Master Programme in Applied Social Sciences - Programme Option Child Care, part-time Programme description

The Master’s Programme in Applied Social Sciences – Programme Option Child Welfare is a master’s degree programme for child welfare officers that aims to produce candidates with in-depth knowledge of children, young people and families in vulnerable life situations and of the social conditions that have a particular impact on their welfare and everyday life. Students should be able to analyse the individual child’s care situation and, in cooperation with children and families, initiate change work to improve the child’s care situation and development opportunities. The programme is also intended to further develop students’ capacity for analytical thinking and critical and ethical reflection on their own practice. The programme elucidates the relationship between the understanding of a problem and the choice of measures and methods used in the child welfare service, as well as the theoretical basis for the measures. Key topics include the child welfare service’s remit, legal framework conditions and the rights of children and families.

Child welfare is a field whose practice is based on implicit and explicit theories drawn from many different disciplines. It is a normative area of activity, and a critical basis for assessing what knowledge is valid and relevant to practice in the field is required. Ways of understanding children and their status in society form important premises for the child welfare service’s activities at all times. The programme emphasises the child welfare service’s role in a society characterised by cultural complexity, social inequality and diversity, and therefore focuses on child welfare work in large cities. The programme combines practice-based and research-based teaching. 

The programme description and the content of the programme are based on the Regulations relating to national guidelines for master’s degree programmes in child welfare. 

The programme option is intended for child welfare officers who wish to specialise in the field of child welfare. The programme is also relevant to child and adolescent mental health work, correctional services and work in kindergartens and schools.

The programme qualifies students for:

• positions in municipal and state child welfare services
• positions in other welfare services and public administrative bodies working with children and families 
• positions in specialist environments, research and educational institutions
• admission to PhD programmes

The admission requirement is a completed bachelor’s degree or three-year first degree programme in child welfare. 

After completing the programme, the candidate should have the following overall learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The candidate has

• advanced knowledge of social science theories and legal understanding of relevance to the work of the child welfare service and other welfare services.
• in-depth knowledge of children’s and families’ rights in dealings with the child welfare service
• in-depth knowledge of ethical issues encountered by the child welfare service 
• an understanding of theory of science, with a particular focus on understanding of the profession and the child welfare service’s heterogeneous knowledge base 
• in-depth knowledge of analytical perspectives on professional practice, institutions and social policy interventions
• specialised knowledge of the exercise of discretionary judgement in child welfare assessments and decisions

Skills

The candidate can

• analyse and take a critical approach to different sources of knowledge and use them when making assessments and decisions in the best interests of the child 
• carry out care assessments by analysing and considering what would be in the child’s best interests in light of the child’s and family’s situation and the context
• reflect on the child welfare service’s complex social remit and role in society
• analyse and assess the child welfare service’s methodological procedures 
• carry out professional child welfare work in a metropolitan context

General competence

The candidate can

• apply relevant research-based knowledge in the field of child welfare
• critically assess social policy measures and professional recommendations concerning children and families in child welfare and associated services
• critically assess the opportunities and limitations of new research-based knowledge in the field of child welfare 
• assess ethical issues related to research and development in the field of child welfare

The programme is taught as a full-time course of study over two years and a part-time course of study over three years. The full-time work load is 30 ECTS credits per semester. 

In addition to the master’s thesis, the programme option comprises nine compulsory courses. The courses build on each other. It is therefore recommended that students take the courses in the order in which they are listed in the table. 

In the second semester, Philosophy of Social Science and one of the methodology courses will be taken. The remaining methodology course will be taken in the fourth semester. The student should therefore first choose the method he/she plans to use in his/her master's thesis. The master's thesis is an independent work of 30 credits. Ongoing research projects that the student can link up to will be presented in the second semester at the Mastertorg. In the second semester, the student will prepare a project outline for the master's thesis and then be assigned a supervisor. The part-time student completes the master's thesis in the sixth semester.

Progress requirements 

The student must have passed the course Application of law in child welfare work in order to register for the course Prudence and the rule of law in child welfare work.

Students must have passed all the programme courses before they can submit their master’s thesis for assessment.  

Students will encounter a variety of work methods and coursework requirements. Teaching methods vary between lectures, seminars and other student-active learning methods.

The programme should impart knowledge of international matters of relevance to children’s development and the legal status of children and parents. Several of the courses deal with international matters with a bearing on the development of social problems as well as possible solutions to these problems. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is a document that forms the basis for discussion. Different ways of understanding the concept of the child’s best interests are analysed in light of cultural diversity. Child welfare services are also considered in light of majority and minority perspectives relating to othering, among other things. These perspectives are represented both in the course literature and in the topics taught.

Pursuant to the Regulations relating to studies and examinations at OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University, compulsory requirements may be stipulated that must be met before students can take an exam. Any coursework requirements set (including compulsory attendance) are given in the course descriptions. Required coursework must be approved before the student can take the exam. If required coursework has not been submitted or has not been approved, the student will lose the right to take the exam in the course in question.

Exams are held in each course, and various forms of assessment are used. The form of assessment, assessment, examiner arrangements and aids permitted for each course are specified in each course description.