Between an educational task and an idea for treatment: multiprofessional collaboration for supporting children “at risk”– a coordinator role in pedagogical practice

The study investigates how a coordinator role in kindergartens and schools is experienced and understood by professionals who collaborate across professions to support children at risk. The study explores how the role balances tensions between various ideological dilemmas, such as educational objectives and social initiatives. The study seeks to highlight how this role can help promote dialogue and collaboration between different actors in order to strengthen preventive work for children.

The coordinator role, often associated with the metaphor ‘the spider in the web’, is complex and involves balancing various expectations. While the role is crucial for integrating new initiatives into existing practices, it can also be challenging due to unclear responsibilities and tensions between educational and social focuses. The study concludes that professional dialogue and collaboration are necessary to manage such dilemmas. The results highlight that the role is evolving to become both more central in coordinating structures and more peripheral in direct contact with families.

Data were collected using semi-structured interviews with 47 participants divided into two rounds over the course of two years (2018-2020). Participants included managers and employees from various levels in the education sector, social services and healthcare services. The interviews were analysed using thematic analysis, focusing on tensions and dilemmas related to the coordinator role.

Olsson, M., Ericson, J., Randell, E., & von Ahlefeld Nisser, D. (2024). Between an educational task and an idea for treatment: multiprofessional collaboration for supporting children “at risk”– a coordinator role in pedagogical practice. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 68(4), 765–778.

Online year: 2023

Issue year: 2023

Review year: 2023