A Narrative Study of the Best Interest of Young Women in Out-of-Home Care: Towards a More Sustainable Social Work Practice

Abstract

At the time of this research, Norwegian Child Welfare had recently undergone reform, and a new Child Welfare Act came into force on 1 January and 1 July 2023. The need to update the 30-year-old law was inspired by Norwegian society’s current demands and to improve child welfare. The new law emphasises the participatory and human rights of children and young people in care, which have been neglected in many out-of-home care facilities. Previous research shows that many young people have negative development in out-of-home care. The care is not individually tailored, nor does it prepare residents for life after care. In addition, many children and young people with experiences of out-of-home care have been neglected and experienced violence and oppressive policies before entering care.

The overall aim of the study was to gain insight into young women’s experiences before, during and after out-of-home care and how social work can move towards more sustainable practice while considering young women’s best interests and human rights. This study sought to explore how the participants perceived their childhood and younghoods. Additionally, the study focused on how agency and possible oppression were present in their lives.

The research has adopted a social constructionist approach and narrative design. This study challenges harmful stereotypes surrounding young women in out-of-home care, reframing them as agents of their own lives rather than “victims” or “damaged.” To achieve this, the research focused on the experiences of young women from disadvantaged backgrounds. By centring the perspectives of such young women, we can work towards improving the conditions for those in out-of-home care, refugee minors, and children in need of help from Child Welfare Services. This research also highlights the importance of prioritising the human rights of children and young people to prevent marginalisation and invisibility within these systems.

Interviews were conducted with five young women with backgrounds in out-of-home care in Norway. The participants shared stories about their experiences before, during and after out-of-home care. These stories helped to gain insight into what it is to be a girl and a young woman in marginalised locations and how their personal stories both challenge and confirm the dominant narratives of young women with backgrounds in out-of-home care in social work practice and research. Their narratives highlighted resistance to stereotypical categorisation and navigation among intersecting identity categories. The audience for their narratives impacted the modification of their stories, showing the necessity of giving them room to re-narrate their own stories. The stories showed the need to participate in one’s own care and how this can improve care situations and relationships with employees and prevent coercive measures.

The study indicates that incorporating an intersectional perspective in social work can help comprehend the multifaceted identities of young women residing in marginalised locations and out-of-home care. The study emphasises the significance of acknowledging these young women’s human and participatory rights to ensure that their best interests are protected. By examining narratives that explore possible, plausible and preferable futures in out-of-home care, we can envision ways to create more sustainable and user-friendly services locally and globally. The research findings are relevant to social work services and transferable to other disciplines where user participation and work with groups in marginalised locations are central.