‘Easy ride or born to be wild'? The travelling of evidence-based social work to Sweden

Abstract

The starting point of this article is an interest in understanding what happens when the concept of evidence-based practice (EBP) travel between countries. Understanding knowledge as something constructed between actors who shape and trade ideas and experiences, the aim is to study how EBP has been received, interpreted and practised in Swedish social work in comparison to some of the other Nordic welfare states. This is done through a scoping study literature review of research on evidence-based practice (EBP) in Swedish social work within the Swedish welfare system. The review shows that two research units (CUS and IMS) at the public authority National Board of Health and Welfare have had significant influence on the travelling of EBP to Sweden. Further, the review shows that a guideline-model version of EBP has been given priority in the diffusion process. The results also show that the interest in EBP among managers has increased over the past few years, and that their attitude toward the concept is generally positive. At the same time Swedish social workers rarely make use of research in their work, seldom use evidence-based methods, and seems to be unsure of the meaning of the concept.