Project period: 2020-2021

Funding: Stavne Trondheim KF/ Trondheim Municipality

Project owner: Stavne Trondheim KF

Project partner: NTNU, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, Department of Neuromedicine and Movement Science 

Project Management at NTNU: Siren Hope and Kirsti Sarheim Anthun
                 
Summary

The project is an evaluation of Dagsverket (transl. ‘A Day’s work’). Dagsverket is a low-threshold service that provides a voluntary and flexible job offer to people with substance abuse. The study aims to detect the benefits of the service, as experienced by the participants, as well as the potentials of improvement. The results of the project are presented in a report and also in a film about Dagsverket (duration 42 minutes). Both the report and the film are based on a qualitative data collection involving participant observation at Dagsverket, and interviews and conversations with participants, staff, and collaborators from public services and nonprofit organizations, that target the same group.  

The study shows that the services offered by Dagsverket are very important for the target group. At Dagsverket participants can participate in a work community where user involvement, respect, collaboration, and mastery are central elements. Furthermore, Dagsverket provides substance abusers in Trondheim with an opportunity for regular work, offering a dignified and meaningful daily routine that can divert them from substance abuse, isolation, and difficult thoughts. For many of the participants, the daily wage is a significant additional income in a tight financial situation. Participants also find it crucial that they perform “real work” at Dagsverket, and it is important for them to feel that they contribute to society and are not in an activation measure.

The core group that regularly uses the service at Dagsverket consists of forty to fifty individuals, men and women, in various life situations. Some are still struggling with substance abuse, some are in medication-assisted treatment, others are substance-free and have been for some years, but all express that they appreciate the flexibility that Dagsverket provides regarding work. They can come on their good and bad days, and when they come, they are assessed as ready to work, and resourceful. 

At Dagsverket, participants may also receive assistance with other challenges, and this low-threshold service becomes a bridge and support towards other agencies and services. Employees at Dagsverket find themselves in a good position to assist and guide, due to its capacity of being a low-threshold service that closely interacts with the group. They see and communicate with many of the participants on a daily basis, and gain a good understanding of their life situation, health condition, needs, and desires. Moreover, Dagsverket enjoys significant trust within the target group. Dagsverket also collaborates closely with other low-threshold services targeting the group, contributing to ensuring that the most at-risk individuals receive the necessary help and that the life conditions are improved for the group in general. However, Dagsverket wishes that the knowledge and insight they have about the life situation and daily functioning of the participants are better utilized in the broader health and welfare system, believing that this could further improve the situation for more individuals.

The findings from the evaluation show that Dagsverket meets many needs in the target group, and participants' quality of life and health improve when they regularly engage in the work program.

Project publications

• Hope, Siren; Anthun, Kirsti Sarheim . (2021): Et godt Dagsverk? En kvalitativ evaluering av Dagsverkets virksomhet, med vekt på deltakernes opplevelser av tilbudet. https://hdl.handle.net/11250/2825525 NTNU Report
• Hope, S., Anthun, K.S. (2021): Et godt Dagsverk, Documentary film, 42”. Trondheim: NTNU Panopto