Peer-reviewed article
Social workers’ educational level and attitudes toward child participation in cases regarding children’s contact with birth parents – the case of Norway
Iselin Huseby‐Lie, Therese Saltkjel ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This Norwegian study examined whether social workers' educational qualifications affect their attitudes toward involving children in decisions about contact with birth parents. The research surveyed 135 social workers in five urban areas and found that those with master's degrees held more positive views about child participation than those with bachelor's degrees. While social workers generally supported involving children, concerns were raised about participation in contact cases, particularly regarding emotional stress from loyalty conflicts.
Key points
- Social workers with master's degrees showed significantly more positive attitudes toward child participation than those with bachelor's degrees
- Social workers generally held positive attitudes toward children's involvement in child protection processes
- Concerns were identified about child participation in cases involving contact with birth parents, specifically around loyalty conflicts causing stress
- Norway is considering implementing stricter competence requirements for child welfare staff by 2031
- International research indicates social workers may lack competence to comfortably involve children in child protection processes
Limitations
The study is cross-sectional and limited to five urban settlements in Norway, so findings may not generalise to rural areas or other countries. The study measured attitudes rather than actual practice, and did not explore whether educational level actually changes how social workers involve children in real cases.
Abstract
Previous international research indicates that social workers may lack the competence to comfortably involve children in child protection processes. Implementation of stricter competence requirements for child welfare staff has been discussed to address shortcomings in child welfare practice. In Norway, this implementation is scheduled for 2031, and subject to ongoing discussion. Through multivariate robust linear regression analysis of data collected in five Norwegian urban settlements (n = 135), this study explored the association between social workers educational level and attitudes toward child participation in cases concerning contact between children in out-of-home care and their birth parents. The results indicate a significant difference in attitudes toward children’s involvement in cases concerning contact with birth parents when comparing social workers with master’s degrees to those with bachelor’s degrees, whereas social workers with master’s degrees exhibit more positive attitudes. Social workers are generally found to have positive attitudes toward participation; however, the findings indicate concerns regarding participation in cases related to contact, particularly due to potential loyalty conflicts that might cause stress to the child.