– It came unexpectedly and was a huge shock! That’s what Hanne says. Hanne is not her real name, and for the sake of her daughter, she is anonymous. She had been afraid that the child protection agency would deprive her of custody of her daughter, but she still didn’t think so. The call for the meeting came the day before the summer holidays started. An SMS appeared on the mobile. She and her eleven-year-old daughter were given two hours to meet at the premises of the children’s welfare office. Hanne was allowed to bring a support person. Mother received this text message. She and her daughter were given two hours to show up at the child welfare office. Photo: Private – It felt strange to receive such a serious message via SMS. In the children’s welfare office, she and her daughter were separated. They received the bad news in their respective offices. The feeling that this could not happen completely dominated. – I experienced the meeting in a fog. I remember us going up the stairs and in the door. And that we got divorced. But none of what was said. Both Hanne and her daughter were left in crisis. Alone. Parents reported suicidal thoughts Hanne is not the only one to be shocked. Many parents are completely caught off guard when meeting with the child welfare authorities about taking over care. “Lightning from the sky” or “bomb” are other recurring expressions. They don’t understand why either. This is revealed in a new study. Parents felt inhumanely treated. Both in the way they received the message and the follow-up they received afterwards. At the same time, on the other side of the table, sits the child welfare worker who has given the bad news about taking over care. – I often felt that I had little time to prepare. It was a demanding meeting that I had little experience with and that I dreaded. Marte Tonning Otterlei, researcher at UiS. She has studied how both parties experience the meeting where child protection informs the parents that they are taking over the care of the child. Photo: Øystein Otterdal / news That’s what Marte Tonning Otterlei says. She speaks from her own experience. For six years, she worked as a case manager in child protection. Then that was enough. One in three employees in child welfare leave due to high work pressure, psychological stress and low pay. This is shown in a report that Bufdir published in September. Now Otterlei is a researcher at the University of Stavanger, and is behind the new study. She has investigated how both parties – both parents and child welfare services – experience the meeting about taking over care. The thesis is based, among other things, on interviews with 12 child welfare workers and 13 parents, all of whom had experience from mediation meetings. Children in the care of child welfare services In Norway, there is no record of how many parents are affected by care takeovers (Bufdir, 2018). Statistics show that there were 9,297 children in the age group 0–18 years under the care of the child protection agency at the end of 2021 (Bufdir, 2020). A decision to take over care can be made in serious cases where the situation cannot be remedied with relief measures (Child Welfare Services Act (Bvl), 1992, sections 4-4, 4-12). The parents experienced powerlessness and felt let down. – There are strong emotions involved, and some of the parents I spoke to in this study said they had suicidal thoughts. The child welfare workers, for their part, reported a lack of routines and management support when they had to notify the parents of the takeover of care. The child welfare worker was scared and unsure Tonning Otterlei herself says that it was easy to lose focus on the parents when she gave notice of taking over care. What this did to them. Marte Tonning Otterlei is a researcher and teaches child welfare students at UiS. She is honest with the students that she eventually resigned from the child protection service because the workload became too great. Photo: Øystein Otterdal – I probably had a thrill connected to the fact that I had tried to help them. But then the role reversed, and I stepped into a role of power. It is a difficult balancing act to first be a helper for the family, so to speak that this does not work and that you think that the children will have to move out of the home. – This is one of the most difficult things you can say to another human being, so you badly need support. She could also feel scared and insecure. Time pressure made it difficult to prepare the meeting. Lack of routines and management support And she shares experiences with many of her former colleagues. In the study, the child welfare workers report too little time for preparations. – In addition, it was up to the child protection worker to think about whether the parents should receive follow-up, says Tonning Otterlei. But for some, it only dawned on them how difficult it was for the parents when they were sitting in the actual meeting. The cases were about violence, school refusal, drugs and lack of parenting skills. For the sake of the children’s safety, the child protection agency does not want to say much about what the meeting they have been called to will be about. As a result, the parents felt that they were unprepared, and that made the shock all the greater. – The parents also did not catch what was said at the meeting. Otterlei is surprised that such an important meeting was so poorly thought out. Wants to strengthen help for parents. She believes that child protection must have more focus on the parents – One thing is in the meeting and the safeguarding in the meeting. But how big the crisis is when they go home, I was not sufficiently informed about this. I could have followed up better then. Called them and asked how they were doing. She believes that a guide should be drawn up for child welfare workers. – It can help child protection workers in communicating bad news about a custody case. But she also believes that time for preparation before the meeting is important. – It’s not always about competence, but time for reflection which means that you are more prepared. Kjetil Ostling, division director for services in Bufdir. Photo: Beate Riiser / news Kjetil Ostling, division director for services in Bufdir, says Bufdir works to facilitate the strengthening of follow-up of parents who have lost care. – Both the meeting situation and the follow-up of parents afterwards are important areas, he says. It is important that the child protection service finds out whether the parents have understood the message. In addition, immediately after the meeting, they must offer guidance and follow-up. Or convey contact to other aid agencies. Torunn Trøhaug, psychologist specialist and expert. Photo: Einar Steensnæs Engedal / news – This is a crisis situation, a disaster, for those who get the message, and words become a blur. That’s what Torunn Trøhaug says, who is an experienced psychological specialist and expert. She therefore believes that it is important to limit the flow of words, be clear and concrete and document what is said. In addition, it is important to offer crisis assistance and a quick follow-up meeting a few days later, not in a month. Left to her own devices Hanne’s daughter was allowed to come in after the shock announcement. She sat on his lap and cried. Hanne reacts to the fact that her daughter was given the bad news alone, without someone she trusted being with her. The mother is also critical of the fact that child protection can prepare a takeover of care for months, without the parents getting involved. When the parents finally get the message, they are caught off guard. – Parents should be included in the process at an earlier stage, she believes. She also believes that parents must be better followed up afterwards. There should be an offer to have a professional third party who is there for the parents during the meeting, not least afterwards. Hanne has struggled to process her feelings afterwards, and the incident is largely responsible for her being disabled today. Photo: Privat Both she and her daughter were left to fend for themselves in crisis. No one received follow-up after the shock. For Hanne, she describes the feelings of fear, anger, frustration, powerlessness, apathy, grief and pain. “You make it through the summer?” was the message to the mother from child protection. The daughter, who was 11 at the time, has now become a teenager. She is doing well with foster parents, according to her mother. The two still have a close relationship, even though the daughter had to move to another city. Hanne herself has struggled to process her feelings afterwards, and the incident is largely responsible for her being disabled today. Mother and daughter have never spoken about the day when the bad news came.
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Child protection is unprepared and parents are shocked – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
