Welfare policy and welfare organisation (BBA103)

Content

The course provides students with knowledge about the political system and public administration. Students gain knowledge about the distribution of responsibilities and tasks within child welfare services in particular, and other relevant services in general. Students gain knowledge about the development and normative basis of the welfare state, and about health and social policy, family policy guidelines, and about the welfare state’s functions and services. In addition, the course provides knowledge about how the organisation one works within may affect child welfare work, and what promotes and inhibits collaboration within the child welfare services, and between the child welfare services and other services.

Learning outcome

After successfully completing the course, students are expected to have acquired the following knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The candidate has:

• Broad knowledge about the political system and public administration.
• Broad knowledge about the distribution of responsibilities and tasks within welfare administration, including particularly good knowledge about the distribution of responsibilities and tasks within the child welfare services and an overview of other relevant services.
• Broad knowledge about what inhibits and promotes interdisciplinary, interagency and interprofessional collaboration within the child welfare services, and between the child welfare services and other services.
• Knowledge about the development and normative basis of the welfare state.
• Knowledge about health and social policy, family policy guidelines, and about the welfare state’s functions and services.
• Knowledge about the political foundation on which social policy is formulated, and how this affects services, priorities and the professional practice of child welfare educators.
• Knowledge about living conditions, including public health, education, work, unemployment and integration.
• Knowledge about the structures and professions of the welfare state.
• Knowledge about the life situations and rights of indigenous peoples, ethnic minorities and refugees.
• Knowledge about digitalisation and digital security in social policy.
• Knowledge about key organisational concepts and theories.
• Knowledge about how organisational frameworks can affect the performance of child welfare work
• Some knowledge about quantitative methods

Skills

The candidate can:

• Apply knowledge about welfare policy and welfare services in order to reflect on practical and ethical aspects of the child welfare field and their own professional role.
• Apply knowledge about the welfare state’s services, distribution of tasks and responsibilities, and organisational theory in order to contribute constructively to interagency collaboration that is in the best interests of the child.

General competence

• The candidate has insight into the public welfare system and how this affects the performance of child welfare work.

Required prerequisite knowledge

None

Recommended prerequisites

BBA101 Child development and developmental environment, BBA102 Children and youth at risk

Exam

Coursework requirements

Written assignment

This compulsory activity must be approved in order for the student to take the examination. Approval/non-approval of compulsory activities is announced on Studentweb, normally no later than 7 days before the examination. Students who lack approval will be withdrawn from the examination.

Written assignment: Submission of a written piece of individual coursework assessed as approved/not approved. Scope: 1500 words (+/- 10%), excluding table of contents and bibliography. Referencing style: APA 7th.

Course teacher(s)

Study Program Director:

Erik Paulsen

Course coordinator:

Britt Ingunn Misund

Method of work

The course contains a compulsory assignment that is assessed as approved/not approved. The primary goal of the course’s work methods is to prepare students for the examination. All teaching is relevant to the examination.

Working methods in the course are diverse: Students must expect considerable time for self-studies in addition to lectures, working in groups, supervision in gropups, and the individual written assignment.

Working in groups with tasks, with opportunities for supervision, and submission of a written assignment shall particularly contribute to the candidates achieving the knowledge targets and learning outcomes related to skills and general competence.

Literature