Breaking bad news: Child welfare workers' informing parents of care order proceedings

Abstract

Removing children from parents through care orders is a highly intrusive intervention. This article explores how 12 experienced Norwegian child welfare workers perceive and cope with breaking bad news to parents of the decision for a care order initiative. A thematic analysis of qualitative in-depth interviews revealed that the task of breaking bad news to parents includes several challenging aspects involving ethics, care and control that are influenced by relational and emotional aspects. Caseworkers felt obligated to convey the decision humanely and caretake children and parents, ensuring safety, determinacy and control. Caseworkers struggled to endure heightened emotions, handle the painful switch from helper to traitor and cope with an extreme though necessary intervention of child protection work. Care order meetings are complex and unpredictable and challenge child welfare workers professional and human capacity, as it represents considerable professional and personal demands. The article discusses the challenges of breaking bad news in the child protection profession compared with professions in the health care field. Moreover, discussing how caseworkers' coping strategies may impact their practice and highlights caseworkers' burden with the task, pointing to practical implications.