Course content

Children and their parents have the right to participate in their own cases. Power differences between employees in child protection system, children, and children’s caretakers, can have negative effects on participation, collaborative alliances, communication, and decisions.

In this subject, the main focus is communication with and inclusion of children and children’s caretakers. The course provides knowledge about professionals' forms of collaborating with children and families who are in crisis or living in challenging life situations. This includes insight into trust and collaborative alliances, as well as conflict management. The course provides advanced knowledge in conversations with children. Cultural awareness is part of all the topics included in this course.

Learning outcome

Knowledge - The student has:

• advanced knowledge of children's development that is relevant to children as collaborators and conversational partners.
• in-depth knowledge on collaboration, trust- and relational building with children and caretakers at risk, who have challenging life situations, and those who have experienced trauma.
• in-depth knowledge of power relations and conflict management in encounters between children, caretakers and the child protection system.
• advanced knowledge of different models of participation, the goal of the conversation and different forms of conversation.
• in-depth knowledge of the welfare of children in various types of conversations.
• advanced knowledge of planning and carrying out conversations with children and children’s caretakers.

Skills - The student can:

• independently use relational skills to establish and maintain collaborative alliances with children and caretakers.
• apply relevant approaches, methods and communication tools (e.g. materials and use of interpreting services) to implement children's and caretakers participation.
• high awareness of one's own collaborative style, ethical assessments and power relationships that affect collaboration with children and caretakers.
• analyze power dynamics and identify ethical challenges in collaboration with children and parents in the field of child welfare protection.
• has insight into innovative practices.

General competence - The student can:

• analyze and critically reflect on how attitudes, knowledge, skills, power relations, language and culture influence collaboration with children and caretakers.
• work in child protection in a reflective way.

Learning methods and activities

The course consists of lectures, discussions, exploring examples close to practice in learning groups and self-study.

Compulsory assignments

• Written assignment 1
• Written assignment 2

Specific conditions

Required previous knowledge

The course has admission right requirements, which means that the course is reserved for students who have been admitted to study Master's degree in Child Welfare and Child Protection at NTNU.

Course materials

The syllabus list is published on Blackboard at the start of the course.