the importance of social worker's invitation of children in children's house, barnahus,...

The Importance of Social worker’s Invitation of Children in Children’s House, Barnahus,

into PartnershipBASPCAN CONGRESS 2015 Edinburgh

Here and Now…

• Background A Swedish Children’s House (CH) and the legal proceedings concerning children as victims of crime

• Ongoing study “Children in Children’s House – an interdisciplinary study into the perspective of children”

• The Voices of the participating Social Workers in context of CH - from the perspective of social work inviting children into partnership

Ann-Margreth E. Olsson© 2015

2

The voice of a child: ‘Barnahus’What does it mean?

Girl, 8 years old (her drawing)

– A house where you talk to a police

– Where you are allowed to say whatever you want

Photo: Ann-Margreth E. Olsson

Ann-Margreth E. Olsson © 2015

Establishment of Children’s House (CH) – Barnahus – in Sweden

Inspired by the Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC), USA, and ‘Barnahus’, Iceland

Sweden:•National Guidelines – no legislation•Local CH •The local authorities decide whether to establish CH or not


Collaboration National/Local

• Prosecutor• Police • Forensic Medicine• Health care • Social Welfare Service

5 Ann-Margreth E. Olsson © 2015

Aims Barnahus/CH

• One place – one interview – the forensic • Co-hearing: police, prosecutor, a lawyer

in the custodian’s place, social worker, child psychiatry

• Improve the police investigation• Improve the social and health

intervention• Improve the professional collaboration


In a child friendly environment


Photo: Ann-Margreth E. Olsson

The Social Welfare Service

• Social authorities are by law responsible for the support and the protection of children

• The principle of the best interest of the child


ReportReport

For ex. school,health care,parents

Social Welfare Service

Social Welfare Service

PolicePolice

and/or

Assessment: The best interest of the child including need of protection

Pre-meeting

Pre-meeting

Consulting Meeting:ProsecutorPoliceSocial workerSomatic doctorChild psychiatry counsellorCH

Social workers: – How to involve the children?

Prosecutor Police

Finish without any further measurements

Measuring

Preliminary InvestigationCloses down

Take legal measures against the suspect

Case Process

Preliminary Investigationstarts

Forensic interviewForensic interview

9

Ongoing study

“Children in Children’s House – an interdisciplinary study into the

perspective of children”

A case study of Swedish Children’s House (CH) 1. from the perspective of children and children’s

perspective - make the children’s voices heard2. from social worker’s perspective. The

commission of Swedish Social workers in CH and the investigational work involving the children

Ann-Margreth E. Olsson @ 2015

Research Aims

• to listen to the voices of the children exploring their view of BH before, during and after BH

• to contribute in developing professional approaches and methods increasing children’s involvement both as victims and actors/subjects


(2) from social worker’s perspective

Dialogical Participatory Action Research (DPAR) with systemic and narrative ideas

Sample:•1 Barnahus•5 municipalities•56 social workers•32 individual dialogical interviews with social workers •9 groups of delta-reflecting teams with social workers and managers•Written social investigations and pre-assessments•Participating observations at BH


Results

from social worker’s perspective

13

When a parent, or somebody close to the parent, is under suspicion

• The child is brought from the school or day care to CH without parental knowledge or consent

• In the custodian’s place (court decision) a legal guardian/lawyer decides

• For example a teacher is asked to summon to and follow the child to CH – becomes the child’s safety person

• The social worker is waiting and watching in the co-hearing room

• The child is not always informed about who is in the co-hearing room


In CH – voices of social workers

• Priority of policing. The legal dimension dominates.

• A dominating agreement: too many adults – the child needs protection – the social worker backs out “hiding” in the co-hearing room

• The social workers become positioned/position themselves as outsiders assessing the child’s need of protection watching the child in the interrogation

• The social workers experience difficulties in approaching the children without disturbing the police proceedings (priority 1 in CH)


Narrating an Outside position

– We sat in the co-hearing room and the children were not allowed to meet us […] we became locked up […] they were so strict in this, the children should not even see or know we were there – we were not at all allowed to meet or watch the children besides by means of camera or television. In my point of view this was not optimal, not at all … (Social worker 11)

– Sometimes you are not given any opportunities to talk with the children in CH … (Social worker 3)


I am not approaching the child

Social workers talk about themselves as becoming disorientated, not sure about what is permitted in relation to the criminal legal proceedings

•finding no convenient moment for approaching the child or •concluding that there is already too many different new persons for the child in CH

17 Ann-Margreth E. Olsson 2015

The whys

– Enough for today for the child…– I will not be this child’s social worker – a colleague will take over … – First we always meet the parents .…– Later we will invite the child…– Tomorrow we will check if the child has arrived to school, about reactions and questions…(in participating observations)

18

Leavingand there is no immediate need of protection

The child leaves CH with the legal guardian and safety person…

• returns to school or day care without any further support.

• not knowing the parents’ responses and reactions when informed.

• later goes home to the parents without further support or information about what is going on,

• not given opportunities in relieving of feelings after being summoned and brought to police interrogation in CH

19

Aftermath of the forensic interview

– … most often the child is brought back to school or kindergarten – the child day care. We have found this is not the best for the child. The child returns and does not know what attitude to take in this, what to tell or not … (Social worker 6)


Homecoming

– Probably the most difficult experience for the children is when they arrive home. I don’t think it is the experience of CH being traumatic, it is when they arrive home. Somebody from the school or day care is there in CH with them. I mean, they do other excursions and trips together, those which are more fun and not so traumatic. That is why I believe another excursion/trip is not so traumatic unless you make it traumatic for the child […] It depends on how the parents can deal with the experience that somebody has been to the school or day care centre, and brought their child to the police, listened to the child and then brought them back to school. (Social worker 5)


Exceptional stories

When the child already knows the social worker and the Social Welfare Service assess it is in the child’s best interest:

•The social worker brings the child to CH (by direction of the legal guardian)•The child then knows the social worker is listening in the co-hearing-room•The social worker continues to have contact with the child involving the child in assessing what is in best interest of the child both in CH and afterwards


The dream: Involving the child

• firm and successful in the negotiation and power game between criminal/legal domain & social/legal domain

• living the idea of involving the child improving assessment and support

• exploring the child’s point of view here and now, needs, resources and future contacts

• giving the child the social worker’s visiting card - telephone number, e-mail - how to come in contact

• consulting the child afterwards – same day or next day


Conclusions and suggestions

• Introduce professional considerations about the involvement of the child before, during and after the forensic interview

• Develop joint actions in inviting the child into a dialogue with the social worker

• Introduce and develop special support to children returning to school or day care or create an alternative solution the rest of the day


Thank you and welcome to contact:

[email protected]

25

mailto:[email protected]

the importance of social worker's invitation of children in children's house, barnahus,...

Government & Nonprofit