Social work

Social work is a discipline, profession and practice aimed at transforming oppressive social conditions and enhancing wellbeing and healthy relationships. Social work promotes human rights, social, economic, racial, gender and environmental justice and seeks to challenge the structural conditions that contribute to marginalisation and social exclusion. Social work engages with people and systems through public welfare institutions as well as voluntary and service users’ organisations. It develops research-based knowledge for sustainable welfare.

Social work education, practice and research draw from the ethical principles of social work.
Research profile

The discipline of social work at the University of Helsinki is a multilingual research environment for critical and creative research and pedagogy. It builds on national and international collaboration with universities and stakeholders in the Nordic countries and across the world.

A specific emphasis of the discipline is practice research which incorporates the development of social services, producing new knowledge and supporting robust academic teaching. Practice research produces knowledge and methodological skills that benefit society and have practical relevance for work in the social services sector by creating research processes that combine research, social work practical expertise and service user involvement and collaboration. Located within the discipline of social work at the University of Helsinki, Helsinki Practice Research Centre (HPRC) aims to produce practice relevant social work research together with various stakeholders and to support the use of research in practice.

Currently research in the discipline focuses on themes such as

  • the Finnish social and healthcare reform and its implementation
  • social work documentation
  • treatment barriers to social and health care services
  • social work with substance users
  • the provision of services for children, youth and families
  • mental health among youth
  • migration and families
  • intersectionality
  • multi-lingual practices in social work
  • anti-racist and decolonial social work
  • gerontological social work
  • financial social work
  • structural social work
  • urban social work
  • post-anthropocentric social work
  • arts-based approaches in social work practice, education and research.
Research projects

Below you can find a collection of ongoing research projects in which members of social work staff are currently doing research (all project researchers are listed together with their affiliations).

All research projects, including finished projects, can be found in the research portal. There you can also find information on publications and other activities.

  • ASTULA - Asiakirjat osallisuuden ja asiakasturvallisuuden takaajina lapsille tarkoitetuissa palveluissa [ASTULA - Documentation as part of participation and client safety in the services for children] (2022–2024) PI Aino Kääriäinen (UH). Research group: Virve-Maria Toivonen (UH), Raija Kuronen (UH) ja Noora Mäkinen (UH). Funding: State Research Funding, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.
  • CHILD-SOCNET - Lastensuojelun sosiaalityön verkostot [Social networks in child protection social work] (2024–2026). PI Timo Harrikari (HY). Research group: Harry Lunabba (UH) Samuel Salovaara (UL), Jenika Heinonen (UH). Funding: State Research Funding, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.
  • IKÄPÄ - Päihteiden käyttö ja palvelutarpeet vanhuudessa: kohti gerontologisen päihdesosiaalityön mallia [Substance use and service needs in old age: Towards gerontological social work in substance abuse] (2023–2025). PI Virokannas, Elina (LAY). Research group: Zechner, Minna, Karttunen, Teija, Kaitala, Ilona. Funding: State Research Funding, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.
  • LURA - Luottamuksen rakentuminen lastensuojelun sosiaalityötä kohtaan (2024–2025). PI Eveliina Heino (UH), PI 2 Anne-Mari Jaakola (TY). Research group: Tanja Koskinen (UH), Maija Kalm-Akubardia (UH), Annamari Kangas-Kalinen (TY), Iida Sarin, (TY), Tuuli Lamponen (TAU). Funding: State Research Funding, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.
  • MultiPrax - Real effectiveness in systemic practice: a multiple case research promoting the development of sustainable and knowledge-based welfare services (2022–2024). PI Ilse Julkunen (HU). Research group: Tobias Pötzsch (HU), Laszlo Vincze (HU), Jenny Nylund (HU), Leo Larjanko (HU), Siv Kola (HU), Ida NIkula (HU), Camilla Granholm (TY), Ann Backman (NOVIA), Torbjörn Stoor (FSKC). Funding: State Research Funding, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.
  • REjustice - Linguistic justice, global migration and the Nordic welfare state (2023–2027). PI Gustafsson, Kristina (Linnaeus University, Sweden). Research group: Kara, Hanna (UH), Nikolaidou, Zoe (Södertörn University, Sweden), Nordberg, Camilla (ÅAU), Tolvanen, Eveliina (UTU), Åberg, Linnéa (West University). Funding: The Swedish Research Council.
  • SILE - Lainsäädännön vaikutukset hiljaisiin toimijoihin: Riittämättömästä tietoperustasta osallistaviin ratkaisuihin [Silent agents affected by legislation: From an insufficient knowledge base to inclusive solutions] (2020–2026). PI Rantala, Kati (HY). Research group: Alitalo, Oona, (UTU), Alvesalo-Kuusi, Anne (UTU), Hakkarainen, Pekka (THL), Harrikari, Timo (HY), Hautamäki, Lotta (HY), Helminen, Maija (HY), Huhta, Helena (UTU), Hämäläinen, Hanna (UTU), Hänninen, Laura (HY), Jalonen, Olli (UTU), Julin, Essi (HY), Kankainen, Veera (HY), Katainen, Anu (HY), Kupsala, Saara (HY), Laine, Ossi (UTU), Lehtimäki, Tomi (HY), Lundell, Susanna (UTU), Majamaa, Karoliina (HY), Peltoniemi, Nea (UTU), Salminen, Janne (UTU), Valros, Anna (HY), Vanto, Johanna (UTU), Sjölund, Marjaana (UTU), Warpenius, Katariina (THL). Funding: SRC/Academy of Finland.
  • Sosiaalityön väitöskirjatutkimus Suomessa vuosina 2007–2022 [Social work doctoral research in Finland 2007–2022] (2022–). PI Puurunen, Piia (UEF). Research group: Kara, Hanna (UH), Sanna Lähteinen (LY), Mari Suonio (UEF). Funding: No external funding.
  • SUOJATIE - Rajat ylittävä lastensuojelu: tietoa ja palvelupolkuja [Transnational Child Protection: Knowledge and Service Paths] (2022–2024). PI Hiitola, Johanna (UOULU). Research group: Jäppinen, Maija (HY), Kivioja, Noora (HY), Mustasaari, Sanna (UEF), Hersi, Rahma (UEF), Muthana, Fairuz (UOULU), Panic, Gorana (UOULU), Depo, Rima (UOULU), Tumaniyan, Marian (UOULU). Funding: State Research Funding, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.
  • SustAgeable - Economic and social sustainability across time and space in an ageing society (2021–2024). PI Maria Vaalavuo (THL). Research group: Tuukka Holster, Timo Kauppinen, Joonas Ollonqvist, Paula Saikkonen, Jussi Tervola (THL); Ismo Linnosmaa, Mika Linden, Terhi Auvinen, Minna Kaarakainen, Mieke Rijken, Olli Salmensuu (UEF); Tiina Sihto, Minna Zechner (HY); Tomi Kyyrä, Teemu Lyytikäinen, Tuomas Matikka, Tuuli Paukkeri, Hanna Pesola, Sander Ramboer, Terhi Ravaska  (VATT); Ilari Ilmakunnas, Noora Järnefelt, Ohto Kanninen, Kati Kuitto, Aart-Jan Riekhoff  (ETK); Toni Juuti, Hannu Karhunen (Labore); Marjo Honkaranta, Anssi Kumpula, Kaisa Lähteenmäki-Smith, Iina Tunkkari (MDI). Funding: SRC/Academy of Finland.
  • TAITAVA - Vaikuttavuutta lastensuojeluun sosiaalityöntekijöiden vuorovaikutustaitoja vahvistamalla [Enhancing effectiveness in child protection by strengthening social workers' interaction skills] (2023–2024). PI Jäppinen, Maija (HY). Research group: Aaltio, Elina (HY), Isokuortti, Nanne (HY), Heino, Eveliina (HY), Lamponen, Tuuli (HY), Hankonen, Nelli (TUNI), Palsola, Minttu (TUNI), Renko, Elina (TUNI), Moilanen, Johanna (JYU), Tapola-Tuohikumpu, Sirpa (JYU), Mänttäri-van der Kuip, Maija (JYU), Donald Forrester (Cardiff University, UK). Funding: State Research Funding, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.
  • VALITSIJA - Sosiaalityöntekijä palveluiden valitsijana, päätöksentekijänä ja valvojana lastensuojelun avohuollossa (2023–2025). PI Kallio, Johanna (UTU). Research group: Jaakola, Anne-Mari (UTU), Holappa, Johanna (UTU), Karttunen, Teija (UH), Kotisaari, Tuuli (UEF), Toikko Timo (vastuu UEF), projektitutkija (UEF). Funding: State Research Funding, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.
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People

For more information about research and grant-funded researchers, see the University of Helsinki research portal.

Discipline coordinator: Professor Timo Harrikari
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00014 University of Helsinki

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