Centre for Research on Discretion and Paternalism (DIPA)

Consultation Meeting on Family Sensitive Social Protection (Doha, Quatar)
2018-06-26 00:00 - 2018-06-27 23:59 (Europe/Oslo)
Prof. Marit Skivenes will participate as an expert at this meeting, to discuss the findings of the reports by The Family Sensitive Social Protection (FSSP). This project is a join collaborative project between the Doha International Family Institute (DIFI) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UNESCWA).

Guest lecture: Michael Lipsky (Bergen)
2018-06-08 12:15 - 14:00
Reflections on Street Level Bureaucracy

LINK TO RECORDING: https://youtu.be/plVzG0UQ8L0
Michael Lipsky is well known in the field of public administration for his classic book about street-level bureaucracy (1980). Here, he claim that state employees (such as police, social workers and legal-aid lawyers) should be seen as part of the policy-making community and as exercisers of political power, as they wield their considerable discretion in the day-to-day implementation of public programs.
Lipsky argues that these relatively low-level public service employees labor under huge caseloads, ambiguous agency goals, and inadequate resources. When combined with substantial discretionary authority and the requirement to interpret policy on a case-by-case basis, the difference between government policy in theory and policy in practice can be substantial and troubling.

Read more: Street-Level Bureaucracy

In this lecture, Lipsky will draw on ideas and concerns he has with the way the field of public administration is developing, and share some of his newer thoughts and reflections on dimensions of street level bureaucracy.
Michael Lipsky is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Demos, and a former professor of political science at MIT.
The lecture is open to the public. For questions about the event, contact daniel.nygard@uib.no.

International Conference on Decision-Making in Child and Adult Protection (Basel)
2018-05-31 00:00 - 2018-06-02 23:59
Prof. Marit Skivenes will hold a lecture at the conference on May 31st 18:00:
Marit Skivenes – International Differences in Discretionary Decision-Making

NORFACE Welfare State Futures (Florence)
2018-05-24 00:00 - 2018-05-25 23:59
Prof. Marit Skivenes will participate in two sessions during the NORFACE Welfare State Futures final conference.
25. May 09:30-11:00:
ROUNDTABLE ON THE FUTURE OF CHILD AND FAMILY WELFARE POLICY
Chair: Mónica López López | University of Groningen
Fred Wulczyn | Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago
Dinesh Sethi | World Health Organization
Marit Skivenes | University of Bergen – Title: PERSPECTIVES OF RISK, NEED, AND NEGLECT: A CROSS-COUNTRY COMPARISON
Discussant: Nick Frost | Leeds Beckett University
11:00-12:30
INTERNATIONAL COMPARISONS OF CHILD AND FAMILY WELFARE POLICY AND RESEARCH
Chair: Fred Wulczyn | Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago
Hans Grietens | HESTIA. Title: Comparing child protection systems across borders: Lessons from a three- country comparison
Lennart Nygren | FACSK. Title: Social work with families with complex needs in four welfare regimes
Discussant: Marit Skivenes | University of Bergen

Estonian Experience of Implementation of the ECHR
2018-05-18 11:00 - 13:30
Katre Luhamaa will make a presentation in the conference “The European Court of Human Rights in East-West Relations: Norms, Values and Legal Politics” organised in Moscow 18-19 May 2018. Dr Luhamaa will analyse the impact of the ECHR and the practice of the ECtHR to the Estonian legal system and the national court practice. The conference is organised by the University of Tartu and the Moscow Higher School of Economics.

Open lunch seminar: June Thoburn (EN)
2018-05-08 12:00 - 13:30 | DIPA-room (17.112), Christies gate 17, University of Bergen, Christies gate 17, Bergen, Bergen, 5007, Norway
Child welfare and child protection in the UK nations: politics, economics and professional practice.
Prof. June Thoburn is currently visiting the Centre for Research on Discretion and Paternalism as a guest researcher. On Tuesday May 8th 12.00 -13.30 we are hosting an open lunch seminar. At the seminar, June will present on the topic “Child welfare and child protection in the UK nations: politics, economics and professional practice”.
June Thoburn is an Emeritus Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of East Anglia. She is internationally renowned for her research on children’s social care, and have been appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her for services to social work.
The seminar is open to everyone. Refreshments and coffee/tea is served.
If you have questions about the seminar, please contact daniel.nygard@uib.no.

Foredrag: Adopsjon til barnets beste (NO)
2018-05-04 10:00 - 11:00
Professor Marit Skivenes holder fredag 4. mai foredrag under et barnevernskurs i Terminus Hall, Bergen.

Foredrag: Tid for barneperspektiver! (NO)
2018-05-03 10:00 - 12:00
Professor Marit Skivenes skal holde foredrag på samling for barnevernledere i Rogaland. Samlingen holdes 3.- 4. mai 2018 på Sola Strand Hotel.
Foredraget har tittelen “Tid for barneperspektiver!” og går 3. mai fra 10.00 – 12.00.

Foredrag: Et barnevern i krise?
2018-02-02 10:00 - 11:00 | SV-bygget, Lite aud.
Researcher Hege Beate Stein Helland will hold a lecture on the topic of The Norwegian child welfare service at Faglig-Pedagogisk dag.
The lecture will be held in Norwegian. The event is open for everyone.
Et barnevern i krise? Om skjønn, legitimitet og beslutninger i barnevernet.

Det har stormet rundt norsk barnevern den siste tiden, og barnevernets beslutninger har tidvis vært under massiv kritikk fra flere hold. Men hvorfor er det slik? Noen mener dette kan forklares ved at den sterke vektleggingen av barns rettigheter i Norge utfordrer kulturer og praksiser i mange samfunn. Andre mener barnevernet ikke har forståelse for andre kulturer og at inngrepene de gjør krenker retten til privatliv og familieliv.
Hege Beate Stein Helland er forsker ved forskningsprosjektet Adopsjon som barnevernstiltak og er tilknyttet Institutt for administrasjon og organisasjonsvitenskap og Centre for Research on Discretion and Paternalism som ledes av professor Marit Skivenes.
Ved Centre for Research on Discretion and Paternalism forskes det på noen av de mest grunnleggende temaene i samfunnsvitenskapen, der en studerer statens bruk av makt mot sine borgere, og begrunnelsene til statlige inngrep i folks liv.

Foredraget starter kl. 10:15.

Forskningsfrokost: Hva vet vi om barnevernet?
2018-02-02 08:00 - 10:00
Forskningsrådet arrangerer forskningsfrokost hvor fremtredende forskere på barnevernsfeltet presenterer sine forskningsfunn og ungdommer fra Forandringsfabrikken deler sine erfaringer med barnevernet.
Innledere:
Professor Marit Skivenes og stipendiat Ida Juhasz (Universitetet i Bergen):
Hvem sin rett til familieliv? Når barnevernet tar over omsorgen for babyer.
Forsker Elisabeth Backe-Hansen (HiOA):
Ettervern i barnevernet må bli et politisk satsingsområde
Ungdommer fra Forandringsbabrikken vil dele sine erfaringer og synspunkter på barnevernet.
Følg lenken til forskningsrådet for mer informasjon og påmelding.

Seminar series: Law, democracy and welfare
2017-12-07 14:15 - 15:45 | DIPA-room (17.112), Christies gate 17, University of Bergen, Christies gate 17, Bergen, Bergen, 5007, Norway
Jon Kåre Skiple, Henrik Litlere Bentsen ++ are presenting their work with miscarriages of justice; “Avveiningen mellom justismord og falske frifinnelser”.
The seminar will be held in Norwegian and is open to all.

Presentation for the Ministry of Children and Equality
2017-11-24 12:00 - 13:00 | Ministry of Children and Equality, Oslo, Akersgata 59, 0180, Norway
Our director professor Marit Skivenes will give a presentation on decision-making in child welfare services at a closed seminar organized by the Ministry of Children and Equality.

Seminar series: Law, democracy and welfare
2017-11-23 14:15 - 15:45 | Møllendalsveien 6, Møllendalsveien 6, Bergen, Norway
Lisa Wallander, University lecturer at Lund University, is coming to Bergen to speak to us about Professionella bedömningar – teoretiska och metodologiska perspektiv.
The seminar is free and open to all.

Jill Duerr Berrick will present her new book "The Impossible Imperative"
2017-11-16 14:15 - 15:45 | DIPA-room (17.112), Christies gate 17, University of Bergen, Christies gate 17, Bergen, Bergen, 5007, Norway
November 16, Professor Jill Duerr Berrick will give a talk about her recently published book The Impossible Imperative – Navigating the competing principles of child protection., [in english]

Presentation by Marit Skivenes at the "Child Welfare 2017" Conference
2017-11-10 11:00 - 12:00 | Fylkesnemnda i Hordaland og Sogn og Fjordane, Zander Kaaes gate 6, Bergen, 5015, Norway
On November 10th, principal investigator and director Marit Skivenes, will give the presentation “Adoption as a child welfare measure – a research project assigned from The Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs” at the Conference “Child Welfare 2017” hosted by The county social welfare board of Hordaland and Sogn og Fjordane.

Seminar series: Law, democracy and welfare
2017-11-09 14:15 - 15:45 | DIPA-room (17.112), Christies gate 17, University of Bergen, Christies gate 17, Bergen, Bergen, 5007, Norway
Professor in Sociology Thomas Lorentzen will give the presentation: Løpebaner i arbeidslivet og trygdesystemet de siste 20 årene: Har man nådd målsetningen om å få flere sårbare inn i arbeidsstyrken? [Trends in worklife and welfare benefits the last 20 years: Have we met the goal to include more vulnerable workers in the workforce?, in Norwegian].

Open for all.

Seminar at the Centre for Law and Social Transformation
2017-10-26 14:15 - 15:45 | Jekteviksbakken 31, Jekteviksbakken 31, Bergen, Hordaland, 5006, Norway
Gert Jan van der Wilt, Maarten Jansen, Ole Frithjof Norheim and Kristine Bærøe presents: Democracy, technocracy and health priority setting. Open for all.

Seminar series: Law, democracy and welfare
2017-10-12 14:15 - 15:45 | DIPA-room (17.112), Christies gate 17, University of Bergen, Christies gate 17, Bergen, Bergen, 5007, Norway
Chair of the County Social Welfare Board of Hordaland and lawyer, Geir Kjell Andersland will present the proposal for changes in the norwegian court system and its handling of child welfare cases.

Open for all.

Presentation at ISPCAN 2017
2017-10-04 11:40 - 12:00 | World Forum, Churchillplein 10, The Hauge, The Hauge, 2517, Netherlands
Principal investigator Marit Skivenes will give the presentation “International perspectives on child-responsive courts: Is the voice of the child included?” together with Jill Berrick (University of California at Berkeley), Marit Skivenes (University of Bergen), Tarja Poso (University of Tampere), Jonathan Dickens (University of East Anglia) from our research team at the ISPCAN European Regional Meeting 2017.

The Internaitonal Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN) is a multidisciplinary international organization that brings together a worldwide cross-section of comitted professionals to work toward the prevention and treatment of child abuse, neglect and exploitation globally.

Presentation at ISPCAN 2017
2017-10-03 10:40 - 11:00 | World Forum, Churchillplein 10, The Hauge, The Hauge, 2517, Netherlands
Principal investigator Marit Skivenes will give the presentation “When should children not be involved in child protection-related processes? Child welfare workers’ views from Norway and the USA (California)?” together with Katrin Kriz (Emmanuel College, Boston US) from our research team at the ISPCAN European Regional Meeting 2017.
The Internaitonal Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN) is a multidisciplinary international organization that brings together a worldwide cross-section of comitted professionals to work toward the prevention and treatment of child abuse, neglect and exploitation globally.

Seminar series: Law, democracy and welfare
2017-09-28 14:15 - 15:45 | DIPA-room (17.112), Christies gate 17, University of Bergen, Christies gate 17, Bergen, Bergen, 5007, Norway
Professor of Law Jørn Øyrehagen Sunde will present his book “Comparing legal cultures”. Sunde’s field of expertise is the history of law and different legal cultures.

Open for all.

Workshop
2017-08-26 08:00 - 2017-08-28 18:00 | DIPA-room (17.112), Christies gate 17, University of Bergen, Christies gate 17, Bergen, Bergen, 5007, Norway
August 26-28th the Centre is organizing a workshop for the research teams in all the projects involved in the Centre, with main focus on the projects “Acceptability” and “DISCRETION”. Our goal is to facilitate interdisciplinary and cross-country cooperation and map out the challenges and obstacles for studying discretion, paternalism and child protection in the countries involved in the different projects.

Launch of the ERC funded project: DISCRETION
2017-08-25 18:00 - 20:00 | Litteraturhuset, Østre Skostredet 5-7, Bergen, 5017, Norge
August 25th we are launching our new ERC funded project “Discretion and the Child’s Best Interest in Child Protection”.
The event will take place at the house of Literature in Bergen and is hosted by the Centre on Law and Social Transformation as a part of their annual Bergen Exchanges. The launch of the project will be the last event to be held in the series of seminars, presentations, debates and launches. For more information about the Bergen Exchanges please click here. More information about the launch will be given in the weeks to come.
For the final event of the Bergen Exchanges, professor in political science Marit Skivenes will present the ambitious goals for a new research agenda on child protection research. A key question is how to secure the quality and legitimacy of the intrusive and extremely difficult interventions that child protection staff and judges have to make.
Prof. Skivenes will be joined by professor in law Karl Harald Søvig, which will elaborate on the situation with all the child protection cases that the European Court of Human Rights has communicated to the Norwegian state, From Ireland, associate professor in social work.
Dr. Kenneth Burns (University College Cork, Ireland) will present the Irish road towards banning corporal punishment – “Corporal Punishment in Ireland in 5 Artefacts”.
Professor in sociology, Katrin Kriz, from Austria (Emmanuel College, Boston, US), will present findings from five population’s attitudes (Austria, Estonia, Ireland, Norway and Spain) on corporal punishment of children.
Professor in social work, Tarja Pösö from Finland (University of Tampere) will thereafter lead a panel debate comprised of international experts on the issue of thresholds for child protection interventions and the legitimate role of state intervention into families. Questions and comments from the audience are very much welcome.
Here is a link to the facebook event
