Research project Municipal child welfare - investigations, services and trajectories beyond

The 2,000 child welfare cases consist of every child welfare investigation initiated in 8 municipalities in Stockholm. The baseline is set at point of investigation with follow-ups one and five years after termination of investigation. The study will also include data from social-, health- and criminal registers. Data enables analyses of the extent children are referred to different services (in-home and out-of-home care) and the extent children are re-referred to additional investigations and services during the time span. Data also enables analyses of determinants of different outcomes in child welfare. In addition, a sub-sample of 100 children will be monitored closely by observations and interviews. Instruments used in the longitudinal study will be adapted to real-world usage by child welfare workers and managers to be used in local follow-ups and service evaluation. The adaptation process will include child welfare professionals and end-users in several interactive formats. These interactive formats will also serve as opportunities to discuss interpretation of findings and disseminate results to professionals.