The social work research topics of families with children and child welfare have been my interests for a long time. Inequality of children and families, child welfare issues and child and family policy as part of the social policy system combine topics that I have researched and taught. I have studied assessment of the child's situation, decision-making regarding the child and social workers' practices and skills in assessment in child welfare and family social work. As a researcher and lecturer, I want to illustrate the phenomena of social work from the point of view of protecting children. I think that child welfare research and teaching should support understanding about it and bring out different perspectives on child protection. In teaching, I consider the importance of students' experiences, interests and ways of thinking in their learning. I emphasize their ability to understand the world around them and act in it. It is important that the theoretical and practical knowledge is illustrated for the student, because social work as a discipline is practical.

I study the assessment of the child's situation, its scope and contents, approaches and orientation in family social work and child protection. I have studied the assessment of the child's situation at the interface of family social work and child protection, the assessment skills of Finnish social workers and compared the trends in assessment between 2010 and 2022. In the years 2023-2025, I will study child welfare decision-making and child-specific supervision in cooperation between the University of Eastern Finland and the University of Helsinki. The research is financed by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.

I have taught in the social work education program at a multi-professional teaching clinic, where I have been a responsible teacher and supervisor for social work students. The subject areas of child and family work and child protection courses are teaching topics that I teach and train.