| dc.description.abstract | The main objective of the study was to understand the roles and challenges of child protection services (CPS) employees in arranging out-of-home care for children with minority and immigrant backgrounds in Rogaland, Norway. Three municipalities out of 23 from Rogaland County were rationally chosen as the areas of the study. The study used a qualitative approach where a total of six in-depth interviews with CPS employees were carried out. Purposive sampling was used to include research participants in a strategic way to fulfil the research objectives. Snowball sampling was also used to recruit one participant out of the six. Finally, thematic analysis was used to analyse and present the findings of this research.
The results showed that as frontline service providers, CPS employees receive concerns from several sources and follow a three-phase procedure from receiving referrals to placing the case before the County Social Welfare Board for decision-making in the out-of-home care process. Existing laws and policies directly shape and demarcate the boundaries of the CPS employee’s roles and responsibilities and are equally applied to all, irrespective of nationality and ethnicity. However, while CPS employees face several challenges in working with immigrant and minority families, e.g., understanding their cultural backgrounds, language barriers in communicating, finding the right matched foster families, ethical dilemmas on account of restrictive laws and policies, and structural barriers, some of their personal prejudices towards immigrant and minorities, and having insufficient understanding of emancipatory praxis within the lens of Critical Race Theory and the multi-culturalist approach further impede culturally cohesive services. Based on the major conclusions drawn from the findings, appropriate policy and practice recommendations, and recommendations in relation to possible further research, are made. | |
