To get things right for children : Implementation of a public social living lab model for coordinated support for children in need

• There is a large need in Sweden and internationally for the development of knowledge-based approaches to improve children’s well-being, promote learning, school attachment and self-efficacy early in life. This includes both the articulation of comprehensive policy frameworks and the implementation of targeted interventions. One response to this is presented by the Scottish model Getting It Right for Every Child (GIRFEC). Central pillars are to improve children’s well- being and learning through early intervention, universal service provision, and multi-agency coordination. The model has gained substantial interest in Sweden, where the most challenging implementation is taking place in the county of Kronoberg, including eight municipalities and several health service organizations. This research paper is based on material from the ongoing evaluation that aimed to establish an interactive research in support of the implementation process. The paper describes the early process that followed the implementation decision and discuss how it might be understood as a public collaborative social living lab and what this demands from the researchers. Emphasis is put on the researcher’s role to balance between partaking in the innovative work and standing aside and giving critical reflections.

Subject headings

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Sociologi -- Socialt arbete (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Sociology -- Social Work (hsv//eng)

Keyword

coordinated interventions

children

well-being

implementation

social living lab

on-going evaluation

Socialt arbete

Social Work

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

kon (subject category)