Anna-Lena Almqvist

My work is driven by a strong commitment to contributing knowledge that supports individuals in complex and vulnerable life situations, and to amplifying the voices of those who are seldom heard. A  fundemental aspect of generating and accumulating knowledge is ensuring that it is accessible and usable by students and fellow researchers. One way to achieve this is through the pursuit of knowledge within the field of social work. I do so in my role as Professor of Social Work at Karlstad University.

Please feel free to contact me if you would like to learn more about my expertise in research, teaching, and collaboration!

Doctoral students play a crucial role in deepening the pursuit of knowledge. One current doctoral project focuses on participation in Coordinated Individual Plans (CIP) for adults with cognitive disabilities.

I have a longstanding interest in the mental health of children and young people, particularly in contexts where they encounter complex organisational systems.

During 2025 and 2026, I will be engaged in the Forte-funded project "Developing Knowledge Support for Children’s Participation in the Matching Process between Children and Foster Families within Social Services Practice". The aim of this project is to collaboratively develop knowledge-based tools that promote children's participation during the placement process, in partnership with professionals within the social services.

Another key strand of my research centres on LGBTQI+ issues and aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being. Good health is a fundamental prerequisite for individuals to realise their full potential and to contribute meaningfully to society. Our research findings reflect both positive and less favourable experiences of healthcare encounters.

Additionally, I conduct research on men who have taken an active stand against men's violence towards women and children — an urgent societal challenge that demands collective action. Our results reveal the impact of witnessing or experiencing violence perpetrated by men, for men's anti-violence work. It may concern within families, among friends, by authority figures such as sports coaches, or in public settings. The results show how these experiences motivate men to act differently.

I regularly undertake assignments related to PhD dissertations as well as serve as a reviewer for various academic journals.

Teaching is another important means through which I aim to make an impact. From a societal perspective, our social work students are essential to improving people’s living conditions.

My teaching experience spans a range of courses, including thesis supervision at various levels, courses on intimate partner violence and children’s rights from multiple perspectives, as well as theory and methodology courses at Master's and Magister levels, all offered within the Department of Social and Educational Studies (ISP).

Collaboration with a variety of partners and stakeholders is another key approach to achieving results. One example is NÄFF (the Network for Foster Care Researchers), a Forte-funded initiative that brings together researchers and welfare actors.

As one of two discipline representatives in Social Work, I also represent Karlstad University in FoU Välfärd Värmland.

My academic background spans several higher education institutions. I was appointed Professor of Social Work at Karlstad University in 2024. Prior to that, I was awarded the title of Associate Professor (Docent in Swedish) of Social Work at Mälardalen University. I earned my PhD in Sociology from Umeå University and completed my Bachelor’s degree in Sociology at Stockholm University.

For nearly a decade, I was actively involved in establishing, developing, and leading the research group Welfare Research at Mälardalen University, with a particular focus on international relations.

Almqvist, A.-L., & Lassinantti, K. (2022). Understanding complex needs through the concept of recognition. A qualitative study with Swedish young people about their encounters with welfare state actors. Nordic Social Work Research, 12(5), 716-727. doi.org/10.1080/2156857X.2021.1874493.

Almqvist, A.-L., & Lassinantti, K. (2024). Tensions and change in liminal spaces – Young people in Swedish out-of-home care. Children and Youth Services Review, Vol.157, 107395.

Anbäcken, E.-M., Almqvist, A.-L., Johansson, C., Kinugasa, K., Obata, M., Hyun, J., Lee, J., & Park, Y. J. (2021).  Older adults and care: Reshaped family roles in societal change. A Comparative study of Japan, South Korea, and Sweden. In P. N. Claster & S. L. Blair (Eds.), Aging and the Family: Understanding Changes in Structural and Relationship Dynamics. Contemporary Perspectives in Family Research, Volume 17, 1–38. Bingley, UK: Emerald. 

Appelgren Engström, H., Borneskog, C., Häggström-Nordin, E., & Almqvist, A.-L. (2023). Professionals’ experiences of supporting two-mother families in antenatal and child health care in Sweden. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 32, 150-159. https://doi.org/10.1111/scs.13111.

Nordström, L., Lassinantti, K., Umb Carlsson, Ö., & Almqvist, A.-L. (2024). Service-user participation in coordinated planning, from the perspective of involved professionals. Disability & Society, 39(12), 3212–3232.

Nordström, L., Umb Carlsson, Ö., Lassinantti, K., & Almqvist, A.-L. (2025). Service-User Participation in Coordinated Planning: Power, Possibilities and Responsibilities. Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research 27(1): 186–199. DOI: https://doi.org/10.16993/sjdr.1147

Pringle, K., Almqvist, A.-L., & Egeberg Holmgren, L. (2024). Making men allies in stopping men’s violence via processes of intersectional identification. A study of Swedish profeminist men. In C. Noble, S. Rasool, L. Harms-Smith, G. Muñoz -Arce & D. Baines (Eds.), The Routledge International Handbook of Feminisms in Social Work, 451-461. Taylor and Francis.

Westmarland, N., Almqvist, A.-L., Egeberg Holmgren, L., Ruxton, S., Burrell, S., & Delgado Valbuena, C. (2021). Men’s Activism to End Violence Against Women: Voices from Spain, Sweden and the UK. Bristol: Policy Press.