University of Gothenburg
University of Gothenburg
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Helena Maria Johansson

Senior Lecturer

Department of Social
Work
Telephone
+46 31-786 57 21
+46 766-18 57 21
Mail
helena.johansson@socwork.gu.se

About Helena Maria Johansson

 

Background

I got my Bachelor degree in social work in 1987, a Masters degree 1998. During my period of practical social work I have mainly been working with youth outreach work but also with drug addicts as well as children and family issues. I also have worked a couple of years in Mozambique where I trained and tutored future social workers at the Instituto de Sciencias de Saude in Nampula. In 2006 I defended my thesis ”Lack of male role models - Deconstruction of a concept and its practice." Since than I have led and tought several courses and supervised thesises at both Bachelor, Masters and PhD level at the department of Social Work at University of Gothenburg. I was appointed part time director of studies in 2012.

Research interest

My areas of interest can be summarized in a few keywords: youth, gender, family and social service responses.

Current projects

  • Vårdnadsöverflyttningar för barn och unga i familjehem: Headed by prof Ingrid Höjer and funded by Allmänna Barnhuset 2014-15.
  • Skolprestationer och utbildningssituation för barn och ungdomar placerade i familjehem eller på institution: Headed by Ingrid Höjer. Funded by Forte and running 2013-2015/16.

Completed projects

  • Society as Teenage parent – on the contact person within the Social Services Financed by FAS the project ran from January 2010 to June 2014 and aimed at generating knowledge on the design and character of the contact person work and to discuss how this can be understood in relation to a societal function as a teenage parent. The project was headed by Mona Franséhn.
  • Young people from a Public Care Background: pathways to education in Europe (YIPPEE) Financed by the EU Seventh Framework Programme. Five participating countries: UK, Denmark, Hungary, Spain and Sweden. Coordinator Thomas Coram Research Unit, London. The study runs from January 2008 to September 2010. The overall aim of the project is to investigate educational pathways among young men and women from a public care background in education after the end of compulsory schooling; and to examine how more young people from this background can be retained in further and higher education.
  • Promotive Youth work An evaluation of open youth arenas and youth work methods, on behalf of the Swedish National Board for Youth Affairs carried out by The Göteborg Region Association of Local Authorities (FOU-Väst/GR).
  • Male role models: On the Social Services Work with Lone Mothers and their Sons A project funded by FAS and led by Margareta Bäck-Wiklund 2001-2005. The research group also included Mona Franséhn, Thomas Johansson and myself. The aim was to explore the concept of male role models within he social services and in relation to the work done to compensate for the lack of a father figure in the young persons family.