Professor’s portrait: She has laid the foundation for social work in schools in Sweden
What can schools do to prevent social vulnerability? How can social services work against violence in the everyday lives of young people? These are issues that are central to Sara Högdin, Professor of Social Work at Halmstad University. Her research is about social work in schools, honour-based abuse, and different professional groups who interact with children in difficult situations.
”I think that it’s important to draw attention to when things don’t work, but also to contribute to change. My research might be the first step in making things move in the right direction”
Sara Högdin, Professor of Social Work
Sara Högdin, Professor of Social Work.
“I want to change social work for the better, so that more young people can receive the support they need”, says Sara Högdin, Professor of Social Work at Halmstad University.
Ever since her doctoral studies, the focus of Sara Högdin’s research has been on school’s role in young people’s lives, not just as a place for learning but also as a social space with the potential to prevent future issues.
“School is, besides family, the most important space in young people’s lives. Educational success can on its own be considered a form of primary prevention”, says Sara Högdin.
It was through Sara Högdin’s thesis, “Education on (Un)Equal Terms”, that the Swedish foundation was laid for social work in schools, an area that Sara Högdin has both established academically and worked for in practice. She has founded a Nordic research network, developed several master and doctoral level courses in the subject and been the editor for the first Swedish anthology about social work in schools.
“Social work in schools is a matter of democracy in today’s society. We have created a system that eliminates children very early on, often the ones who already are the most vulnerable. Those who aren’t able to always perform are left behind”, says Sara Högdin.
“I wonder if I would have been able to be where I am today if I had grown up within today’s educational system.”
Courage to research difficult matters
Her passion is not limited to schools. On top of social work in schools, Sara Högdin has created an extensive research field focusing on violence and preventing violence, especially when it comes to young people, sexual violence and honour-based abuse.
“This kind of violence happens behind closed doors. It concerns children and young people who are abused by someone who is very close to them. In many cases, it’s like a form of everyday terrorism. We often speak of public violence – war, gangs, conflicts – but this kind of violence receives extremely little attention. I want to change that”, says Sara Högdin.
At the same time, it’s a conflict-filled subject, both in practice and in research.
“There have been fear, conflict and insecurities within the research community when it comes to honour-based abuse. We have become stuck in how to address the issue, rather than focusing on how to help those who are subjected to it. We get stuck in the terminology. It takes courage to step aside and focus on what actually makes a difference”, says Sara Högdin.
“It’s so easy to be questioned. It scares a lot of people, but we must have the courage to raise issues that make us uncomfortable.”
Among other things, Sara Högdin has mapped out honour-related norms among lower secondary school students, observed young people who have run away from home or been kicked out, and analysed how school and social services treat newly-arrived immigrants who have been subjected to sexual violence. A reoccurring theme in her research is the scope for action of professionals – what they actually can and dare to do when meeting affected children and young people.
“I am fascinated by rights issues and the paradoxical situations that often occur in social work. Like mandatory school obligation, for example, or the mandatory duty to report child abuse. There are so many layers of responsibilities and morality that collide”, Sara Högdin notes.
Sara Högdin has been an editor and author of several Swedish books, including Social Work in Schools, Honour-Based Abuse and Oppression: The Mission and Challenges of Professionals, and Addressing Sexual Vulnerability.
From research results to real change
Sara Högdin’s research has not only resulted in scientific publications, but also explicitly affected society. Her thesis led to the tightening up of the educational act, and many of her projects have formed the basis for methodological development within social services and civil society. Through action research, she has worked closely with both professional and voluntary actors, such as youth organisation Fryshuset’s “United Sisters” and Save the Children’s “Love is Free”, where both projects were about supporting young people who were subjected to honour-based abuse.
“I think that it’s important to draw attention to when things don’t work, but also to contribute to change. My research might be the first step in making things move in the right direction”, says Sara Högdin.
Right now, Sara Högdin is leading a project about how social services can work with violence prevention with people who commit or run the risk of committing violence in intimate relationships – a pressing issue in the light of increasing violent crime.
Sara Högdin began her career as a social worker within the social services in Farstad, before she began her doctoral studies at Stockholm University. Following her PhD in 2007, she has combined her research interest with involvement in education, regional collaboration and international projects. Since 2009, she works at Halmstad University, where she has been a driving force in developing the social work study programme.
“What I’m the proudest of is that I’ve been a part of developing both the field of social work in schools as well as the social work study programme here in Halmstad. It feels like an important legacy to both uphold and keep developing”, says Sara Högdin.
Text: Hilda Liberg
Photo: Dan Bergmark
About Sara Högdin
Sara Högdin studied to become a social worker at Stockholm University. After that, she worked at the social service centre in Farstad followed by FoU-Nordväst in Sollentuna. In 2007, Sara Högdin completed her PhD in social work at Stockholm University with a thesis called “Education on (Un)Equal terms – About Gender and Ethnical Background in Primary and Lower Secondary School”. She was hired as a senior lecturer at Halmstad University in 2009 and promoted to docent in social work in 2016. In 2024, Sara Högdin became a professor in social work at Halmstad University.
