‘We have very different positions on some issues’: how child welfare workers in Norway and England bridge cultural differences when communicating with ethnic minority families

Abstract

This article compares how child welfare workers in Norway and England experience and cope with communication problems resulting from cultural differences. This study is based on in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 53 front-line child welfare workers and draws on social theories that understand communication as a social act. We show cross-country variations in child welfare workers' perceptions of the communicative problems and coping mechanisms. In Norway, social workers think that minority parents' perceptions on children's needs and child-rearing and parents' lack of understanding of the child welfare system were challenging. Social workers in England perceive the physical abuse of minority children as problematic. They are also concerned about carers' fears of social workers forcing majority cultural values on minority families. While social workers in both countries spend more time with minority families, their approaches dealing with communication challenges correspond to their different problem perceptions. Social workers in Norway act as cultural instructors: they focus on the needs of the minority child and instruct parents about Norwegian values and the Norwegian welfare system. Social workers in England are cultural learners: they focus on practising in anti-oppressive ways, while protecting ethnic minority children from physical abuse. Both approaches avoid going into real communication about perceived problems and what a child might need. We also discuss the implications of these findings on social work practice.

Artikkelen sammenligner hvordan barnevernarbeidere I Norge og England erfarer og håndterer kommunikasjonsutfordringer som bunner I kulturelle forskjeller. Arbeidet er basert på 53 dybde intervjuer av barnevernarbeidere og er teoretisk foranket i teorier om sosial handling som kommunikasjon. Vi finner forskjeller mellom landene i barnevernearbeidernes oppfatning av de kommunikasjonsproblemenes art og hvordan man kan l⊘se dem. I Norge oppfattet barnevernarbeiderne etniske minoritetsforeldres syn på barns behov, oppdragelsesmetoder og manglende forståelse av det offentliges funksjon og rolle som utfordrende. Barnevernarbeidere i England fokuserer snevrer og er bekymret for fysisk vold mot etniske minoritetsbarn og på de utfordringer som ligger i at etniske minoritets familier fryktet å bli påtvunget hvite, majoritets verdier. I begge land bruker barnevernarbeiderne mer tid med minoritetsfamilier, men de m⊘tte utfordringene på svært forskjellige måter. I Norge var de ‘kulturelle veiviseres’, mens i England var de ‘kulturelle elever’. Norske barnevernarbeidere fokuserer barnets behov og instruerer minoritetsforeldre i norske verdier og den norske velferdsstaten. Engelske barnevernarbeidere er opptatt av å ikke være undertrykkende eller å pådytte minoritetsfamilier den engelske majoritetskulturen, samtidig som de trakk en grense ved vold mot barn. I begge land ser vi at barnevernarbeiderne unngår å gå inn i reelle diskusjoner med minoritetsfamiliene om problemforståelse og mulige l⊘sninger. Artikkelen avsluttes med en diskusjon av hvilke implikasjoner funnene kan ha for barnevernarbeid med minoritetsfamilier.

Keywords:

• Child Welfare Work
• Ethnic Minority Families
• Communication
• Culture
• Norway
• England

Stikkord:

• Barnevern
• Etniske Minoritets Familier
• Kommunikasjon
• Kultur
• Norge
• England

Acknowledgements

This research project was funded by the Norwegian Research Council. We owe great thanks to the social workers who participated in this study, the council research officers who provided invaluable logistical support, the research assistants involved in this project and V. Samsonsen for her comments on a previous version. The insightful comments from two anonymous reviewers are also much appreciated.

Notes

1. In Norway, 25 out of 28 social workers mentioned communication as a major problem working with ethnic minorities. In England, 25 out of 25 mentioned this problem.

2. In Norway, children attend school for 13 years and usually complete school when they are 19 years old.

3. This stands in stark contrast to native-born citizens in Scandinavian countries, who possess high trust in government institutions (Bondeson, 2003).