Master Programme in Applied Social Sciences - Programme Option Child Care 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

Parts of the further education in Assessment of Children's Needs and further education in Law in Child Welfare Work may be incorporated into the study programme.

En kandidat som har bestått årsstudiet i økonomi og ledelse skal ha følgende samlede læringsutbytte definert i form av kunnskap, ferdigheter og generell kompetanse:

Kunnskap

Kandidaten

• har grunnleggende kunnskap i bedriftsøkonomisk analyse
• har oversikt over andre sentrale økonomisk-administrative emner som samfunnsøkonomi, organisasjon, markedsføring og rettslære
• kjenner til de mest grunnleggende økonomiske problemstillinger og utviklingsarbeidsom er relevant innenfor deler av det økonomisk-administrative fagområde

Ferdigheter

Kandidaten

• kan anvende den faglige kunnskapen til å løse praktiske oppgaver innen regnskap,markedsføring og rettslære
• kan oppdatere og videreutvikle sin kunnskap innenfor det økonomisk-administrativefagområde
• kan anvende relevante faglige verktøy, teknikker og uttrykksformer

Generell kompetanse

Kandidaten

• kan se kunnskapen i sammenheng og anvende den på en relevant måte i økonomiskadministrative oppgaver
• har innsikt i relevante fagområder og yrkesetiske problemstillinger
• kan reflektere og begrunne sine valg i en faglig kontekst

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

Det blir brukt varierte undervisningsformer med en kombinasjon av forelesninger, diskusjoner, oppgaveskriving individuelt og i grupper. I undervisningsopplegget er det lagt vekt på at studentene skal ha jevnlige innleveringer både av individuelle oppgaver og gruppeoppgaver med tilbakemeldinger fra faglærere. I tillegg benyttes ulike studentaktive læringsformer som gruppearbeid, prosjektarbeid og muntlige presentasjoner.

Flere av studiets emner har arbeidskrav i form av skriftlige oppgaver eller muntlige presentasjoner. I noen emner kan det være obligatorisk oppmøte. Arbeidskrav og obligatoriske aktiviteter må være godkjente for at man skal kunne få avlegge eksamen. Arbeidskrav og obligatoriske aktiviteter framgår av den enkelte emneplan.

Vurdering og sensur er i samsvar med bestemmelsene om vurdering i Lov om universiteter og høgskoler og i Forskrift om studier og eksamen ved OsloMet.

Det avholdes eksamen i hvert emne, og det benyttes ulike vurderingsformer. Det framgår av emneplanene hvilken vurderingsform, vurderingsuttrykk og sensorordning som benyttes for det enkelte emne.

Kalkulatorreglement

Der kalkulator er oppgitt som tillatt hjelpemiddel i emneplan, gjelder følgende regler for bruk av fysisk kalkulator:

• Kalkulatoren skal utgjøre en enkelt gjenstand og ha lommeformat.
• Kalkulatoren må ikke ha mulighet for kommunikasjon med andre dataenheter.
• Kalkulatoren tillates ikke koblet til strømnett.
• Kalkulatoren skal ikke avgi lyd.
• Kalkulatoren skal ikke kunne utføre symbolske beregninger, så som derivasjon av funksjonsuttrykk osv.

Det er studentens ansvar å påse at minnet er tømt før eksamen. Dette kan bli kontrollert på eksamen, og hvis minnet ikke er tømt blir dette å regne som fusk/forsøk på fusk. Se retningslinjer ved behandling av fusk/forsøk på fusk til eksamen ved OsloMet.

Det er ikke tilgjengelig noen oversikt over tillatte eller forbudte kalkulatormodeller. Spørsmål kan rettes til de aktuelle faglærerne.

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.

Suitability assessment

The Master programme in Child Care is covered by the Regulations on suitability assessment in higher education adopted by the Ministry of Education and Research.

A suitability assessment is a comprehensive assessment of the student’s academic and personal qualifications for work as a health care or social worker. More information about the suitability assessment can be found on the intranet for OsloMet students.