Programme on applied welfare research

Sweden is facing significant challenges in which social services play a central role. By advancing knowledge in this area, we can build a more robust and supportive structure that benefits everyone in need of social services. To achieve this, Forte has been running the National programme for applied welfare research since 2017.

What the programme aims to achieve

In several areas of social services, there is a lack of access to evidence-based knowledge. This creates uncertainty about effective methods and how to prioritise resources. In some cases, the knowledge does exist but is not utilised effectively in practice due to limited dissemination.

The goals of the programme are to

• develop high-quality, practice- and client-oriented research that can be used within social services to improve operations as well as service users’ living conditions and opportunities
• increase the proportion of social service professionals with doctoral training, so that their expertise contributes to knowledge development within the sector
• strengthen collaboration between researchers, professionals, service users and their families to enhance the relevance and quality of research, and to support the dissemination and implementation of new knowledge.

Facts and figures