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.

Ingen forkunnskapskrav.

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

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

Knowledge

The graduate 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 graduate 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 graduate 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

Studenten skal etter å ha fullført emnet ha følgende totale læringsutbytte definert i kunnskap, ferdigheter og generell kompetanse:

Kunnskap

Studenten har

• kunnskap om det representative demokratiet, alternative demokratitilnærminger og den demokratiske styringskjeden nasjonalt og lokalt
• kunnskap om organiseringen av Stortinget, regjeringen, departementer, direktorater og andre sentrale organer i statsforvaltningen
• kunnskap om forholdet mellom politikk, administrasjon og fag
• kunnskap om lokaldemokrati, kommunal organisering og forholdet mellom stat og kommunesektor
• kunnskap om de viktigste organene i EU og EØS-avtalens betydning for Norge.
• kunnskap om forholdet mellom interesseorganisasjoner og myndighetene
• kunnskap om hvordan politikk utvikles, fra dagsordensetting til iverksetting
• kunnskap om forvaltningspolitikk og forvaltningsreformer

Ferdigheter

Studenten kan

• redegjøre for grunntrekkene i organiseringen av nasjonale, regionale og lokale politiske og administrative organer, samt disses virkemåte
• gjøre faglige vurderinger av styringsformer og styringsutfordringer i offentlig sektor

Generell kompetanse

Studenten

• har innsikt i etiske spørsmål knyttet til offentlig sektor
• kan finne og bruke relevante og kvalitetssikrede faglige informasjonskilder
• kan arbeide selvstendig og sammen med andre om skriftlige oppgaver og muntlige presentasjoner av sentrale problemstillinger

This master's degree programme gives students a broad understanding of global social and health problems and in-depth knowledge of the fields of social and health care systems. All the courses are designed from a broad international perspective, reflected in the curriculum. Class discussion, work requirements, group work and examinations will reflect the international orientation of the courses.

Students have the opportunity to travel abroad in the third semester of the programme. Students are encouraged to collect data for their thesis while they are abroad or in their home country.

The faculty has many partner organisations abroad which will be able to assist students with data collection and analysis. Students can also choose three elective topics to be taken in an institution outside of the programme. Courses taken outside of the programme must be approved by the programme coordinator before semester start.

Information regarding studies and data collection abroad will be disseminated during the first two semesters.

Each course concludes with a final examination which takes the form of either a written examination, a written home assignment, a semester paper or a portfolio. Students may use a spelling dictionary, as well as a bilingual dictionary during written school examinations. All examinations are graded by an internal examiner. In addition, an external examiner will evaluate at least 25 per cent of examinations, which will form the basis for the internal examiners grading.

Students that are not satisfied with their grades have the right to submit an appeal, whereupon examinations will be re-evaluated by two new examiners (one internal and the other external). Note that when appealing, students risk receiving a lower grade than the grade awarded for the initial examination.

The Master's Thesis will be evaluated by both an internal and an external examiner. Neither examiner shall be involved in the supervision of the Master's thesis in question.

Students at the Institute for Social Work must use the APA style when citing sources and referencing.

A grading scale from A to F will normally be used in assessment. A grade of pass ranges from A to E, while F is a fail. In some courses students will receive a grade of either pass or fail. In this case, pass will be equivalent to grade C or better. See the description of each course for further information on the use of the grading system

The following documents regulate examinations at OsloMet:

the Act Relating to Universities and University Colleges

the Directive for Curricula Regulations from the Ministry of Education and Research

Regulations Relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet.

It is the responsibility of students to familiarise themselves with these rules and regulations. Information regarding some of these responsibilities will be disseminated to students during Introduction Week, as well as during lectures, and on the e-learning platform Canvas

The link to the Act Relating to Universities and University Colleges can be found here: http://www.regjeringen.no/upload/kilde/kd/reg/2006/0031/ddd/pdfv/273037-loven_higher_education_act_norway_010405.pdf

The link to Regulations Relating to Studies and Examinations at Oslo Metropolitan University can be found at: http://www.oslomet.no

Gradert skala A - F

Det benyttes intern og ekstern sensor til sensurering av besvarelsene.

Et uttrekk på minst 25 % av besvarelsene sensureres av to sensorer. Karakterene på disse samsensurerte besvarelsene skal danne grunnlag for å fastsette nivå på resten av besvarelsene.

Øyvind Søraas Skorge