Academic qualifications
- Socionom (BSW) in 1976
- MSW in 1982
- PhD in Social Work, 1995
- Associate Professor in Social Work, 2001
- Professor in Social Work 2010
Recent employment
- Senior Lecturer (Associate professor), Social Work, Lund University, 1996 – present. 50%.
- Professor, Social Work, Linnaeus University, (Växjö - Kalmar) 2010 - present. 50%.
Teaching
Undergraduate studies in social work
1989 - 2008 responsible for the C-course ”Change and Social Work”, 30 ECTS.
2008 - 2010 responsible and started the mandatory final course in the programme of social work: ”Professional social work”, 15 ECTS, advanced level Since the early 1990s I have developed and carried out a number of independent courses. Most of those have concentrated on evaluation skills for professionals within the social services and health care services. Instigator of internet-based courses, one of those, 1 - 30 ECTS for 200 students. I have participated in the development of textbooks and teaching aids.
Postgraduate studies in social work
I participate in the master programme as a course administrator, tutor and examiner. I have been in charge of two internet-based master’s courses in social work since 1997. This responsibility ended in 2010.
I have been in charge of six courses within postgraduate studies in social work at the universities of Växjö and Lund: Scientific introduction course in social work (on three occasions), Case study as a research method and two courses focusing on evaluation. Furthermore I have been a member of the examining committee for doctoral dissertations. At present I supervise five doctoral students and four has finished their dissertations successfully.
I am in charge of the Swedish Research School in Social Work which is organised as a network between the 11 universities and colleges that at present provide postgraduate studies in social work.
Research
My research focuses the production and dissemination of knowledge, social innovations and the organisation of social work.
My earliest research and my dissertation focused on social planning. More recently, I have concentrated on the theory, method and dissemination of evaluation and quality assurance. Empirically I have studied evaluation texts, evaluators and users of evaluation in the Swedish municipalities and the Swedish church for more information.
Another area of interest for me is the organisation of social work, especially in relation to excluded groups. I have led a number of local studies about homelessness and housing. In 2008 I lead a joint research and development project among eight Schools of Social Work financed by the Swedish Agency for Networks and Cooperation in Higher Education on the participation of users in social work education. In 2011, I was responsible for a nation-wide evaluation of the Swedish programme against homelessness based on a grant from the Swedish board och health and welfare.