The Heikki Waris Institute

• maintains collaboration between the University of Helsinki, municipalities in the Helsinki metropolitan area, the third sector and universities of applied sciences, with a particular focus on university education in social work, practice research and practices within the social and health care sector
• develops the methods, concepts and methodology of social work practice research
• participates in international cooperation on research, development and education
• provides pedagogical and scientific guidance to students and work communities on the development of professional practices and production of new research data
• stimulates and supports the development of research-based competence in work communities by, for example, studying and developing effective professional work methods as parts of municipal service practices together with service users and providers as well as experts
• identifies weak signals at the interfaces of client work and multiprofessional work
• collects and interprets results of development and research work in order to enhance municipal and other service activities.