The child perspective within family intervention projects: a cluster-randomised study with a mixed methods design

ABSTRACT

Family interventions have been introduced in several European countries as social inclusion measures for disadvantaged families. Compared with adult social work, in social work for families, social workers aim to utilise a whole-family approach; they follow up all family members, acknowledge multiple target areas and coordinate the services for the families. This cluster-randomised study (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03102775) with a mixed methods approach analyses children’s involvement in family interventions and compares child-related effects of governmental (the HOLF model) and local family intervention practices in Norway. The data are based on a cluster-randomised study involving 29 Labour and Welfare offices and baseline and follow-up questionnaires for parents (N = 862). We conducted in-depth interviews with family coordinators to help us understand how children are involved and how their involvement may contribute to any improvements. While there were no effects of using the HOLF model compared with local family intervention practices, results indicate that the family intervention seems to contribute to increasing children’s involvement with welfare services and improving their access to welfare support. The interviews demonstrate the potential of a genuine whole-family approach, where children are directly involved in the family intervention practices.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03102775

ABSTRAKT

Flere Europeiske land har introdusert intervensjoner overfor utsatte familier for å motvirke fattigdom. Sammenlignet med sosialt arbeid blant voksne, har sosialarbeidere i familieintervensjoner, her familiekoordinator, gjerne et helhetlig familieperspektiv. Dette innebærer at de følger opp alle familiemedlemmer på flere målområder og koordinerer tjenester for familiene. Denne klynge-randomiserte evalueringen (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03102775), som benytter integrerte kvalitative og kvantitative metoder, undersøker om en spesifikk modell for oppfølging av utsatte familier (HOLF-modellen) bidrar til økt deltakelse og velferdsstøtte for barn, redusert materiell deprivasjon og økt sosial inkludering. Dataene består av spørreskjemaer til 862 foreldre, ved oppstart og 12 måneder senere. For å undersøke oppfølgingen av barna intervjuet vi familiekoordinatorer. Resultatene viste ingen effekt av HOLF-modellen, men tyder på at familiekoordinator-rollen kan ha bidratt til barnas deltakelse og økt velferdsstøtte, og redusert materiell deprivasjon. Intervjuene viste viktigheten av å genuint inkludere barna i oppfølgingsarbeidet.

KEYWORDS:

• Child involvement
• family intervention
• mixed methods
• randomised

NØKKELORD:

• familieintervensjon
• helhetlig oppfølgingsarbeid
• metodetriangulering
• barnefattigdom
• randomisert

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Norwegian acronym for Comprehensive follow-up of low-income families.

2 During the project, some offices’ lists of identified families were depleted; therefore, they identified new families, now with 3 months’ recipiency of social assistance. While 2,740 families were identified based on 6 months’ social assistance recipiency, the total number of families identified during the project period was 3,033.

Additional information

Funding

The project was financed by the Norwegian Directorate of Labour and Welfare.

Notes on contributors

Ira Malmberg-Heimonen

Ira Malmberg-Heimonen is a Professor in Social Work at Oslo Metropolitan University, Work Research Institute. She has a lead a number of RCT-studies within the social and educational fields, with the aim of evaluating large scale programmes. Her interest areas are intervention studies, programme theory and fidelity, and the implementation of evidence-based practices. In addition to the large-scale evaluations, she has also studied poverty, unemployment and the effects of ALMP programmes for long-term social assistance recipients and other marginal groups, also in comparative settings.

Anne Grete Tøge

Anne Grete Tøge is a Senior Researcher at the Work Research Institute, at Oslo Metropolitan University. She holds a PhD in Social Work and Social Policy. She has conducted a number of studies on the health effects of the 2008 economic recession and individual unemployment experience in Europe. She is also engaged in several cluster-randomised trials (C-RCT) in Norway, investigating the effects of interventions aimed at improving follow up of low-income families, reducing school drop-out and improving interprofessional collaboration.

Marianne Rugkåsa

Marianne Rugkåsa is a professor in Social Work at Oslo Metropolitan University, Department of Social Work, Child Welfare and Social Policy, Norway. Her research aims at exploring social work and social policy in the welfare state, migration, child welfare, marginalisation and poverty.

Berit Bergheim

Berit Bergheim is an Associate Professor in Social Work at Oslo Metropolitan University, Department of Social Work, Child Welfare and Social Policy, Norway. Her research aims at exploring the relationship between social work practice, the welfare state, ideologies and theories in social work.