Reflections on knowledge management and evidence-based practice in the personal social services of Finland and Sweden

Abstract

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is a form of knowledge management and is a trend that has influenced many professional fields during the past 10–15 years, including social work. In Sweden, a campaign for an implementation of EBP has been launched towards social work practice from the Swedish central authority since the late 1990s. Knowledge management in social work can however take other directions which seem to be the case in Finland. Finland and Sweden bear many resemblances concerning political and administrative structures as well as approaches in the social services. Both countries also have highly educated social workers. The main question for the study was how come demands to implement EBP in the personal social services have been so strongly articulated in Sweden but not in Finland. The aim was to reflect on knowledge management in social work in two similar cases, Finland and Sweden, focusing EBP. Results show that the close contacts between representatives of the Swedish authority and proponents of a radical EBP version in the US was a decisive factor for the campaign towards social work in Sweden. Such mediators and proponents seemed to be absent in Finland. The length and the focus on academic skills in the education of social workers in Finland is seen as a contributing factor, giving Finnish social workers a sense of being ‘true professionals’ and thus more independent towards external demands.

Keywords:

• Evidence-based social work
• practice research
• education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. The Nordic Council, along with the Council of Ministers, works towards joint Nordic solutions that have tangible, positive effects for the citizens of the individual Nordic countries. The Nordic Council does this by submitting proposals to the Nordic governments and encouraging them to act upon those proposals.

2. The Swedish examples are drawn from the city/municipality of Stockholm.

3. The Campbell Collaboration is an international research network that produces systematic reviews of the effects of social interventions in Crime & Justice, Education, International Development, and Social Welfare (www.campbellcollaboration).

4. The Centre for Evaluations in Social Work (CUS) existed for about 10 years, after reorganisation a new institute within the NBHW was established in 2004, the IMS (Institute for methods in social work). Today, the IMS is subsumed under the NBHW.

5. National guidelines are the result of systematic reviews of previous research on a given intervention. A number of guidelines have been put together by the NBHW, but only the guidelines on alcohol and drug addiction treatment can be said to have a direct impact on the personal social services. On the NBHW website one can also find a ‘Methods guide’ in which different social work methods are listed, but studies on those methods have not been systematically reviewed. One can also find systematic reviews of intervention studies that have not (yet) resulted in a national guideline.

6. The Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health; In Sweden, the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs.

7. The programme can be completed in 4 years and be carried out while working. It is intended for practitioners who have completed their Master’s degree in social work and have at least two years of professional experience.

8. The areas are: Social Work with Children and Young People, Empowering Social Work, Social Work in the Field of Marginalisation, Specialisation in Welfare Services and Community Social Work.

9. City of Helsinki Western Social Work Unit, the Basic Social Security/Social Assistance Unit of the city of Sinäjoki Centre of Social Services and the Rehabilitative Social Work Unit of Tuusula Department of Social Services and Health Care.

10. Ilse Julkunen is the current professor of practice research in social work at Helsinki University.

11. In the revised edition of the guidelines (NBHW 2015) it is not MI that is recommended but MET, which is a more structured therapy derived from MI.