Research
I am, by profession, a social worker with work experiences from residential care and child protection services. My research focuses on assessment practices, preventive work and compulsory treatment within the context of child welfare services. I´m interested in exploring the interplay between organisational context, institutional logics, agency and interpersonal relations – how are people and their relations affected by, and how do they in turn affect organizational and institutional contexts? Particularly, my research is concerned with the voices and experiences of children and young people involved in various forms of institutional care and protection.
An extensive body of my research is based on qualitative in-depth interviews and analysed through the prism of interactionism. So far, I have explored how young people make sense of assessment processes while being placed in involuntary care and secure care settings. Doing this I have also focused on their identity work in relation to secure care and the assessments practices. My most recent work explores young people’s relations and the relational dimension of institutional practices.
Currently, I´m working in three research projects. 1) A study about family relations from the perspective of young adults with experience from secure care, and their family members. 2) I´m involved in an interdisciplinary project about implementing and integrating the Scottish model of preventive measure for children “GIFREC” in a Swedish context. 3) I am also engaged in another inter-disciplinary research project exploring potential conflicts in social work practice between a children´s right perspective and a standardised, evidence-based agenda for young people in secure care.
My ongoing research projects
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Project: Connected Children: Partnership for a knowledge-based and innovative prevention This project combines practice and research for the development of knowledge-based prevention. The aim is to…
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Project: Power and control in secure care for young people The aim of this project is to analyse the scope and variation over time of restrictive measures at secure care institutions, and how this is…
My completed research projects
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Project: Organizing for trust – coordinated efforts for children's best This research project aimed to contribute with knowledge-based support within the initiative ”Barnens bästa gäller! i Kronoberg”…
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Project: The (re)construction of family This study explored how secure care affects family life a long time after the placement. With a narrative approach, we analysed the stories of young adults with…
Publications
Article in journal (Refereed)
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Enell, S. (2025). ‘Doing’ research relationships : reflections on a qualitative longitudinal project with young people leaving secure care. Nordic Social Work Research. 15 (1). 4-16.
Status: Published -
Sallnäs, M., Enell, S., Mattsson, T. (2024). Tensions and Trade-Offs : Staff’s Understanding of Children as Rights Holders in Secure Care. The International Journal of Children's Rights. 32 (2). 477-501.
Status: Published -
Mattsson, T., Enell, S. (2023). State Provision of Resilience in Social Compulsory Care : A Vulnerability Analysis of Physical Constraint of Children and Youth Without Consent. International Journal for the Semiotics of Law. 36. 1529-1545.
Status: Published -
Enell, S., Allgurin, M. (2023). Villkorad normalitet : Berättelser om det (o)normala under och efter placering på särskilt ungdomshem. Socialvetenskaplig tidskrift. 30 (3). 701-718.
Status: Published -
Enell, S., Mattsson, T., Sallnäs, M. (2023). Rättigheter som ”token”, egenansvar och egenvärde : Barn och ungas förståelse av rättigheter i låst institutionsvård. Nordisk socialrättslig tidskrift. (35-36). 7-38.
Status: Published -
Henriksen, A., Nolbeck, K., Enell, S., Vogel, M.A., Andersson, P. (2023). Treatment in the context of confinement : Understanding the barriers and possibilities for facilitating change in at-risk youth. Nordisk Tidsskrift for Kriminalvidenskab. 110 (3). 312-331.
Status: Published -
Allgurin, M., Enell, S. (2023). Battling parenting : The consequences of secure care interventions on parents. Child & Family Social Work. 28 (1). 108-116.
Status: Published -
Enell, S., Vogel, M.A., Henriksen, A.E., Pösö, T., Honkatukia, P., et al. (2022). Confinement and restrictive measures against young people in the Nordic countries : A comparative analysis of Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. Nordic journal of criminology. 23 (2). 174-191.
Status: Published -
Enell, S., Wilińska, M. (2022). “My Whole Family Is Not Really My Family” : Secure Care Shadows on Family and Family Practices Among Young Adults and Their Family Members. Journal of Family Issues. 43 (8). 2210-2233.
Status: Published -
Souverein, F., Hales, H., Anderson, P., Argent, S.E., Bartlett, A., et al. (2022). Mental health, welfare or justice : An introductory global overview of differences between countries in the scale and approach to secure placements of children and young people. CBMH. Criminal behaviour and mental health. 32 (3). 238-247.
Status: Published -
Enell, S., Wilińska, M. (2021). Negotiating, opposing and transposing dangerousness : a relational perspective on young people’s experiences of secure care. Young - Nordic Journal of Youth Research. 29 (1). 28-44.
Status: Published -
Bergnehr, D., Aronson, O., Enell, S. (2020). Friends through school and family : Refugee girls’ talk about friendship formation. Childhood. 27 (4). 530-544.
Status: Published -
Enell, S., Denvall, V. (2017). Searching for the right track : managing care trajectories in child welfare. Child & Family Social Work. 22 (1). 398-408.
Status: Published -
Enell, S. (2017). 'I Got to Know Myself Better, My Failings and Faults' : Young People's Understandings of being Assessed in Secure Accommodation. Young - Nordic Journal of Youth Research. 25 (2). 124-140.
Status: Published -
Enell, S. (2015). Young people in limbo : perceptions of self-presentations when being assessed in secure accommodation. Nordic Social Work Research. 6 (1). 22-37.
Status: Published -
Enell, S. (2014). Banor i samhällsvården : en tvåårig studie om unga som utretts på SiS-institution. Socialvetenskaplig tidskrift. 21 (2). 48-69.
Status: Published
Conference paper (Refereed)
- Vogel, M.A., Enell, S. (2024). Variations in the use of restrictive measures : How can we understand the trends?. Presented at Institutional Care or Control: Past & Present, Birmingham, December 16th, 2024. 10-11.
- Enell, S., Wilinska, M. (2022). “My whole family is not really my family” : Secure care shadows on family and family practices among young adults and their family members. Sociological knowledges for alternative futures : 15th ESA Conference 2021. 515-515.
- Enell, S. (2022). Doing research relationships : reflections upon a qualitative longitudinal project with young people. Book of abstracts : Nationella paperkonferensen i socialt arbete.
- Enell, S., Wilinska, M. (2022). Broken normality : Young adult’s stories of transitioning into adulthood after placement in secure care. Book of abstracts : NYRIS 2022. 26-26.
- Enell, S., Thelin, A., Forkby, T. (2021). Displacement or involvement : paradoxes for social work in early coordinated support for children. Presented at FORSA, Reykjavik (online), 11-12 November, 2021.
- Enell, S., Wilińska, M. (2021). “My whole family is not really my family” : Secure care shadows on family displays among young adults and their family members. Presented at EuSARF, Zürich, 1-3 September, 2021.
- Enell, S., Wilińska, M. (2019). The (re)construction of family : family practices among young adults after placements in secure care. Presented at Self-reliance processes of “Care Leavers” - experiences in Poland, Germany and in the international context, Plock, 18 November, 2019 (keynote speaker).
- Enell, S., Wilińska, M. (2018). In the name of care : locking up young people in Sweden. Symposium 17 - Confinement of children and youths : comparing welfare penologies in the Nordic countries.
- Enell, S. (2016). Young people in limbo : perceptions of self-presentations when being assessed in secure accommodation. Shaping the future : Connecting knowledge and evidence to child welfare practice: Book of abstracts of the XIV EUSARF International Conference..
- Enell, S. (2015). Institutional identities in transition : Young people’s understandings of assessments in secure accommodations. Presented at Utsatt barndom, sårbara familjer och samhällets insatser, Gothenburg, 18-20 March, 2015.
- Enell, S. (2014). Assessed young persons in secure units : trajectories in out-of-home care. Presented at EUSARF, Copenhagen, 2-5 September, 2014.
Report (Refereed)
- Thelin, A., Enell, S., Forkby, T. (2021). Att göra prevention och samverkan : om professionellas roller i den skotska policyn GIRFEC. Växjö, Linnaeus University. 83.
- Enell, S., Denvall, V. (2018). Att överskrida gränser för barnens bästa : Tidigt och förebyggande arbete i Växjö kommun. Växjö, Institutionen för socialt arbete, Linnéuniversitetet. 60.
- Enell, S., Denvall, V. (2013). Vägen från utredning till åtgärd : utredningsplaceringar vid särskilda utredningshem. Stockholm, Statens institutionsstyrelse. 104.
Chapter in book (Other academic)
- Forkby, T., Enell, S., Thulin, J. (2023). Det förebyggande projektet. Prevention med barn och unga : Teori och praktik för socialt och pedagogiskt arbete. Lund, Studentlitteratur AB. 15-30.
- Forkby, T., Enell, S., Thulin, J. (2023). Prevention som vidgad ansvarighet. Prevention med barn och unga : Teori och praktik för socialt och pedagogiskt arbete. Lund, Studentlitteratur AB. 379-389.
- Enell, S., Bernhardsson, J. (2023). Barnrättsbaserad prevention : mer än bara symbolik?. Prevention med barn och unga : Teori och praktik för socialt och pedagogiskt arbete. Lund, Studentlitteratur AB. 53-75.
- Enell, S., Gruber, S., Vogel, M.A. (2018). Tvångspraktiker på institution : Summering och avslutande reflektioner. Kontrollerade unga : Tvångspraktiker på institution. Lund, Studentlitteratur AB. 285-292.
- Enell, S., Gruber, S., Andersson Vogel, M. (2018). Tvångspraktiker på institution : Teoretisk och historisk inramning. Kontrollerade unga : Tvångspraktiker på institution. Lund, Studentlitteratur AB. 19-36.
- Enell, S. (2018). Anpassningsstrategier och tolkningsföreträde : Ungas erfarenheter av att utredas på institution. Kontrollerade unga : Tvångspraktiker på institution. Lund, Studentlitteratur AB. 143-166.
- Vogel, M.A., Enell, S. (2018). Staten och kapitalet : Om Statens institutionsstyrelse och deras roll på barnavårdsmarknaden. Socialtjänstmarknaden : Om marknadsorientering och konkurrensutsättning av individ- och familjeomsorgen. Stockholm, Liber. 183-205.
- Enell, S., Vogel, M.A. (2018). Behovet av förändring vid de särskilda ungdomshemmen. Manifest : För ett socialt arbete i tiden. Lund, Studentlitteratur AB. 173-184.
Report (Other academic)
- Bergnehr, D., Enell, S. (2018). Ungdomars och unga vuxnas levnadsvillkor i Sverige : En kunskapsöversikt med fokus på ojämlikhet. Stockholm, Forte - Forskningsrådet för hälsa, arbetsliv och välfärd. 120.
Collection (editor) (Other academic)
- Forkby, T., Enell, S., Thulin, J. (2023). Prevention med barn och unga : Teori och praktik för socialt och pedagogiskt arbete. Lund, Studentlitteratur AB. 393.
- Enell, S., Gruber, S., Andersson Vogel, M. (2018). Kontrollerade unga : Tvångspraktiker på institution. Lund, Studentlitteratur AB. 296.
Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
- Enell, S. (2015). Transit i samhällsvården : När unga utreds på särskilda ungdomshem. Doctoral Thesis. Växjö, Linnaeus University Press. 128.
Article in journal (Other (popular science, discussion, etc.))
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Enell, S. (2024). Institutionsvårdens konsekvenser för föräldrar. Socialpolitik.
Status: Published -
Andersson, P., Enell, S., Nolbeck, K., Pettersson, T., Rennerskog, J., et al. (2021). Barnkonventionen gäller även unga som begår brott. Tidskrift för kriminalvård. (2021-03-14).
Status: Published
Other (Other (popular science, discussion, etc.))
- Ahmadi, F., Andréasson, F., Andreasson, J., Bayati, Z., Bečević, Z., et al. (2019). Remissyttrande över utkast till lagrådsremiss : Förlängning av lagen om tillfälliga begränsningar av möjligheten att få uppehållstillstånd i Sverige (Dnr Ju2019/00509/L7). 8.