Summary:

In 1998 the Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services initiated a national plan to increase the effort of public work on psychiatric health (Opptrappingsplanen for psykisk helse). The plan was to continue throughout 2006, but was prolonged throughout 2008. The goal of the plan was to promote independence and the ability to master own lives. An important thematic field within this goal was the perspective of the service user, and respectful and reciprocal co-operation (Proposition to the Storting no.63 (1997-1998)). With this goal in mind, together with the new NAV reform (Proposition to the Storting no. 46 (2004 - 2005)), this Master thesis explores how the service providers in established NAV offices understand empowerment on an individual level. The study I make is based on a qualitative method, with use of focus group interviews as the research technique when collecting data. In Norway, the NAV offices constitute a partnership between state and local governmental labour and welfare services – formalized as a co-operational partnership agreement between The Labour and Welfare Administration and the municipalities. The study points out the positive results when co-localizing services within NAV. The service providers that are based in different traditions of professionalism do employ each other’s competence. Data from interviews with participants in this study also emphasize the importance of dialogue based on equality, and close follow-up of service users – especially towards less resourceful users. The goal of the NAV reform entails, among other things, a comprehensive assistance and a goal to get more people to work and do activities (Proposition to the Storting no. 46 (2004 - 2005)). Still, the study also finds that service providers use much time on registering and paperwork, and that internal data-electronic systems are understood as both complicated and challenging for many service providers. This has consequences for the quality of the service provided to the users of NAV. For the goals of the NAV reform to be fully realized, a change within NAV may need to occur, and the service providers may need to spend more time on their follow-up work to support each individual service user. Keywords: NAV, empowerment, user, self- determination, dialogue.