Client information systems’ support for case-based social work: experiences of Finnish social workers

ABSTRACT

In recent years, Finland has seen extensive development in the area of social and healthcare information management aimed at harmonizing client information systems (CISs) and ways of documenting client information. The developments aim to support the utilization of recorded information at different levels of service systems, including the level of social work practice. This article investigates the relationship between social work practice and the use of CISs by answering the following question: To what extent do CISs support case-based social work in Finland? Social work is approached as a knowledge-intensive practice in which CISs have become increasingly important for managing case work. The research question is considered in relation to recent national developments in social and healthcare information management. The study uses survey data from a subpopulation of social workers (n = 309) working in municipal social services and combines quantitative and qualitative data. The findings reveal that current CISs do not offer sufficient support for case-based social work. Although CISs serve reasonably well for storing and documenting case-based information, they generally serve social workers poorly in terms of providing them with the tools they need to understand cases in their entirety and form comprehensive knowledge for their practice. To provide adequate CISs that support case-based social work, it is necessary to see social workers as active users of information and understand the role of CISs in the knowledge formation process in social work.

KEYWORDS:

• Client information system
• case-based social work
• information management
• Finland

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge our supervisors, professors Merja Laitinen and Marjo Kuronen, associate professor Sakari Taipale and university lecturer Mari Kivistö for very helpful and encouraging comments and discussions. We also thank the members of the research project in the pilot study, the individuals who participated in the design of the survey and the social welfare professionals who responded to the survey. We thank the following parties for their cooperation in distributing the survey: Talentia, JHL and the Social Work Research Society.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Submission for a special issue

Social Work Technology: Explorations and reflections on the technological ‘nature’ of social work

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Foundation for Municipal Development under Grant number Kunnallisalan kehittämissäätiö 20200138.