Tværsektorielle udfordringer – en analyse af et bureaukratisk felts arbejde med mental sundhed for udsatte unge

In this study, we examine which prerequisites exist and which are necessary within municipal administrations for implementing multidisciplinary health promotion strategies aimed at young people with mental health problems. The study relies on a qualitative empirical background consisting of three field analytical interviews with bureaucrats from various parts of the City of Copenhagen’s administration as well as an historical analysis of documents, reports and evaluations from different governmental agencies. The historical analysis provides a frame for contextualizing the data gathered in the interviews, and this method is inspired by Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of ‘the bureaucratic field’. This article helps establish how mental health ended up on the agenda of Danish municipalities and describes the initiatives undertaken by the local bureaucratic field towards handling interdisciplinary health promotion. The analysis shows how our interviewees exercise their specific type of bureaucratic capital, and we highlight the variety in how the various agents of the bureaucratic field deal with this new type of public health policy. The results show that a combination of social and organisational factors is essential to a successful multidisciplinary cooperation regarding health promotion within the municipality of Copenhagen, and that working towards a stronger awareness of the right social and organisational prerequisites in Danish municipalities in general, could pave the way for a much-needed coherent public service to help marginalized citizens struggling with mental health problems.