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FRIHUMSAM-Fri prosj.st. hum og sam

The acceptability of child protection interventions A cross-country analysis

Alternative title: Befolkningens aksept av barnevernets funksjon. En landkomparativ studie.

Awarded: NOK 10.0 mill.

During 2022, the project has published a number of professional articles. Among other things, Helland, Pedersen and Skivenes have published "Comparing population view's on state responsibility for children in vulnerable situations - the role of institutional context and socio-demographic characteristics". The article looks at the public's views on the authorities' responsibility for intervening in situations of possible child neglect in England, Finland, Norway and California (USA), and examines whether the child protection system and children's well-being shape people's perspective on the authorities' responsibility for children in vulnerable situations . "Parental Freedom in the Context of Risk to the Child: Citizens' Views of Child Protection and the State in the US and Norway" is another article written by Berrick, Skivenes and Roscoe. In the study, they look at the normative basis for limiting parental freedom by exploring public attitudes to a child's safety in the context of increasing risk.

Presentation and sharing results The results from the project have been actively presented in seminars, blog posts, conferences, and in mass-media as well as practice field journals and for policy makers. There is a great interest for this type of comparative research among policy makers, administrators and media. We have distributed the results directly to staff, agencies, courts that participate in the project, as well as to potential readers in both the academic and practice field. We have also presented our results on an updated and informative website, as well as presented snapshots from the project and its results on a project blog. The results have also initiated new research projects such as for example CPS-World and also a handbook in the field.

This project examines the population´s values and interpretations of the child´s best interests principle within different societies, as well at the courts justifications of their best interests judgments. The principle of the child´s best interests is recognized by all states, but it is a principle that is controversial and contested within and between welfare states. This becomes evident through the media's comprehensive and daily, coverage of cases involving migrant children and their families seeking residence permit, and controversies around child protection interventions towards migrant families or minority families. For Norway, for example, there has been recurring criticism of the child protection system from other states in the recent years, and just recently with demonstrations worldwide against a child protection intervention, displaying a strong distrust in the system. There are social and political controversies within Europe and within states regarding how to protect and care for the large influx of migrant children. This project has the potential to enhance our understanding of international differences regarding children´s status and their interests. It includes randomised surveys administered to the general population and thereby generates unique data on the causal mechanisms to explain differences in the perceptions of the child´s best interests. This project is the first comprehensive study on the justifications of decisions and judgements regarding the child´s best interests in child protection cases. As such, it enhances our understanding of the mechanisms of discretionary decision making, and it provides insight into the factors and values that are considered valid and legitimate within the legal-administrative sphere.

Publications from Cristin

Funding scheme:

FRIHUMSAM-Fri prosj.st. hum og sam