BV2700 Work in Child Welfare Services Course description

The course provides an introduction to the work of the child welfare services across the phases of a child welfare case: investigations of the child’s care situation, as well as the planning, implementation, and follow‑up of measures, both with and without consent. Students will gain knowledge of the professional assessments, key issues, and processes involved in each phase of a child welfare case. Children’s and parents’ participation constitutes a recurring theme, as do the professional and ethical considerations associated with the child welfare service’s exercise of authority. The course offers an analytical approach to the complexity of decision‑making in child welfare.

The course aims to develop students’ knowledge and skills in conducting professional assessments of a child’s care situation and in documenting these assessments. Teaching builds on, and further expands, students’ understanding of child neglect. The course also includes skills training in professional communication and interaction, and skills training in documentation.

Language of instruction is Norwegian, although some teaching may be conducted in English.

The student must have completed and passed the first year of the bachelor’s program in Child Welfare.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the course, the student is expected to have achieved the following learning outcomes, defined in terms of knowledge, skills, and general competence:

Knowledge

The student:

• has knowledge of central child welfare topics and issues related to case processing within the child welfare services
• has knowledge of how understanding child neglect can be applied in professional child welfare assessments
• has broad knowledge of different measures and of the ethical and professional considerations involved in their follow‑up
• has knowledge of cultural diversity and insight into child welfare practice with minority families, including the use of interpreters
• has knowledge of how children’s and parents’ participation can be facilitated throughout a child welfare case
• has knowledge of the relationships between health, education, employment, and living conditions, as well as the distribution of responsibilities within the welfare administration in these areas

Skills

The student:

• can apply a multidisciplinary knowledge base to work purposefully with children and families
• can apply knowledge of cultural diversity and demonstrate intercultural understanding when meeting children and parents in the child welfare services
• can analyse information to conduct professional assessments of a child’s care situation
• has insight into, and can analyse and critically reflect on, documentation used in the work of the child welfare services
• can interact with children and parents in ways that promote participation

General Competence

The student:

• can critically reflect on knowledge bases, methods, and power relations in the work of the child welfare services
• can use knowledge, skills, and experience to meet children and families in vulnerable life situations with understanding, empathy, and recognition
• has insight into their own preconceptions, attitudes, and values, and can reflect on how these may influence professional practice
• can plan, carry out, justify, document, and evaluate child welfare practice

Teaching is conducted on campus with in-person attendance. Learning activities include lectures, self‑study, group work, skills training, and other instructional methods as needed. The course includes skills training in professional communication and interaction, as well as skills training in documentation. Students receive guidance and supervision throughout the skills training component.

Compulsory Activities

The course includes compulsory activities:

Mandatory Assignment 1:Skills training in professional communication and interaction over 5 days, 4 hours per day.

The skills training is carried out across the two courses BV2700 Work in the Child Welfare Services and BV2800 Milieu‑Therapeutic Work with Children and Young People. Participation in the skills training is counted cumulatively for both courses and is registered under BV2800 Milieu‑Therapeutic Work with Children and Young People.

For compulsory teaching activities, a requirement of 80% attendance and active participation applies. If the total absence exceeds 20%, the student will be assigned a comprehensive compensatory assignment to make up for the absence and lack of active participation. If the total absence exceeds 40%, the student loses the right to sit the examination in BV2800 Milieu‑Therapeutic Work with Children and Young People.

Each student is responsible for ensuring that their attendance is documented. The length of teaching days will vary, and each student is responsible for being informed about the schedule for each teaching day. The requirement for attendance and active participation in skills training is based on the need for students to acquire competencies and practical skills that are integral to the course and cannot be obtained solely through reading the curriculum or taking the exam.

The examination in the course is a 6‑hour individual on‑campus written exam.

The following aids are permitted:

• The examination version of Lovdata Pro.

Graded scale A-F.

Both internal and external examiners participate in the grading of all examinations.

Tonje Steen og Eirik C. Gundersen

The course is equivalent to the courses BV2200 Child Welfare in the Welfare State - Reports, Investigations and Support Measures, and BV2300 Child Welfare in the Welfare State - Coercive Measures and Out‑of‑Home Placement.