SBV4300 Knowledge perspectives in child welfarework Course description

Child welfare is a social field whose practice is based on implicit and explicit theories drawn from many different disciplines. Child welfare is also a normative field of activity, which means that it requires critical reflection on the part of the professionals practising it. The course focuses on the child welfare service’s heterogeneous knowledge base and established forms of understanding and presents different perspectives on phenomena of relevance to child welfare. Different understandings of evidence-based practice and the relationship between research-based knowledge, experience-based knowledge and the experiences and wishes of children and families are discussed. The challenges the field of practice and the individual professionals face when new research or new methods or measures are to be implemented/applied in practice are also analysed. The course presents different perspectives on children’s development. A particular focus will be on constructions of children that cast children as participants in everyday life and in the child welfare service’s professional practice  

Theoretical perspectives and normative conceptions provide guidance on what we can see and what we look for. The forms of learning are meant to allow students to train their analytical skills in order to understand the professional practice of the child welfare service from a power perspective and in light of the social context in which the child welfare service operates. 

The language of instruction is Norwegian.  

None.  

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

Knowledge 

The student has 

• in-depth knowledge of key knowledge discourses in child welfare and other welfare fields and of different criteria for evidence-based practice 
• advanced knowledge of the child welfare service’s heterogeneous knowledge base, interdisciplinary and interprofessional collaboration, and an understanding of the relevance of theoretical perspectives to professional practice  
• in-depth knowledge of theoretical understandings of children and childhood, categorisation processes in the child welfare service’s everyday practices  
• advanced knowledge of children’s right to participation and protection and the importance of children as participants in everyday life and in the professional practices of the child welfare service  
• advanced knowledge of different perspectives on children’s development 
• specialised knowledge and insight into research on care assessments and the importance of a holistic understanding of children and parents  
• advanced knowledge of how neglect and abuse occur and are manifested in different ways in children, young people and families in vulnerable life situations  
• in-depth knowledge of different perspectives on family work and milieu therapy within and outside institutions  

Skills 

The student can 

• analyse and take a critical approach to the child welfare service’s implicit and explicit knowledge base to make decisions and implement measures in the child’s best interests  
• analyse professional issues related to risk assessments and different explanations of children and children’s problems  
• take a critical approach to different sources of knowledge and carry out comprehensive care assessments by analysing and assessing the child’s best interest in light of relevant theories and methods  
• cooperate with children and parents and other services when obtaining information and assessing measures  

General competence  

The student can 

• apply knowledge and skills about children, young people and families in vulnerable life situations in new areas in order to carry out advanced tasks and projects  
• communicate about professional issues, analyses and conclusions in child welfare work with children, young people and families, partners and the general public  
• take a critical and analytical approach to explicit and implicit theories, measures and methods in child welfare practice   

Teaching methods vary between lectures and student-active learning methods. 

No coursework requirements or compulsory activities. 

The exam in the course is an individual home exam over seven days. The exam paper should be 10 pages long (+- 10 %). Font and font size: Calibri 12-point. Line spacing: 1.5.  

All aids are permitted, as long as the rules for source referencing are complied with.  

The course sheds light on conditions for child welfare workers’ interaction and cooperative relationships with children, parents and other partners. It focuses on institutional, theoretical and ethical issues in child welfare work and on how they may influence the child welfare worker’s position and professional practice. The child welfare service’s remit, professional assessments and political guidelines, as well as conflicting loyalties that may trigger tension and dilemmas that must be dealt with when working with children and parents, will be discussed in the course. Conditions that impede and promote professional development are also addressed. The course also covers support from the working environment and management. 

The language of instruction is Norwegian.

None.

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

Knowledge 

The student has 

• advanced knowledge of social policy, institutional and professional conditions for interaction in the child welfare service 

• the advanced theoretical knowledge required to establish cooperative alliances with children, families and other services 
• advanced knowledge of professional ethical issues
• advanced knowledge of conditions that impede and promote professional development 

 Skills 

The student can 

• analyse circumstances of importance to child welfare workers’ understanding of their role and professional practice
• analyse and handle professional ethical issues and dilemmas 
• analyse their own position on the basis of gender, age, class and their own life story and their bearing on the relationship with children and parents 

General competence  

The student can 

• analyse and take a critical approach to their own position and values in encounters with children, parents and partners and seek guidance as needed
• use knowledge of one’s own and other professions’ expertise and areas of responsibility when considering the child’s best interests 

• apply their knowledge to safeguard children’s and parents’ rights to participation and co-determination