Systematic follow-up as a path to increased knowledge base in social services' family treatment activities

Since 2008, the need for an increased knowledge base in the Swedish Social Services has been emphasized in governmental reports. The new Social Service legislation, expected to come into effect in 2025, stipulates routines for continuous and systematic follow-up activities to promote a sustainable learning organization and the establishment of knowledge-based practice. The aim of the project is therefore to investigate factors of importance for implementation of systematic follow-up within social services work child and youth services in relation to the new proposed regulations through work with the evidence-based parent support model Family Check-up (FCU), with its implementation framework and associated Information Support System Registry. An explorative, sequential mixed-methods design will be applied. Existing documentation from the FCU’s registry will be analyzed using qualitative and quantitative methods.

The results will inform step 2, where focus groups with representatives from agencies will be conducted to explore experiences of systematic follow-up and the possibilities for increased knowledge development through work with FCU. In a third step, results from step 1 and 2 will be integrated through a process of triangulation and analysis of commonalities and discrepancies.