Social welfare services include the provision of assistance, care, and services and the application of control mechanisms and coercive measures. In Stockholm, each district includes services provided at the social services center, services at field offices, services at the facilities of other organizations, and outreach work in the street. The problems they address include juvenile delinquency, adult drug abuse, and family problems; the model used is usually reactive, case-controlled, and focused on the individuals. In contrast, a problem-oriented approach would focus on the distribution and prevalence of a particular problem as well as on its consequences for the community at large and its progress over time. Such an approach would include not only the provision of individual assistance but also the accumulation of knowledge of social problems of the entire district and the use of this knowledge as the basis for planning and action. 49 references