Project information
Project manager
Ulrika Järkestig Berggren
Other project members
Kerstin Arnesson, Mats Anderberg and Anna Amilon, Linnaeus University, Johanna Thulin, Kristianstad University, Ann-Sofie Bergman, Stockholm University.
Financier
Forte
Timetable
1 July 2020 – 30 June 2025
Subject
Social work (Department of Social Work, Faculty of Social Sciences, Linnaeus University).
More about the project
This collaborative project is focused on developing a support method for assessing children´s caregiving responsibilities in child protection. A previous pilot study contributed with results about the caregiving responsibilities and children´s well-being among children at risk. Children’s caring is conducted in the context of that the family has unmet needs and that the children’s caring may affect children’s health, attendance at school and their transition into adulthood. Taking on a high degree of caring responsibilities is recognised in child protection as a risk factor. However, there is no support method for social workers in child protection investigation to use in doing child interview or assess the seriousness of the caring for the child.
The aim of the study is therefore to develop, test and implement a method in the form of a questionnaire for the assessment of the extent and outcome of children’s caring responsibilities in their family. Also, the study will set a focus on children´s caring duties related to violence. For the practice-base project social workers from participating municipalities, non-governmental organisations such as Womens shelter and Maskrosbarn, and professional expertise from Alternative to Violence together with researcher will form a reference group.
The group is part of the work process in which a questionnaire is developed and tested. In the first step questions are developed concerning violence-related caring together with children. In the next step the questionnaire is tested by social workers and children (N=30) for applicability, acceptance and validity. The results from the test are used to revise the questionnaire. In the final part the questionnaire is implemented for use by social workers doing needs assessment in child protection.
The evaluation social workers in focus groups, data from the questionnaire and from children´s files for focus on caring in the assessments and support interventions.
The project is part of the research in the research group Research on Interventions and Support for Children and Youth (RISCY) (in Swedish)
