BV2100 Law - Child protection law Course description

This course looks at the rules of the Child Welfare Act relating to work in the child welfare service and county social welfare boards, and rules relating to judicial review of the county social welfare boards’ decisions. Particular emphasis is placed on fundamental principles and due process guarantees in child welfare work and the importance of human rights in relation to interventions in family life. The course covers both material and procedural rules. 

The student must have completed and passed the first year of the Bachelor Programme in Child Care and Welfare.

Knowledge

The student

·         has broad knowledge of the rules for work on notifications of concern, investigations and assistance measures 

·         has broad knowledge of the rules for issuing care orders, return of care and adoption under the Child Welfare Act 

·         has broad knowledge of the rules relating to contact and access under the Child Welfare Act

·         has broad knowledge of the rules for processing emergency cases and the special challenges relating to these types of decisions when it comes to due process protection

·         has broad knowledge of the county social welfare boards’ mandate and composition and the due process guarantees in place to secure the decision-making process, and the rules relating to judicial review

·         has knowledge of the child welfare service’s legal scope of action in parental disputes

·         has knowledge of the rules on following up parents after a care order decision

·         has knowledge of the protection afforded by the penal system against violence and abuse, and possibilities for cooperation between the child welfare service and the police/crisis centres

Skills

The student

·         can use legal methods to identify the rules of law that apply to work in the child welfare service 

·         can discuss and assess due process protection in relation to different child welfare measures 

·         can apply the principles of legality and proportionality in the assessment of different measures

·         can distinguish between material conditions and procedural conditions and the provisions’ standard of proof 

·         can write grounds for decisions including distinguishing between facts and legal assessments 

·         can document assessments of children’s participation and consideration of the child’s best interests in decision-making processes 

General competence

The student

·         can process child welfare cases in line with the responsible conduct requirement and the requirements that follow from international human rights

The course is taught through lectures, self-study, group work, skills training with and without the use of filming, and other teaching methods as needed.

The following coursework requirements/compulsory activities must have been approved in order for the student to take the exam:

Coursework requirement 1: an individual written assignment.

The coursework requirement must be completed and approved by the given deadline in order for the student to take the exam. If the coursework is not approved, the student will be given the opportunity to submit an improved version once by a given deadline.

Coursework requirement 2: skills training in writing and documentation.

The attendance requirement for compulsory teaching activities is 80%. If a student's absence exceeds 20%, a comprehensive coursework requirement is set to compensate. If a student's overall absence exceeds 40%, they lose the right to take the exam. 

Each student is responsible for ensuring that their attendance is documented. The length of the teaching days will vary, and it is each student's own responsibility to stay informed about the teaching schedule.

Compulsory activities must be completed and approved by the given deadline in order for the student to take the exam.

An individual five-hour written school exam.

Publicly approved law collections with notations according to more detailed guidelines are permitted during the exam.

Grade scale A-F.

All exam papers are assessed by one internal and one external examiner.

Merete Havre

Julia Køhler-Olsen