Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

15 - The Swedish Personal Ombudsman: Support in Decision-Making and Accessing Human Rights

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 August 2021

Michael Ashley Stein
Affiliation:
Harvard Law School
Faraaz Mahomed
Affiliation:
Wits University
Vikram Patel
Affiliation:
Harvard Medical School
Charlene Sunkel
Affiliation:
Global Mental Health Peer Network
Get access

Summary

De-institutionalisation of people with mental health conditions brought about the need to develop community-based support. In response to a request from user organisations, the Personal Ombudsman was implemented. This service provides professional support on behalf of the person seeking help to obtain his or her citizen rights in society. The personal ombudsman occupies a freestanding position, independent of authorities, and reports recurring social issues affecting persons with psychosocial disabilities directly to the national agency for healthcare and social services. In 2001, this service was permanently implemented and is provided free of charge for persons with psychosocial disabilities. Personal ombudsmen are to act only on the behalf of their clients, often concerning issues of daily provision, homelessness, medical treatment and improper reception from professionals in medical and social services. The first step in the relationship between the personal ombudsman and the client is to help the client formulate his own decisions on how he wants to proceed with the present problem. The second step is often aiding the client by advocating his perspective in decision-making with professionals responsible for his rights. This chapter illustrates the working relationship between the personal ombudsmen and their clients and the decision-making process therein.

Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Dominelli, L. (2002). Antioppressive Social Work: Theory and Practice. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.Google Scholar
Goffman, E. (1991). Asylums: Essays on the Social Situation of Mental Patients and Other Inmates. Harmondsworth: Penguin.Google Scholar
Björkman, T., Hansson, L., & Sandlund, M. (2002). Outcome of case management based on the strengths model compared to standard care. A randomised controlled trial. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 37(4), 147152.Google Scholar
Grim, K. (2019). Legitimizing the knowledge of mental health service users in shared decision-making. Promoting participation through a web-based decision support tool. Doctoral dissertation, School of Education, Health and Social Studies, Dalarna University.Google Scholar
Grimen, H. (2009). Hva er tillit [What is trust?]. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget.Google Scholar
Järkestig Berggren, U. (2015). Building on users’ knowledge as a basis for professional expertise? An example from Swedish social care services. European Journal of Social Work, 18(5), 718730.Google Scholar
Järkestig Berggren, U., & Gunnarsson, E. (2010). User-oriented mental health reform in Sweden: featuring ‘professional friendship’. Disability & Society, 25(5), 565577.Google Scholar
Järkestig Berggren, U. (2010). Personligt ombud och förändringsprocesser på det socialpsykiatriska fältet [Personal ombudsman and processes of change in the field of socialpsychiatry]. Doctoral dissertation, Department of Social Work, Linnaeus University.Google Scholar
Klockmo, C. (2013). The role of personligt ombud in supporting the recovery process for people with psychiatric disabilities. Doctoral dissertation, Department of Health Sciences, Mid Sweden University.Google Scholar
Klockmo, C., Marnetoft, S., & Nordenmark, M. (2012). Moving toward a recovery-oriented approach in the Swedish mental health system: an interview study of Personligt Ombud in Sweden. Vulnerable Groups & Inclusion, 3(1), 116.Google Scholar
National Board of Health and Welfare. (2018). Lägesrapport om verksamheter med personligt ombud. [Report on Personal ombudsman services] Stockholm: National Board of Health and Welfare.Google Scholar
National Board of Health and Welfare. (2014). Personligt ombud för personer med psykisk funktionsnedsättning. Uppföljning av verksamheten med personligt ombud. [Personal ombudsman for persons with serious psychiatric impairments. Evaluation.] Stockholm: National Board of Health and Welfare.Google Scholar
National Board of Health and Welfare. (2011). Meddelandeblad 5/2011. [Report 5/2011] Stockholm: National Board of Health and Welfare.Google Scholar
National Board of Health and Welfare. (2000). Meddelandeblad 14/2000. [Report 14/2000] Stockholm: National Board of Health and Welfare.Google Scholar
Rapp, C. A., & Goscha, R. J. (2006). The Strengths Model: Case Management with People with Psychiatric Disabilities. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
SOU (1992:73). Psykiatriutredningens slutbetänkande [Final report of the psychiatric government investigation]. Government report. 73. Stockholm: Fritze.Google Scholar
Swedberg, R. (2018). How to use Max Weber’s ideal type in sociological analysis. Journal of Classical Sociology, 18(3), 181196.Google Scholar
Zwarenstein, M., Stephenson, B., & Johnston, L. (2008). Case management: Effects on professional practice and health care outcomes. Cochrane Database Systematic Reviews 4.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×