BVV3020 Foster home Course description

This course deals with foster homes from different perspectives: cultural, historical, psychological, financial and in relation to due process protection. At the same time, the course is practice-oriented and based on the challenges that foster children and foster families encounter in their everyday lives. How can child welfare officers/sociologists approach the needs of foster children? What does providing guidance to foster parents involve? How can you address the biological parents’ needs as best as possible? The course addresses how foster children build their identity, where the challenge lies in understanding oneself in light of ‘the original’ and ‘the new’.

Lectures, written and oral exercises including presentation and discussions. Students will work both independently and in groups.

Knowledge

The student:

• has knowledge of the challenges experienced by foster children, foster families and biological parents
• has knowledge of safeguarding foster children’s right of participation
• has broad knowledge of attachment and rejection
• has knowledge of the special needs of ethnic minority children
• has knowledge of placement with relatives and networks

Skills

The student:

• can explain what a foster home is
• has insight into and can reflect on foster parents’ need for guidance
• can reflect on key topics that are important when providing guidance to foster parents
• can make discretionary assessments in foster home work

General competence

The student:

• has broad knowledge of foster homes and foster home work
• can reflect on professional and ethical dilemmas that characterise foster home cooperation
• is aware of a broad scope of research and knowledge on foster homes and foster home cooperation

Portfolio assessment subject to the following requirements:

• two individual written assignments (a review of 300 words and an essay between 1500 and 2000 words)
• one written group assignment carried out in groups of 2-5 students (a litteraturereview of 2000-3000 words)

One overall grade is given for the portfolio.

The exam result can be appealed.

All aids are allowed.

Graded scale A-F

One internal examiner. External examiners are occasionally used.

Evelyn Eika

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

Marie Føleide og Eirik Gundersen