Research evidence and practical experiences with school social teams: A scoping review and qualitative study
Mapping review
|Published
The purpose of the study was to map the research literature on school social teams and to explore practice-based experiences from professionals in Norwegian municipalities who had received grants for establishing such teams.
Key message
The Norwegian Education Act ensures the right of all children and young people to primary and secondary education, with requirements for follow-up in the event of absence. School social teams is a strategic tool in the national effort to promote safe learning environments and increase student attendance.
We examined
- What research exists about the implementation, effects and experiences of school social teams, and
- What experiences do Norwegian municipalities have with school social teams?
We conducted a study that combines a scoping review with qualitative interviews. We included five primary studies and interviewed 27 informants from 12 municipalities who had received grants for school social teams.
The main findings are:
- There is limited research about school social teams.
- The included studies describe collaboration, role negotiations and challenges related to time and responsibility.
- The interviews show that the school social teams are perceived as necessary in complex student cases, but that lack of resources, unclear mandates and a reactive practice hinder preventive work.
School social teams can strengthen schools’ capacity to address complex student cases through interdisciplinary collaboration and improved coordination. Clear organization, well-defined roles, and more systematic, preventive work is essential to realize their potential. The research on school social teams is limited, especially regarding the effects on students, and more research is needed.
Summary
Introduction
The Education Act gives all children and young people the right to primary and secondary education, and obliges municipalities and county authorities to follow up on students with absences. National trends show that school absences are a growing and complex problem, often linked to psychosocial difficulties, insecurity, bullying or lack of support in the school environment. School social teams are now highlighted as a strategic tool in the national effort to promote safe learning environments, strengthen prevention and follow-up of both the school environment and school absenteeism that is cause for concern.
Aim
The purpose of the study was to map the research literature on school social teams and to explore practice-based experiences from professionals in Norwegian municipalities who had received grants for establishing such teams. Our research questions were:
- What research exists on school social teams in the following areas:
- Research on implementation factors related to school social teams.
- Research on the effects of school social teams.
- Research on experiences of school social teams.
- What experiences do professionals and staff in a selection of Norwegian municipalities, that have received grants, have with school social teams?
Method
The study used a mixed-methods expansion design and consisted of two sub-studies: a scoping review and a qualitative interview study.
The scoping review included systematic reviews and primary studies that dealt with school social teams. The population could consist of school students, school employees and municipal management, while the outcomes could be about implementation, experience and effect. We conducted two systematic literature searches, one for systematic reviews and one for primary studies, for the period 2020-2025. We searched eight databases, and on the websites of several relevant institutions. Artificial intelligence (AI) was used to support the assessment of relevance of title and abstract. Two project staff assessed all relevant full texts independently of each other, and they assessed the methodological quality of the studies using established checklists adapted to each individual study design.
The qualitative study consisted of focus group interviews with 27 informants distributed across 12 municipalities that have received grants to implement school social teams. We processed the data through reflexive thematic analysis to identify key patterns and connections.
Results
Scoping review
We did not identify any relevant systematic reviews in the search and screening process, however, the AI-supported screening introduces uncertainty. The search for primary studies resulted in the inclusion of five primary studies. There were four qualitative studies on experiences and one randomized controlled trial (RCT) on effect. The qualitative studies describe that interdisciplinary teams work through continuous negotiation of roles, responsibilities and collaboration, and that time pressure and unclear roles can inhibit collaboration. The majority of the qualitative studies had moderate to serious methodological limitations, with the exception of one that had minor to moderate limitations. The RCT had a high risk of bias and showed small and short-term improvements in interprofessional collaboration among schools that had received the interdisciplinary team model. No studies measured effect on students.
Interview study
The analysis of the 13 interviews showed that the school social teams were established in response to increasing complexity in student cases, where school absences, bullying, insecurity, mental health and difficult home situations often occur simultaneously. The teams appeared as a necessary supplement, but were often used reactively when cases had become serious. The organization varied from centrally anchored, interdisciplinary teams to school-based models and combination solutions, which affected accessibility and working methods. Although there are ambitions for preventive and systematic work, practice is characterized by individual-oriented follow-up in complex individual cases, which is relational, flexible and time-consuming. The teams were experienced as an important support that strengthened collaboration, competence and safety in schools. At the same time, the potential is limited by capacity challenges, lack of resources and unclear frameworks, and there is a clear gap between goals of prevention and a practice dominated by reactive efforts.
Discussion
This expansion design study combined a scoping review and an interview study to examine school social teams from different analytical levels. The scoping review revealed a very limited knowledge-base, with only five primary studies included and no studies measuring the effect on student outcomes such as school environment, absence or dropout. This makes the interview study an important supplementary source of knowledge, which provides a more context-sensitive empirical basis for understanding how school social teams function in Norwegian municipalities that have received grants for school social teams.. Overall, the findings showed that collaboration was a common theme, and could function as both a promoter and a barrier. Good relationships, shared understanding and interdisciplinary collaboration could strengthen the follow-up of students, while unclear roles, time pressure and inadequate coordination could hinder collaboration.
Capacity challenges and limited resources emerged as key barriers, especially because the teams often work individually in complex and time-consuming cases, which comes at the expense of preventive and system-oriented efforts. The interview study also showed great variation in organization, from centrally anchored teams to school-based and combined models, where organizational placement has an impact on accessibility, working methods and the balance between individual and system levels. Leadership anchoring and clear mandates appeared to be crucial for implementation, while unclear responsibilities could lead to a shift in responsibility and weakened efficiency.
A key finding was the tension between ambitions for early intervention and a practice characterized by late and reactive involvement. Experience suggests that school social teams can contribute to better coordination, increased competence and greater confidence in handling demanding cases. At the same time, the potential is limited by organizational frameworks, lack of resources and bureaucratic processes, which affect feasibility, acceptability and the possibility of realizing goals of prevention and comprehensive efforts.
Conclusion
The project provides a limited picture of how school social teams are described in research and how they are understood and practiced in a selection of Norwegian municipalities who received grants.. Although the research basis is limited, the findings point to several factors that are relevant for the establishment, further development and organization of such teams. School social teams can contribute to better coordination between services and provide support to schools in working with complex student cases, including through interdisciplinary expertise and different perspectives. At the same time, both research and practical experience show that unclear roles, lack of structures and limited time can reduce the usefulness of teamwork.
Resource use appears to be a key challenge, especially because the teams often work on time-consuming individual cases. The organization varies between municipalities, which affects feasibility and working methods. The interview data show that the teams are mainly experienced as useful and relevant, but also that there is uncertainty related to the role and working methods. The findings emphasize the need for clear organization, clear role clarification and increased emphasis on systematic and preventive work. At the same time, there is a clear need for more research on the effects on the school environment and school absenteeism.