Anette Christine Iversen

Universal Social Competence Promotion Programme in School: Does it Work for Children with Low Socio-Economic Background?

The purpose of this study on which this paper reports was to examine the effects of a universal social competence promotion programme on children from families characterised by low socioeconomic status (SES). The study employed an age cohort design. The sample consisted of 1,153 students in fifth to seventh grade from 11 schools in Norway. Data were collected by questionnaires at baseline (2004) and after one year of programme implementation (2005). The programme resulted in significantly greater gains for low SES students on some but not all of the outcomes measured. Low SES students showed greater improvement in social competence, school performance and satisfaction with life than their medium to high SES peers. The finding that a universal programme has beneficial effects for children who report low socio-economic status is promising, since those children show a cluster of psychosocial disadvantages.

Mental Health Problems among Child Welfare Clients Living at Home

The great majority of children receiving intervention from child welfare and protection services (CWS) in Norway live at home. The purpose of this study was to assess mental health problems among these children. Data stem from a population-based study, the Bergen child study, conducted in 2006. Of a sample consisting of 4,162 children in the fifth to seventh grades, 82 children were CWS clients who lived at home. Compared with their peers, the CWS children had significantly higher scores on emotional problems, hyperactivity, conduct problems, peer problems, and total difficulties (child and parent reports on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire). The relationship between being a CWS client and total difficulties remained significant when socio-demographic variables were controlled for. Even though the results indicate that child welfare clients have more contact with child and adolescent mental health service than earlier assumed, the results emphasise the need for strong collaboration between CWS and mental health services and the need for CWS to include other types of interventions in addition to financial support.

The use of multidisciplinary teams to support child welfare clients

Meeting the educational needs of young people in the child welfare system (CWS) requires effective collaboration between the CWS and the education system. In Norway and in other countries, there is an increased focus on interprofessional collaboration to support child welfare clients in and around schools. Multidisciplinary teams are employed to facilitate collaboration and coordinate supportive measures. The purpose of this article is to describe how teachers and social workers use such teams as part of a collaborative effort to support children living in difficult conditions. In an inductive thematic analysis of 13 interviews with 7 social workers and 6 teachers, the following five key themes were revealed: (i) solution-focused work; (ii) listening to the child; (iii) parental support; (iv) social/environmental opportunities for successful interactions and (v) ensuring school attendance through adapted education and support. In conclusion, we discuss the ways in which these themes reflect how teams support child welfare clients.

Child welfare workers use of knowledge in their daily work

The debate continues on what constitutes core knowledge in professional work in child welfare and child protection. The aims of this article are to examine what different sources of knowledge social workers report to use in their daily work and to determine the importance of different knowledge sources in relation to their work experience, educational background and type of employment (caseworker/manager). Data were obtained from a survey completed by 390 social workers in municipal child welfare services in Western Norway. Social workers answered questions regarding their use of different knowledge sources in their daily work. The information they obtained in a particular case and their personal experiences were the most frequently used sources. Factor analysis revealed four subgroups of knowledge sources: The most frequently used were: (a) Colleagues and Supervision and (b) Personal Experience, followed by (c) Social Work Education, Courses and Municipal and State Documents, with (d) Journal Articles, Textbooks and External Sources being the least frequently used. The most important source for social workers with less work experience was Colleagues and Supervision, whereas the factor Journal Articles, Textbooks and External Sources was more often important for social workers with a master’s degree than for those without this level of education. Overall, social workers seem to rely mostly on personal experience and their colleagues as sources of knowledge in their work.

Interprofessional collaboration as a means of including children at risk: an analysis of Norwegian educational policy documents

Issues concerning interprofessional collaboration (IPC) for children at risk have become a priority globally as well as in Norway. By international standards, the Norwegian educational system is regarded as inclusive and collaborative in terms of the external services that support schools and pupils. However, a debate continues on how to best collaborate to meet the needs of pupils with complex problems. Thus, the aim of this paper is to analyse how the relationship between IPC and inclusive education is reflected in important Norwegian educational policy documents. A problem-driven content analysis revealed three categories: (1) inclusion as an impetus for IPC, (2) IPC as a strategy for inclusion, and (3) commitment to IPC when necessary. Major findings included: (1) IPC in national educational documents should be described more clearly to promote inclusive education; (2) IPC connected to other support mechanisms, such as multidisciplinary teams and individual plans; and (3) schools can commit IPC when necessary. The results in this study show that when green papers, white papers, and legislation fail to offer clear recommendations, schools and teachers may not prioritise IPC.

Successful Academic Achievement among Foster Children: What Did the Foster Parents Do?.

ABSTRACT Children who spend part of their childhood in foster homes have, as a group, lower academic achievement than their peers. However, some of these children do well and succeed in higher education. Resilience is about positive development enhanced by protective factors despite adversity. Protective factors may be both positive qualities in the children themselves and their social contexts. The purpose of this article is to explore how young people who spent part of their childhood in foster care succeeded in higher education. We interviewed 13 foster parents and 16 young adults with ongoing or completed university studies. Two main themes emerged as particularly important: the young adults’ motivation and effort, and qualities in the foster home. In this article, we focus on the qualities in the foster home. The analysis showed three main themes related to the foster home that supported school achievement: the promotion of a feeling of belonging in the foster home; core values such as taking school work seriously and giving one’s best; and providing order and structure in the foster children’s lives.

Minority children and academic resilience in the Nordic welfare states

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to summarise and analyse empirical research on protective factors that promote academic resilience in ethnic minority children mainly aged between 13 and 18 years attending schools in the Nordic countries. Design/methodology/approach This paper was opted for a literature review of 23 peer-reviewed quantitative articles published between 1999 and 2014. The analysis entailed protective factors at both the personal and environmental levels in ethnic minority children. Findings Some minority children’s school performance may be just as good if not better than majority children when having similar or even lower socioeconomic status than majority children. Protective factors at the personal level included working hard, having a positive attitude towards school, and having high educational aspirations. Protective factors at the environmental level included supportive school systems, supportive schools, and supportive networks including parental qualities and support. The findings are comparable to the findings outside the Nordic countries with one exception; minority children in the Nordic countries performed better than expected despite socioeconomic disadvantages. Research limitations/implications Protective factors affecting academic resilience need further attention in a time with an increased global migration. Research implications may be related to how schools and policy makers develop supportive school systems, supportive schools, and supportive networks to contribute to making a difference for minority children’s educational opportunities in the Nordic countries. Originality/value Academic resilience is a relatively new research field in the Nordic countries. This review is the first review which has summarised and analysed existing findings on academic resilience in the Nordic countries in minority children.

Experience with suspecting child maltreatment in the Norwegian public dental health services, a national survey

Abstract Objective: Detecting and responding to child-maltreatment is a serious challenge and public health concern. In Norway, public dental health personnel (PDHP) have a mandatory obligation to report to child welfare services (CWS) if they suspect child-maltreatment. This study aimed to assess PDHP’s frequency of reporting and failing to report to CWS and whether the frequencies varied according to personal, organizational and external characteristics. Material and methods: An electronic questionnaire was sent to 1542 public dental hygienists and dentists in Norway, 1200 of who responded (77.8%). Results: The majority 60.0%, reported having sent reports of concern to CWS throughout their career, 32.6% had suspected child-maltreatment but failed to report it in their career and 42.5% had sent reports during the three-year period from 2012 to 2014. The reporting frequency to CWS was influenced by PDHP’s personal, organizational and external characteristics, while failure to report was influenced by personal characteristics. Conclusions: Compared to international studies, PDHP in Norway sends reports of concern and fails to report to CWS at relatively high rates. PDHPs likelihood of reporting was influenced by age, working experience, number of patients treated, size of the municipality and geographical region, while failure to report to CWS was influenced by working experience.