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Katarina Hollertz

Senior Lecturer

Department of Social Work
Telephone
+46 31-786 57 68
Mail
katarina.hollertz@socwork.gu.se
Visiting address
Sprängkullsgatan 23
41123 Göteborg
Room number
D340
Postal address
Box 720
40530 Göteborg

About Katarina Hollertz

Background

I am a social worker and associate professor in social work. I have an MA in comparative European social studies from the University of North London. 2010 PhD in social work at Lund University in 2010. My main research areas concern the organization of social work, activation issues, care for the elderly and educational issues linked to social work.

Ongoing research project

2024-2027 Work ability - a study of organizations' boundaries and case managers' assessments, FORTE-funded project, about work ability assessments within the Swedish welfare state. John Brauer, Örebro University, is the main applicant. Also participating is Lisa Wallander, Lund University.

2021-2024 Moral stress and moral agency in Swedish elderly care. The starting point for the project is that elderly care's challenging working conditions and ethical dilemmas in the work create a breeding ground for moral stress among employees. The project will provide more knowledge about how moral agency can be promoted and contribute to increased quality in elderly care. The project is carried out in collaboration with three professional groups within elderly care in three municipalities, local politicians and trade unions. Funder: FORTE (within the framework of applied welfare research). Project manager: Sara Hultqivst, employees Katarina Hollertz and Magdalena Elmersjö. https://omsorgochmoral.blogg.lu.se

Completed research projects

2019-2022 Pathways to employment. FORTE-funded project, led by Professor Mikaela Starke. Co-worker Tina Olsson and Katarina Hollertz. Every year, thousands of people in Sweden participate in labor market interventions. Interventions for people who are long-term unemployed are aimed, among other things, at young people, individuals with disabilities, migrants and the elderly without higher education. There are a variety of initiatives provided by various businesses that aim to support people who are out of work.

The studies also show that there are interventions that are more or less effective.

The overall aim of the study is to understand how different interventions work in practice, how they are implemented and what consequences they have for the participants.

2018 Local labor market policy with a focus on autonomy and participation: A user perspective on the gradual job and knowledge lift. The project is financed by the City of Gothenburg. Collaborator in the project: Sara Hultqvist.

2015-2018 The audit culture and the administrator: A study of the Employment Service and the Social Insurance Agency. Research project funded by the Riksbank's anniversary fund to study governance processes within government agencies in the light of a changing welfare state. The project is led by Professor Kerstin Jacobsson. More information about the project

2012-2015: Localise (Local worlds of social cohesion), an EU-funded research project involving six European countries (Poland, France, Italy, UK, Germany and Sweden). The study examined local variations and strategies in working with people who are far from the labor market. Project manager Professor Martin Heidenriech. http://www.localise-research.eu/
2004-2010: Municipal organization of interventions for young unemployed benefit recipients, 1993-2005 (dissertation project).

Teaching

I have extensive experience in at different levels, in Swedish and English. Among other things, I have been the course manager/responsible for courses in social work at community level, international field placements, practice and professionalization in social work etc.

Cooperation

I collaborate with actors outside the academy in teaching and research. In 2024, I have an assignment within the framework of the Research School for Professionals in Social Services to strengthen the conditions for collaboration between social services and academia. https://forskarskolanfys.se

Miscellaneous

Supervision of doctoral students:
- Lisa Wallin (assistant supervisor) (2022-ff)

Opponent in final seminars:

- Olof Wiedel, University West (work-integrated learning)

Member of the doctoral grading committee:

- Olof Wiedel, "To create goals and meaning in vacuumland" University West (work-integrated learning), september 15, 2023

- Helena Håkansson, "Time for trust", GU (Sociology and work science), may 24, 2024.

Organization of conferences:

- FORSA/NASSW, Social Work as Emancipatory Practice, Creating Pathways towards Social Justice Gothenburg June 17th-19th 2024 (Coordinating together with Zulmir Becevic)

- Sociatjänstforum, Social services in change, Gothenburg 18-19 August 2022, Gothenburg (member of organizing commitee)

- Sociatjänstforum, The new social services law - where are we and where are we going?, 21-22 November 2024, Gothenburg (member of organizing commitee)