– He has hit the wall and been really angry, says the foster father. Replacement of staff in child protection affects children and families. news has met “Per”, who is a foster father. “Per” will tell his story to highlight what he believes to be system failure and a lack of resources in child protection. For the sake of the foster son, the story is told anonymously. The family is not followed up by the Midt-Gudbrandsdal child protection service, which is mentioned later in the article. 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. Today, Minister for Children and Families Kjersti Toppe (Sp) met with user organisations, child protection managers, municipal management, trade unions, employers, educational institutions and supervisory authorities to get input on new measures. The foster son has lived in the foster home since he was three years old. So far, the foster family has had at least 40 visits from the child welfare services at home. – We repeated ourselves It started quite early, says “Per”. Constantly new people that the boy would meet. Constantly new employees to tell the story to. “Per” comes alone to the meeting with news. His wife cannot bear to tell more times. – We have had case managers who have been there once and then disappeared. And we have had case managers who have been there for maybe two years. It’s the longest. TIRING: The system makes it tiring to be foster parents. – I do not recommend it to anyone, as the system is now. Photo: Lars Erik Skrefsrud / news A serious situation The story makes an impression on Minister for Children and Families Kjersti Toppe (Sp). – It’s really not a desirable situation, and I understand well that the foster parents feel frustration. The minister takes the situation seriously. Today’s turnover creates a lot of insecurity for children and families who need help. The replacement also means that the child welfare services lose competence and experience, and this affects the quality of the service. This was also the background for Toppe’s invitation to an input meeting. The Minister is well satisfied with today’s meeting, and believes she has received many useful inputs. Toppe clarifies that there is now a need to be concrete. The input concerns, among other things, the need for close and good management. Many have also pointed out that the employees need guidance. It is particularly important that new employees receive training and support. In its proposal for the state budget, the government has put in 16.5 million to ensure better governance and management in child protection. – The directorate has also been tasked with investigating how we can ensure guidance and follow-up of employees, and how we can avoid employees experiencing such high work pressure. FOSTER FAMILIES NEEDED: All children should be given a safe home when, for various reasons, they cannot live with their biological parents. It is crucial that children are allowed to stay in foster homes over time. – Foster parents need better follow-up, guidance and predictable financial frameworks, says Minister for Children and Families Kjersti Toppe (Sp). Photo: Håkon Mosvold Larsen / NTB What is the child welfare reform? The child protection reform entered into force on 1 January 2022. The reform is also called the upbringing reform. In order to succeed, it is necessary to make changes in the entire upbringing sector. The child welfare reform places demands on the municipality’s management of child welfare, on the management of child welfare and on the overall work to support families. The municipalities must strengthen the work with early intervention and prevention in the entire childcare sector. The aid must be better adapted to the needs of children and families. The municipalities have been given increased professional responsibility. The legal security of children and families must be well looked after. The use of resources and the solution of tasks in child protection must become more efficient. The municipalities have been given increased financial responsibility. From 1 January 2021, there is a requirement for a report from child protection to the municipal council every year. This should give the municipal council a better basis for setting priorities. From 1 January 2022, there is a requirement that the municipal council itself must adopt a plan for the municipality’s work to prevent neglect and behavioral problems. From 1.1. In 2022, the legal text of the Child Welfare Act was changed to emphasize and strengthen the municipal management’s – both political and administrative – responsibility for the child welfare service. Source: https://ny.bufdir.no/fagstotte/barnevern-oppvekst/barnevernsreformen/ Has input Kristel Høie Nilsen is one of the participants in today’s meeting. She is a research fellow at the University of Tromsø. Nilsen believes that turnover among staff can be experienced as new losses for the children. In addition to the fact that it increases the risk of failure and errors in the service. – If there is a large turnover, you lose continuity, also when it comes to safeguarding the facts of the case and the information that is there. According to Nilsen, there is a lot of knowledge about what has an effect on turnover. She now expects concrete action to deal with the challenge. – I want people to start doing it. And that you follow it up and evaluate, and see that you find the right measures. “INHUMAN PRESSURE”: Researcher Kristel Høie Nilsen points out that the managers of the child protection services have a very demanding task in balancing considerations of the economy and the best interests of the child. – The support they get upwards, from the municipality and from the municipal council, is absolutely essential. Photo: Jan Fredrik Frantzen Paying for guidance In Midt-Gudbrandsdal child protection service, turnover is not a problem. There, they work purposefully to keep employees. Manager Liv Aslaksdotter Hustveit and municipal manager Gro Li Sletvold prioritize that management should be present in the office and that all employees should receive psychological guidance. They believe the service is an example of how good follow-up of the employees, both at work and on how they are doing, contributes to stability in the staff group. At the same time, the issue of resources is important. – I’m worried if we have to start looking for positions in the budgets, it won’t work. We have exactly what we need, and have nothing to lose, says Hustveit. Municipal manager Gro Li Sletvold (th) coordinates the work on the child welfare reform for the Midt-Gudbrandsdal child welfare service. Child welfare manager Liv A. Hustveit (th) explains that the municipal child welfare got increased responsibility for foster home work with the reform. In order to succeed with the child welfare reform, it is important to have foster homes available. Seeing the work pressure Already after two to three years, the nagging doubt came. “Per” says that they asked themselves the question “can we really put up with this?”. “Per” sees that the employees in the child protection are fighting a battle against the clock. The last case manager they have had so far has apologized. She promises to stay in the job. “Per” hears what she says. But he’s heard it before. – I don’t regret at all that we did it, because of the child. It’s a wonderful child! But if you ask me now if I would become a foster father again, I would have said no.
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High turnover in child protection affects children and young people, Kjersti Toppe holds an input meeting. – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
