Child welfare removals of children, with subsequent placement in a foster home or child welfare institution, are very invasive measures with major consequences for children and their families. Although the aim of out-of-home placement is a stable and safe care situation characterized by continuity, they are often marked by instability due to unintended moves from and between foster homes and institutions.
The project will investigate children’s experiences of living temporarily in out-of-home placements and how they experience the consequences of this in the short and long term. The project will also investigate the status and development in terms of the extent of temporary placements after care order proceedings, and the duration of placements nationally and in selected countries internationally.
Children’s experiences with, and perceived consequences of, out-of-home placements are investigated by:
- A systematic review of national and international literature.
- An extensive qualitative study with interviews and a survey with a questionnaire among young people and young adults who are, or have been, in a care placement. Parts of the two data collections will be longitudinal, where we follow young people who are in care over time.
The status and extent of temporality in out-of-home placements will be investigated by:
- A register study where we connect data from different registers (including demographics with family links combined with child protection data and health data).
- Comparing the status and extent of temporality in out-of-home placements in Norway with selected countries internationally.
We will collaborate actively with several user organizations, international institutions, and research networks.
The project will contribute to the improvement of services related to the follow-up of care takeovers and related assessments of how the goal of reunification can best be achieved. The results will be used to strengthen the knowledge base to further develop services, to promote continuity and predictability in children’s upbringing to the greatest extent possible.
