How Work Culture Contributes to Client Harm in Social Care: An Analysis of Reports from the Client Safety Reporting System in Finland

Abstract

The ethical obligation of social services professionals is to ensure that clients are not repeatedly harmed by the same risks. This study examines reports classified as actions harmful to clients due to work culture and the measures taken by managers in Finnish social services. The data used were the reports submitted by social services professionals based on reporting obligations to the SPro client-safety-reporting system and managers’ measures documented in the reports. The reports (n = 1,433) were submitted from October 11, 2016, to December 31, 2020; those related to harmful work culture (n = 95) were selected and analyzed using inductive content analysis and quantification. The results showed that, based on professionals’ perceptions, harmful work culture was linked to cooperation, information flow, resources, service or care implementation, and individuals’ actions. Managers often decided to discuss reported events within the unit. More research is needed on harmful work culture from clients’ perspectives and the effectiveness of measures to eliminate observed risks.