Social responses to addiction problems: A study of client characteristics, treatment trajectories and significant stakeholders in social work practice

The Swedish addiction treatment system is facing major change.

Internationally, it is quite unique that municipal social services, rather than regional healthcare, is responsible for providing psychosocial treatment to the group. A governmental inquiry on coordinated care has suggested that this is changed, with healthcare as key provider. Another inquiry is about to evaluate Swedish restrictive drug policy.

A new version of The Social Services Act (2001:453) emphasises the importance of prevention, better accessibility of services and knowledge-based interventions. The practical effects of such potential reforms are however unsure.

There is currently a lack of research on what interventions the clients are provided, their outcomes and what happens with clients over time.

The proposed planning grant will make possible the development of a large research program within “Applied Welfare Studies”.

The main aim is to study service users´ treatment trajectories and what factors that influence them, including a focus on client needs, form and content of interventions, and between-agency collaboration (social services, healthcare, correctional services, compulsory treatment, civic society, etc.).

The research program will focus on a wide array of issues, such as clients with complex needs, user involvement, support to significant others, harm reduction, treatment access, low threshold services, and standardised follow-up procedures. Data will be collected in collaboration with municipal social services.

It will include quantitative measurement of 1000 clients, followed during five years, and related treatment episodes, documentation and assessments, plus interviews with 100 clients, their significant others, professional staff and representatives of civic society.

The planning grant is used to form collaboration between research, social services, healthcare, and service user groups with the ambition to improve treatment. The research program is multidisciplinary.