Bachelor in child protection and child welfare

With a bachelor's degree in child welfare, you can work in child welfare, schools, leisure clubs and other places where children and young people are, and help them have a better upbringing.

The child welfare worker works particularly with children and young people who have, or are at risk of developing, social and/or psychological problems. As a child welfare worker, your task is to ensure good living conditions for children and young people through targeted work with children, their families and their immediate environment. The child protection educator has professional expertise and knowledge of what it is like to grow up in Norway and what it means to work in child protection in a multicultural society.

The education consists of several areas of knowledge, such as social science and legal subjects, psychological and health subjects, pedagogical subjects and social-pedagogical work with children and young people.

Through the course you develop good written and oral communication skills, you get to know yourself and your values better and you learn to interact with children, families and other public bodies.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge

The candidate:

• has broad knowledge about the child welfare service’s social mandate, partners, the distribution of responsibilities and tasks in welfare administration, interdisciplinary, interagency and interprofessional collaboration
• has broad knowledge about assessment and understanding of the best interests of children, the rights of children and families, applicable Norwegian and international legislation relevant to the field of child welfare, as well as relevant legal methods
• has broad knowledge about children’s upbringing, childhood, socialisation, learning, formation and development, work related to families and networks, interaction and developmental supportive care.
• has broad knowledge about neglect, abuse and violence, substance abuse and mental health; possible causes, expressions and consequences
• has broad knowledge about communication, conflict management and collaboration in a society characterised by diversity, and knowledge about inclusion, non-discrimination and equality, so that the candidate helps to ensure equal services for all groups in society
• has knowledge about the status and rights of the Sámi people as indigenous people, and Sámi children’s right to an upbringing where their ethnic, linguistic and cultural affiliation is emphasised
• has knowledge about their own profession and professional ethics, ethical values, dilemmas and issues within the field of child welfare
• has knowledge about various pedagogical methods and measures within milieu therapy and other work related to child welfare
• has knowledge about the philosophy of science and social science methodology, and knowledge about relevant debates, research and development work, and innovation processes
• can update their knowledge about the relationship between health, education, work, socio-economic factors and living conditions, both in relation to individuals and groups in society, in order to contribute to good public health and work inclusion.
• has digital skills, including knowledge about children’s everyday digital life, digital security, and can assist in the development of and use suitable technology at both individual and system levels

Skills

The candidate:

• can apply research knowledge, experiential knowledge and knowledge from children, young people and parents as a basis for knowledge-based practice in encounters with children, young people and families in their own services, and refer further if necessary
• can apply knowledge-based methods, relevant legal rules, theories and professional discretion in a culturally sensitive manner for the benefit of children and families in a culturally diverse society
• can use experience and knowledge to build relationships, collaborate and communicate in a way that promotes inclusion and participation, and ensure the participation of children and young people
• can apply a broad and multidisciplinary platform of knowledge in work related to milieu therapy and social education, as well as master preventive and health-promoting work in arenas where children and young people can be found
• can apply academic knowledge to communicate and collaborate appropriately with children, young people and parents/guardians, and can talk to children about topics such as neglect, violence and abuse
• can apply academic knowledge and expertise to initiate and lead interdisciplinary, interagency and interprofessional collaboration
• can reflect critically on their own and the service’s practice, power relations and professionalism in encounters with children and families
• can apply academic knowledge in a methodical and scientific manner to professional development, quality improvement and service innovation

General competence

The candidate:

• can use knowledge and experience to investigate, facilitate, implement, document, analyse, assess and evaluate child welfare work in an ethical and professionally sound manner
• can investigate, analyse, plan, implement, justify, evaluate and document child welfare work both independently and together with others
• can document and communicate professional assessments, orally and in writing
• has insight into and can safeguard the rights of children, young people and families, and help ensure children’s best interests and equal services in a society characterised by diversity
• can use knowledge, skills and experiences to meet children, young people and families in a vulnerable life situation with understanding, empathy and recognition
• has insight into their own preconceptions, attitudes and values, and the importance of relational skills in child welfare work, and can manage ethical issues within the subject area and their own service provision

Syllabus

The programme description is based on the National regulations relating to a common curriculum for health
and social care education established by the Ministry of Education and Research on 6 September 2017, and the Regulations relating to national guidelines for child welfare education established by the Ministry of Education and Research on 15 March 2019.

The two regulations define the national framework for child welfare education, and have the aim of ensuring that educational institutions offer a practice-oriented and research-based education of high academic quality and relevance.

Career prospects

The Bachelor in Child Welfare gives the professional title of child welfare educator. Child welfare educators work in municipal or state child welfare services, in institutions, in child and adolescent psychiatry, in preventive and outreach work, in schools, kindergartens, in children and young people’s leisure arenas and in voluntary organisations.

The degree qualifies candidates for master’s degree programmes in child welfare, and other relevant educational programmes at master’s degree level.

Course assessment

To ensure the quality of the programme of study and a good learning environment for students and teachers, the students are asked to provide feedback on the individual course relatively early in the semester, in addition to the standardised evaluation of courses that takes place at least every three years. The evaluation of the programme of study and the courses is established in the University’s quality assurance system.