Timo Toikko is Professor of Social Work at the University of Eastern Finland. He has authored books on the history of Finnish social welfare and research methodology, while his research has primarily focused on the development of the Finnish social welfare system. Currently, his work focuses on child protection from a system-level perspective, examining inequalities in the availability of child protection services. His recent research explores how social welfare benefits, family support services, and local conditions influence the demand for child protection interventions and out-of-home placements.