Maria Heimer

Maria Heimer serves as an Associate Professor and researcher at Uppsala University's Department of Political Science, specializing in children's rights within social welfare systems. Her work bridges academic research and practical social service development through active collaborations with regional authorities and foundations.

Her research centers on children's right to participation, protection, and provision within child welfare contexts, particularly examining how vulnerable children's voices are integrated into social service interventions. Heimer investigates systemic barriers in investigation processes and develops child-centered assessment tools to measure intervention effectiveness. Her work spans both Swedish policy contexts and global perspectives, including prior research on poverty alleviation strategies in China.

Recent publications reveal evolving trends toward democratizing family service systems and operationalizing children's rights in practice. Her studies consistently analyze intersections between legal frameworks, social work practices, and children's lived experiences, with increasing focus on quantitative measurement of intervention outcomes and policy implementation gaps.

Heimer leads multiple Forte-funded research initiatives including the longitudinal study 'Biståndsbedömd öppenvård för barn som riskerar att fara illa' (2022-2042) analyzing open-care interventions for at-risk children, and the Region Örebro collaboration 'Barns delaktighet och insatsernas utfall' (2019-2022) developing child-centered assessment tools. She has presented findings at Nordic Congresses, UNICEF events, and government seminars addressing child participation in welfare systems.