Fathers’ narratives on support and agency : a case study of fathers in a Finnish child welfare NGO

In Finland, one of the Nordic countries, shared parenting is widely supported through, e.g. family policies and legislation. This is also evident in daily parental practices, as fathers’ share in childcare has increased notably since the late 1980s. Unfortunately, this is not the whole picture of Finnish and Nordic fatherhood: practitioners in child welfare also encounter many fathers with various problems in parenting and life management. In this article, we examine the narratives of fathers who have sought and received support from a Finnish nationwide child welfare NGO. Our research question is: What types of narratives on seeking and receiving support and on their agency do fathers prod…

The academic identity and boundaries of the discipline of social work : reflections of social work professors on the recruitment and research of doctoral students in Finland

Finland has a strong and long tradition of research-oriented doctoral education in social work. Recent general changes in doctoral education, such as increased regulation, internationalisation and time pressures, have had an impact on social work as an academic discipline. This article examines the recruitment of social work doctoral students and the perceived value of doctoral dissertations as academic research. The data consist of written responses by Finnish full professors of social work to open-ended questions presented in an electronic questionnaire. The analysis is based on the idea of ‘boundary work’ within and between disciplines, and between science and society and on the professo…

Toppuuttelua, kannustamista ja kehittämistarpeita : jatko-opiskelijoiden rekrytointi ja väitöskirjojen luonne sosiaalityön professorien kuvaamana

Marginaalit ja sosiaalityö