After the keynote Maria Tapola-Haapala will give a comment speech. There will also be time for a joint discussion. (See abstract and biographies for Malmberg-Heimonen and Tapola-Haapala below.)
How can evidence-based practice be understood in the context of social work?
Among researchers and practitioners, there has been an increasing focus on evidence-based practice (EBP) in social work over the past few decades. EBP has been the subject of extensive criticism, with researchers and social workers claiming that it belongs to positivist traditions and poses a threat to the traditions of social work. This has led to confusion, misunderstandings, and barriers to the implementation of EBP. EBP has also been subject to reinterpretations for implementation purposes.
In the presentation, two overarching interpretations of evidence-based practice are outlined: the critical appraisal approach and the guidelines approach. The critical appraisal approach assumes that social workers should critically assess the best available research knowledge and incorporate this knowledge into their practice, while also considering the values and preferences of their clients. Proponents of the guidelines approach believe that the critical appraisal of research should primarily be left to experts in the field. The understandings and interpretations of the EBP model are presented, as well as criticism of the approaches, and a discussion on the influence they may have on social work practice.
The presentation builds on the article by Finne, J., & Malmberg-Heimonen, I. (2023): Evidensbasert praksis–et veiskille i sosialt arbeid. Tidsskrift for velferdsforskning, (1), 1-14.
Ira Malmberg-Heimonen is a professor of Social Work at Oslo Metropolitan University, Institute of Social Work, Social Policy and Child Welfare. She received her doctoral degree in 2005 from the University of Helsinki. She has led several large-scale randomized controlled trials within the social and educational fields. Her areas of interest include intervention studies, program theories and fidelity, and generally the implementation of evidence-based practices. In addition, she has also studied poverty, unemployment, and the effects of activation programs for long-term social assistance recipients, including in comparative settings.
Maria Tapola-Haapala, DSocSc, holds the title of docent in social work at the University of Helsinki. She works as a researcher at the Centre of Excellence on Social Welfare in Päijät-Häme, Verso, a part of Wellbeing Services County of Päijät-Häme, in the nationwide subproject Guidelines for Social Welfare (Sosiaalihuollon suositukset). The subproject aims to examine the requirements of evidence-based guidelines in social welfare. As a part of this, Maria is also preparing with a working group the pilot guideline on professional practices related to human relations and recovery from substance abuse problems. Besides, she is a research group member in the projects NÄPSÄ (Promoting Evidence-Based Practice in Social Work) and SOTEPALA, a project studying the targeting of social welfare and healthcare services of school-age children.
Meeting ID: 682 4892 9469
Passcode: 885347