Norwegian child protection workers’ practice with Lithuanian families: what to expect and how to prepare as a family

Abstract

The practice of the Norwegian Child Rights Protection Service with Lithuanian families is a topic of growing interest in the field of social work. The relevance of this topic is based on the increasing number of Lithuanian families who turn to Norwegian child protection services for various reasons, including economic migration, domestic violence, and child abuse. The study aims to examine the practice of Norwegian child protection workers in dealing with Lithuanian families and the extent to which their approach is culturally sensitive and effective. NCRPS work practice with Lithuanian families, causal conditions determining becoming a client of NCRPS. The research revealed the contextual conditions of NCRPS employees’ work practice with Lithuanian families, the challenges that arise when families communicate with NCRPS. Also, the analysis revealed that the work practices of NCRPS employees with Lithuanian families in intervening conditions become the Lithuanian attitude towards NCRPS. During the analysis of the research, the strategies of NCRPS employees’ work practice with Lithuanian families were revealed. The conditions revealed in the study influence the consequences of NCRPS staff’s work practice with Lithuanian families, when NCRPS and Lithuanian families face challenges in communication. The results of the study show that if employees take cultural differences and cultural elements into account more, work would not be so difficult for both employees and families. Given that the numbers of immigrants are increasing and the multicultural society will continue to grow, these observations should be taken into account and improving the training of employees would help the further activities of the child welfare service, provide more sense of security to families and increase the positive image of NCRPS that is created through social networks.