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Book Review: International Perspectives and Empirical Findings on Child Participation: From Social Exclusion to Child-Inclusive Policies
In: Critical social policy: a journal of theory and practice in social welfare, Band 36, Heft 3, S. 454-456
ISSN: 1461-703X
Judging the Child's Best Interests: Rational Reasoning or Subjective Presumptions?
In: Acta sociologica: journal of the Scandinavian Sociological Association, Band 53, Heft 4, S. 339-353
ISSN: 1502-3869
Using a sociological theory of rational argumentation as its point of departure, this article discusses the 'best interests of the child' as a guiding principle when decisions are made. Application of this principle has been criticized for weakening the legal protection of children and parents and resulting in arbitrary and subjective decisions. The criteria for rational decision-making are outlined and three cases of enforced adoption are analysed in an effort to understand how the Norwegian highest appellate court comes to a decision in the best interests of the child. The findings show that two of the three decisions do not meet the standards of rational argumentation, suggesting that decisions are instead based on the judges' subjective preferences. This finding is problematic from a democratic point of view and indicates that decisions and interventions are neither rational nor legitimate.
Rettsgebyrer i prinsipiell belysning
In: Norsk statsvitenskapelig tidsskrift, Band 14, Heft 1, S. 10-37
ISSN: 0801-1745
Securing permanence for children in care: A cross‐country analysis of citizen's view on adoption versus foster care
In: Child & family social work, Band 28, Heft 2, S. 432-442
ISSN: 1365-2206
AbstractIf children in child protection cannot be cared for by their natural parents, should they be adopted or live in foster home? Results from a study of representative samples of populations (n = 12 330), in eight European countries—Austria, England, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Norway and Spain—and California, USA, reveal that people would recommend adoption over foster care, if a child in public care cannot grow up with their natural parent(s). There are cross‐country differences between populations, and examining if institutional context such as type of child protection system explains differences, we find that child maltreatment‐oriented systems are more supportive of adoption than other types of systems. Citizens having little confidence in the child protection system were only weakly correlated with preference for adoption. In conclusion, people prefer adoption as placement options for children in care are more than foster homes, and possible this finding reflects a sort of refamalialization of children into the private sphere.
Populations trust in the child protection system: A cross-country comparison of nine high-income jurisdictions
In: Journal of European social policy, Band 32, Heft 4, S. 422-435
ISSN: 1461-7269
In this study, we examine the trust placed by the populations of nine jurisdictions in their child protection systems. These systems protect children's rights and grant authority for invasive interventions to curtail or even terminate parental rights and responsibilities. We have representative samples of the populations of each jurisdiction. The results show that about 40–50% of respondents express trust in the child protection agencies, social workers and judges who make decisions. There are clear differences between jurisdictions, with the Anglo-American countries at the lower end of the trust scale. Examining the impact of institutional context, we find that institutional context matters for the degree of peoples' trust in the child protection system. This indicates that the typology of child protection systems has relevance, and more empirical studies are encouraged. Some demographic characteristics (age, having children, income, education) and ideological variables (political orientation) are also correlated with trust levels.
Judging parental competence: A cross‐country analysis of judicial decision makers' written assessment of mothers' parenting capacities in newborn removal cases
In: Child & family social work, Band 26, Heft 1, S. 50-60
ISSN: 1365-2206
AbstractThis paper examines the discretionary reasoning of the judiciary in three jurisdictions, England, Germany and Norway, in cases deciding whether a newborn child is safe with her parents or intervention is necessary. Our analysis focuses on one specific dimension of decision makers' exercise of discretion, namely, if and how the strengths and weaknesses of the mother are considered. The data material consists of all decisions concerning care orders of newborns from one large city in Germany from 2015 to 2017 (n= 27) and 2016 in Norway (n= 76) and all publicly available newborn removal decisions in England for 2015–2017 (n= 14). The findings reveal a high number of risk factors in the cases and less focus on risk‐reducing factors. The situation of the newborn is considered to be harmful, as most cases result in a care order. Judicial discretion differs by how much information, and what types of factors, are included in the justification for the decision. A learning point for decision makers and policymakers would be to actively undertake a balancing act between risk‐increasing and risk‐reducing factors.
Judging Parental Competence: A Cross-Country Analysis of Judicial Decision Makers' Written Assessment of Mothers' Parenting Capacities in Newborn Removal Cases
In: Krutzinna, J., & Skivenes, M. (2021). Judging parental competence: A cross‐country analysis of judicial decision makers' written assessment of mothers' parenting capacities in newborn removal cases. Child & Family Social Work, 26(1), 50-60.
SSRN
Improving decision‐making in care order proceedings: A multijurisdictional study of court decision‐makers' viewpoints
In: Child & family social work, Band 24, Heft 2, S. 173-182
ISSN: 1365-2206
AbstractChild welfare removals of children are among the most invasive decisions a state can make toward its citizens, and typically it is the courts that make these decisions. These interventions are regularly exposed to criticism. In this paper, we examine if and how care order proceedings could be improved in England, Finland, Norway, and California, USA. We have asked the judiciary decision‐makers about their view on what should be improved. Our findings show that the organization of the proceedings, including time and staff, are identified as issues in all four systems. Furthermore, the preparations by the child welfare agency are also mentioned as an issue, for English, Finnish, and Californian decision‐makers. Very few decision‐makers indicate features related to the individual, situational, and contextual dimensions, which is interesting since this would be expected from organization theory. The strong call for change in the way proceedings are organized indicates a need for modernization as well as better use of available competency from child development experts. The respondents focus on the elements that a decision‐maker has direct experience with and knowledge about, and this is indeed worth noting for policymakers in the four systems.
Citizens' views in four jurisdictions on placement policies for maltreated children
In: Child & family social work, Band 22, Heft 4, S. 1472-1479
ISSN: 1365-2206
AbstractCitizens' opinions on child protection public policy are a key dimension of the legitimacy of a political order. We have conducted a survey vignette on a representative sample of citizens (N = 4,003) in England, Finland, Norway, and California, USA. The findings show that citizens' opinions are clearly in favour of adoption (75%) rather than long‐term foster care (25%). Context may partly explain the findings, as the responses of the majority of Anglo‐American respondents are in line with practice in their countries but for the Nordic respondents, there is a substantial discrepancy between citizens' opinions and on‐going child protection practices.
Deliberative Decision-Making on the Norwegian County Social Welfare Board: The Experiences of Expert and Lay Members
In: Journal of public child welfare, Band 11, Heft 1, S. 108-132
ISSN: 1554-8740
Pathways to permanence in England and Norway: A critical analysis of documents and data
In: Children and youth services review: an international multidisciplinary review of the welfare of young people, Band 67, S. 152-160
ISSN: 0190-7409
Explaining whistle blowing processes in the Norwegian labour market: Between individual power resources and institutional arrangements
In: Economic and industrial democracy, Band 38, Heft 1, S. 119-143
ISSN: 1461-7099
The aim of this article is to examine the explanatory forces of power resources and institutional factors on whistle blowing activity, its effectiveness and reactions. The authors analyse survey material of 6000 Norwegian employees across sectors and industries, and find that individual power resources have little impact, but the organizational power resources of positions, and institutional factors matter. Departing from a Norwegian labour market model, this is a result that encourages continued focus on codetermination, democracy and openness.
The Population's Confidence in the Child Protection System – A Survey Study of England, Finland, Norway and the United States (California)
In: Social policy and administration, Band 51, Heft 7, S. 1330-1347
ISSN: 1467-9515
AbstractThis article examines the confidence the population (N = 4,003) has in the child welfare system in four countries – England, Finland, Norway and the USA (California). We find that about half or less of the population reports having confidence in the system, which is slightly higher than the confidence in the civil servants in the same countries. The Nordic countries display more confidence in the child welfare system than the Anglo‐American countries. The similarity between the countries is, however, greater than anticipated. As for independent variables that can shed light on differences in confidence levels, we find three variables to be related to a higher confidence level, and these are a left wing political orientation, lower age, and higher education. This study contributes in filling a knowledge gap on studies about trust in the child welfare system, but we emphasize that we have studied an aspect of trust that rests on the population's impressions of a system, and not their substantial knowledge about, or identification with, this system.