TILLIT OVER GRENSENE

The report examines the 'trust crisis' between Polish immigrants and the Norwegian child welfare services (barnevernet), comparing institutional approaches in Norway and Poland. It identifies that trust is influenced by communication, cultural competence, and socio-economic factors, while highlighting a significant lack of English-language research on the topic. Key findings suggest that immigrant parents often perceive child welfare services as a threat rather than a support system, and that the effectiveness of interventions depends on the caseworker's ability to provide clear information and respect the family's needs.

• There is a well-documented 'trust crisis' specifically between Polish immigrants and the Norwegian child welfare services, which the report describes as an extreme case of a broader issue regarding trust between immigrants and public institutions.
• Trust in public institutions is influenced by several factors: immigrants are more likely to cooperate when they are familiar with the institution, can interpret its functions, and can predict its behavior. Conversely, a lack of these factors leads to avoidance of the institution.
• The Norwegian and Polish child welfare systems differ in their primary orientation: Norway is characterized as 'child-centric' (treating children as individuals with specific rights), while Poland is described as 'child-protective' (focusing on harm prevention and often having a higher threshold for intervention).
• Official 2016 statistics indicate that children of Polish immigrants in Norway are less likely to receive child welfare interventions than children without immigrant backgrounds; 18 per 1,000 Polish immigrant children received home-based measures compared to 26 per 1,000 for non-immigrants, and 3 per 1,000 were in out-of-home care compared to 8 per 1,000 for non-immigrants.
• Many immigrant parents perceive the child welfare services as a threat rather than a helpful service, which can lead families to avoid seeking necessary help, including counseling and financial support.
• Communication between caseworkers and minority families is a decisive factor in establishing trust. The report notes that the Norwegian child welfare services have a reputation for poor public communication regarding the actual services they provide.
• There is a risk of 'culturalization' in social work, where caseworkers may attribute family issues to a static concept of culture while ignoring other critical factors such as poverty and low education levels.
• The use of psychological and diagnostic tools with immigrant families is complicated by language barriers and cultural biases; the report argues that clients should be evaluated in their dominant language to ensure quality and ethics.

APA

Korzeniewska, L., Erdal, M. B., Kosakowska-Berezecka, N., & Żadkowska, M. (2019). TILLIT OVER GRENSENE. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/9dee4bce-b6e7-4ee1-aea2-8a61467b8051/Tillit over grensene En gjennomgang av kunnskap om tillit migrasjon og barnevern.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Korzeniewska, Lubomiła, Marta Bivand Erdal, Natasza Kosakowska-Berezecka, and Magdalena Żadkowska. TILLIT OVER GRENSENE. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2019. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/9dee4bce-b6e7-4ee1-aea2-8a61467b8051/Tillit over grensene En gjennomgang av kunnskap om tillit migrasjon og barnevern.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Korzeniewska |first1=Lubomiła |last2=Erdal |first2=Marta Bivand |last3=Kosakowska-Berezecka |first3=Natasza |last4=Żadkowska |first4=Magdalena |title=TILLIT OVER GRENSENE |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=2019 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/9dee4bce-b6e7-4ee1-aea2-8a61467b8051/Tillit over grensene En gjennomgang av kunnskap om tillit migrasjon og barnevern.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{korzeniewska2019tillit, author = {Korzeniewska, Lubomiła and Erdal, Marta Bivand and Kosakowska-Berezecka, Natasza and Żadkowska, Magdalena}, title = {{TILLIT OVER GRENSENE}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2019}, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/9dee4bce-b6e7-4ee1-aea2-8a61467b8051/Tillit over grensene En gjennomgang av kunnskap om tillit migrasjon og barnevern.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }