OBSERVING CHANGE: THE TRANSFORMATIVE IMPACT ON CHILD WELFARE PRACTICES
Abstract
This article delves into the intricacies of child welfare services (CWS) practices and their emergence, emphasizing the role of specific observations in shaping these practices. It focuses on a constructed child service investigation, dissecting the factors responsible for molding an investigation into a particular form and progression rather than other potential pathways. Previous work by Aamodt (2015) highlighted the striking uniformity of CWS investigations across various cases, agencies, and caseworkers, sparking the author's curiosity about the underlying causes. The article centers its inquiry on understanding why welfare practices evolve in particular ways and proposes an analytical approach for scrutinizing these practices. Grounded in a systems theoretical framework, the analysis employs form/medium analysis, as presented by Niels Åkerstrøm Andersen in his recent book. While not novel, this analytical strategy draws from Fritz Heider's 1920 proposition that distinguishes between form and medium as the foundation of all perception. Prominent sociologists like Talcott Parson and Niklas Luhmann have also incorporated the concept of medium in their explanations of how systems perceive the world. Walter Seiter's work extends this concept, highlighting the role of mediums in not just communication and perception but also their emergence as physical materiality. Additionally, Bernd Herzongenrath's exploration of the materiality of media in "Media Matter: The Materiality of Media, Matter as Medium" introduces a broader concept of mediums, including the physical and biological aspects. This expansion allows for a more inclusive understanding of observers, encompassing not only individuals but also machines, objects, organisms, and systems. Consequently, practices are influenced by a wide array of non-social observations, transforming the landscape of child welfare services
Keywords:
Child welfare services, practices, form/medium analysis, systems theory, materiality, observations.Downloads
Published
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10944150Issue
Section
How to Cite
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Sophia Isabella Jensen
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
References
Andersen, N. Å. (2003). Borgerens kontraktliggørelse. Hans Reitzels Forlag
Andersen, N Å. (ed.) (2019). Indledning. I N.Å. Andersen (red.) Form og medie. Intermedialitet og analysestrategi på tværs af perceptionsmedier, kommunikationsmedier, biomedier og fysiske medier (p. 9- 26). Nyt fra samfundsvidenskaberne. ISBN:978-87-7683-177-6
Andersen, N. Å. (ed.) (2019). Blæsten kan man ikke få at se- form og medie som analytik. In N.Å. Andersen (red.) Form og medie. Intermedialitet og analysestrategi på tværs afperceptionsmedier, kommunikationsmedier, biomedier og fysiske medier (p. 81- 133). Nyt fra samfundsvidenskaberne. ISBN:978-877683-177-6
Andersen, N. Å. & Pors, G. J. ( (2017). Niklas Luhmann. Jurist- og Økonomforbundets Forlag
Andershed, A. K. & Andershed, H. (2016). Improving evidence-based social work practice with youths exhibiting conduct problems through structured assessment. European Journal of Social Work, 19, (6), 887-900, DOI: 10.1080/13691457.2015.1043242
Bartelink C., van Yperen, T. & Berge ten, I. (2015). Deciding on child maltreatment: A literature review on methods that improve decision-making. Child Abuse and Neglect, 49, 142-153. doi: 10.1016/j.chiab
Bufdir (2019) https://bufdir.no/Statistikk_og_analyse/Barnevern/Undersokelser/#heading13636
Christiansen, Ø. & Heggem Kojan, B. (2016). Beslutninger i barnevernet. Universitetsforlaget
Christiansen, Ø., Skaale Havnen, K. Iversen, A. C., Knag Fylkesnes, M., Lauritzen, C., Håøy Nygård, R., Jarlby, F. & Vis, S. A., (2019). Når barnevernet undesøker. I Barnevernets undersøkelsesarbeid - fra bekymring til beslutning. Delrapport 4. Barne-, ungdoms- og familiedirektoratet. ISBN 978-82-93031-66-6
Cronbach, L. (1983). Designing evaluations of educational and social programs. Jossey-Bass
Donmoyer, Robert (2000). Generalizability and the single-case study. In R. Gomm (Ed.), Case study method (p. 45-68). Sage
Cruikshank, Barbara (2003). Viljen til at mæktiggøre: medborgerskapsteknologier og «krigen mod fattigdom». Grus, 3048
Dahlager, L. (2001) I forebyggelsens magt, Distinktion: Journal of Social Theory, 2, (3), 91-102. DOI: 10.1080/1600910X.2001.9672802
Engebretsen, E. & Heggen, K. (ed). (2012) Makt på nye måter. Universitetsforlaget
Flyvbjerg, B. (2001). Making social science matter: Why social inquiry fails and how it can succeed again. Cambridge University Press. ISBN-10: 052177568X
Heider, F. (2019). Ting og medie. In Andersen (ed.) Form og medie. Intermedialitet og analysestrategi på tværsafperceptionsmedier, kommunikationsmedier, biomedier og fysiske medier (p. 27- 66). Nyt fra samfundsvidenskaberne. ISBN:978-87-7683177-6
Hennum, N. (2012). Childrens confidences, parents‟confessions: Child welfare dialogues as technologies of control. Qualitative Social Work, 11, (5), 535-549. DOI: 10.1177/1473325011408175
Hennum, N. (2016). Kunnskapens makt i beslutninger. I Ø. Christiansen og B. Heggem Kojan (ed.). Beslutninger i barnevernet (p. 48-61). Universitetsforlaget.
Hersen, M. & Barlow, D. (1997). Single case experimental designs. Pergamon.
Herzogenrath, B. (2019). Mediers materialitet- stof som medie. In Andersen (ed.) Form og medie. Intermedialitet og analysestrategi på tværs af perceptionsmedier, kommunikationsmedier, biomedier og fysiske medier (p. 67- 72). Nyt fra samfundsvidenskaberne. ISBN:978-87-7683-177-6
Høybye-Mortensen, M. (2015). Decision-making tools and their influence on caseworkers' room for discretion. British Journal of Social Work, 45, 600-615. DOI:10.1093/BJSW/BCT144
Järvinen M. & Mik-, N. (ed.) (2003). At skabe en klient. Institutionelle identiteter i socialtarbejde. Hans Reitzels Forlag.
Järvinen, M. (2012). At skabe en professionel. Ansvar og autonomi i velfærdsstaten. Hans Reitzel Forlag
Larsen, Ø. (2018), (1995). Den lydige forvalter. Social Kritik. Tidsskrift for social analyse&debat. 30, (154), 16-39. 0904-3535
Lavelle, M. (2015). A Storm in a Tea-cup? «Making a Difference» in Two Sure Start Children`s Centres”. Children & Society, 29 (6), 583-592. DOI: 10.1111/chso.12091
Lee, S. J., Sobeck, J. L., Djelaj, V., & Agius, E. (2013). When practice and policy collide: Child welfare workers' perceptions of investigation processes. Children and Youth Services Review, 35(4), 634-641. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2013.01.004
Lipsky, M. (1980). Street-level bureaucracy. Dilemmas of the individual in public services. Russell Sage Foundation
Lov om barneverntjenester (1992). Barne og familiedepartementet. LOV-1992-07-17-100
Luhmann, N. (1982). The differentiation of Society. Columbia University Press
Luhmann, N. (2000). Sociale systemer. Grundrids til en almen teori. HansReitzels Forlag
Lwin, K., Versanov, A, Cheung, C., Goodman, D. & Andrews, N. (2014). The Use of Mapping in Child Welfare Investigations: A Strength-based Hybrid Intervention, Child Care in Practice, 20 (1), 81-97, DOI: 10.1080/13575279.2013.847055
Mik-Meyer, N. (2017). The power of citizens and professionals in welfare encounters. The influence of bureaucracy, market and psychology. Manchester University Press
Mik-Meyer, N. & Villadsen, K. (2013). Power and Welfare. Understanding Citizens` Encounters with State Welfare. Routledge Mitchell, J. C. (1983). Case and situation analysis. The Sociological Review, 31 (2), 187-211. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-954X.1983.tb00387.x
Mortensen, N. & Frølund Thomsen, J. P. (2003). En jernnæve i fløjlshandseken: Magt i mødet mellem velfærdssystem og klient. In: P. M. Christiansen og L. Togeby (red.). På sporet av magten. (p. 101-116). Aarhus Universitetsforlag
Munro, E. (2011). The Munro Review of Child Protection: Final Report. Department for Education, UK Government
Nielsen, M. Herup (2017). Optimismens politik. Skabelsen af uværdigt trængende borgere. Frydenlund Academic
Parsons, T. (1976), «Social structure and the symbolic media of interchange”. In P. M. Blau (ed.). Approaches to the study of social structure. Opens Books Publishing
Robertson, J. E. & Norris, N.F. J. (2001). Generalization: The linchpin of evidence-based practice? Educational Action Research, 9 (2), 303-310. https://doi.org/10.1080/09650790100200155
Holland, K. & Herstad, J. (2000). The “critical case” in information systems research (Working Paper). University of Oslo, Department of Informatics
Ruddin, P. L. (2006). You Can Generalize Stupid! Social Scientists, Bent Flyvbjerg, and Case Study Methodology. Qualitiative Inquiry, 12 (4), 797-812. DOI:10.1177/1077800406288622
Rød, P. A. & Heggdalsvik, K. (2016). Beslutninger i undersøkelsesarbeidet. In Ø. Christiansen og B. Heggem Kojan (red.). Beslutninger i barnevernet. (p. 76-91). Universitetsforlaget
Samsonsen, V. (2016). Assessment in child protection: A comparative study Norway – England. (PhD thesis) University of Stavanger
Seitter, W. (2019). Mediernes (meta) fysik. In N. Å. Andersen (ed.) Form og medie Intermedialitet og analysestrategi på tværsafperceptionsmedier, kommunikationsmedier, biomedier og fysiske medier (p- 73- 81). Nyt fra samfundsvidenskaberne. ISBN:978-87-7683-177-6
Stake, R. E. (1982). Naturalistic generalization. Review Journal of Philosophy and Social Science, 7, 1-12.
Uggerhøj, L. (2011a). Familienes erfaring med undersøgelsens start og fremgangsmåde. In K. Kildedal, L. Uggerhøj, S. Nordstoga, og S. Sagatun, Barnevernundersøkelsen i Norge og Danmark (p.33 – 48). Universitetsforlaget. ISBN: 9788215017891
Uggerhøj, L. (2011b) Familienes involvering og deltagelse i undersøgelsesprocessen. I L.Uggerhøj, K. Kildedal, S.
Nordstoga, og S. Sagatun. Barnevernundersøkelsen i Norge og Danmark (p. 49-76). Universitetsforlaget. ISBN: 9788215017891
Uggerhøj, L. (2011c). Konklusjon og perspektivering. I K. Kildedal, L. Uggerhøj, S. Nordstoga & S. Sagatun.. Å bli undersøkt - norske og danske foreldres erfaringer med barnevernsundersøkelsen (p. 159-170). Universitetsforlaget. ISBN: 9788215017891
Vis, S.A, Lauritzen, C., Fossum, S. (2016). Barnevernets undersøkelsesarbeid -oppsummering av hovedtrekkene i forskningslitteraturen. Delrapport 1. RKBU Nor
Warner, J., (2015). The emotional politics of social work and child protection. Policy Press
White, S. Gibson, M., Wastell, D., & Walch, P. (2020). Reassessing Attchment Theory in Child Welfare. Policy Press
Zacka, B. (2017). When the state meets the street. Public service and moral agency. The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press
Aamodt, H. (2015). Brukermedvirkningens uttrykk og virkning i barnevernets undersøkelser- et maktanalytisk perspektiv. Praktiske Grunde, 3-4, 31-56. ISSN 1902–2271
Aamodt, H. (2016). "Jeg ser noe som du ikke ser" Hvordan blir brukermedvirkning til som politisk, organisatorisk, og sosialfaglig praksis i barnevernets undersøkelser? (Dr. gradsavhandling). Oslo MetropolitanUniversity Aamodt, H. (2018). Barneverntjenesten – en polyfon organisasjon? Tidsskriftet Norges barnevern, 95, (1), 36-49. https://doi.org/10.18261/issn.1891-1838-2018-01-04
