The use of multidisciplinary teams to support child welfare clients

Abstract

Meeting the educational needs of young people in the child welfare system (CWS) requires effective collaboration between the CWS and the education system. In Norway and in other countries, there is an increased focus on interprofessional collaboration to support child welfare clients in and around schools. Multidisciplinary teams are employed to facilitate collaboration and coordinate supportive measures. The purpose of this article is to describe how teachers and social workers use such teams as part of a collaborative effort to support children living in difficult conditions. In an inductive thematic analysis of 13 interviews with 7 social workers and 6 teachers, the following five key themes were revealed: (i) solution-focused work; (ii) listening to the child; (iii) parental support; (iv) social/environmental opportunities for successful interactions and (v) ensuring school attendance through adapted education and support. In conclusion, we discuss the ways in which these themes reflect how teams support child welfare clients.

Å møte utdanningsbehovet til barn og unge i barnevernet fordrar effektivt samarbeid mellom barnevernet og utdanningssystemet. I Noreg og i andre land er det ei auka merksemd på tverrprofesjonelt samarbeid for å støtte barnevernsklientar i og utanfor skulen. Ansvarsgrupper er meint til å fremje samarbeid og støttetiltak. Målet med denne artikkelen er å skildre korleis lærarar og sosialarbeidarar brukar ansvarsgrupper som ein del av tenesteytinga til å støtte barn i vanskelege livssituasjonar. Ved hjelp av induktiv tematisk analyse av 13 intervju med sju sosialarbeidarar og seks lærarar vart fem nøkkeltema avdekka: i) løysingsfokusert arbeid; ii) lytte til barnet; iii) støtte til foreldra; iv) sosiale/miljømessige moglegheiter for suksessfulle samhandlingar; og v) sikre skuledeltaking gjennom tilpassa opplæring og støtte. Avsluttingsvis diskuterer vi korleis ansvarsgrupper blir brukt til å støtte barnevernsbarn.

Keywords:

• multidisciplinary teams in Norway
• interprofessional collaboration
• child welfare services
• education
• child welfare clients

Nøkkelord:

• Ansvarsgrupper i Noreg
• Tverrprofesjonelt samarbeid
• Barnevern
• Utdanning
• Barnevernsbarn

Acknowledgement

The authors thank the participants for taking the time to share their experiences.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Elisabeth Hesjedal, Ph.D., is an associate professor in education at the NLA University College, Bergen, Norway. Hesjedal has a particular interest in interprofessional collaboration and inclusive education for at-risk children.

Anette Christine Iversen, Ph.D., is a professor of social work in the Department of Health Promotion and Development, University of Bergen, Norway. Dr Iversen's research is related to child welfare, complex problems, interagency collaboration, and knowledge and competence in child welfare services.

Hege H. Bye, Ph.D., is an associate professor of social psychology in the Department of Psychosocial Science, University of Bergen, Norway. Her research centres on stereotyping and discrimination as well as diversity in organizational settings.

Hilde Hetland, Ph.D., is a professor of educational psychology at the University of Bergen, Norway. Dr Hetland's research is related to prison education, child welfare, leadership and motivation.