Facts

Contact person:
Tove Samzelius
Financer:
  • Malmö stad
Responsible at MaU:
Tove Samzelius
Project members at MaU:
External project members:
  • Emma Söderström – Malmö City
  • Jörgen Andersson – Malmö City
Time frame:
01 September 2026 - 31 December 2027
Faculty/department:
Research environment :
Research subject:

About the project

“Dialogue with Social Services” is an initiative run by Malmö City Council that aims to address the concerns of children and parents by having social workers take on a more proactive role and collaborate with civil society. Since its launch in autumn 2023, dialogue social workers, together with associations, religious communities, SFI and others, have taken part in more than 200 dialogue sessions with Malmö residents to discuss social services, fears and trust. The remit also includes gathering and analysing experiences from dialogue meetings with citizens and contributing to the administration’s learning and development. Through collaboration with researchers and representatives of civil society, the administration aims to create the conditions for developing a shared, in-depth understanding of the factors that can facilitate trusting relationships between actors at different levels within a local context.

How is trust built?

The overall aim of this study is to explore how trust is built within a relational context where cross-boundary encounters and dialogues are regarded as key practices.

The study departs from the following research questions:

  • How is the work of dialogue social workers organised and carried out, and which stakeholders are involved? What is done, and to what end?
  • How are dialogue meetings perceived by dialogue social workers, civil society stakeholders and participating parents?
  • How are parents’ understanding of, and experience of, social services’ work influenced by dialogue meetings?
  • How is social services’ understanding of parents’ living conditions and their experiences of distrust and fear influenced by the work of dialogue social workers?
  • How is the concept of trust understood by the various stakeholders involved in the dialogue work? What do they consider important for building trusting relationships?