Examination arrangement

Course content

This course will focus on services and measures for vulnerable children. Key topics are communication, conflict management, relational competence, professional ethics and current child welfare and child protection issues. We will also focus on awareness of learning from practice, and how to benefit from supervision. Professional reflections on one's own practice and work experiences are also central. In this course, students will have practice placement in child protection and child welfare, either in Norway or abroad. Practice placement for students in Norway will take place in Trøndelag. Practice placement abroad will take place according to NTNU´s agreements with relevant collaborators, and the students application.

Learning outcome

Knowledge - Students have:

• knowledge about child protection and child welfares mandate, interdisciplinary cooperation, division of responsibilities and tasks.
• multidisciplinary knowledge of key child welfare and child protection issues, processes and current professional debates the student will encounter in practice
• broad knowledge of different child protection and child welfare methods and measures
• knowledge of working with children and families in vulnerable life situations and with different cultural backgrounds
• knowledge of ethical values and dilemmas in the child protection and child welfare field, and can reflect around these

Skills - Students can:

• apply theoretical and experience based knowledge, and knowledge from children and parents, as a basis for knowledge based practice
• apply relational and communicative skills to cooperate with children, parents and collaborators in a culture-sensitive way
• reflect on their own and their host organization's professional work, values and norms - apply written documentation and digital professional systems as a tool
• apply different child welfare and child protection methods and measures, including activities in interaction with children

General knowledge - Students :

• can apply knowledge and experience to investigate, organize, carry out, document, analyze, assess and evaluate child welfare and child protection work in an ethical and proper way
• have insight into and understanding of the importance of own values and attitudes, and show an understanding of professional ethics as a basis for professional practice
• can apply knowledge, skills and experience to encounter children and families with understanding, empathy and recognition
• can document and convey professional assessments orally and in writing

Learning methods and activities

Practice studies (17 weeks), individual studies, supervision, written assignments and participation in discussion forums on Blackboard, lectures, training, work in groups, presentations.

Compulsory assignments

• Skill 1 - Practice skills training
• Skill 2 - Summary skills training
• Report - Practice report

Further on evaluation

If the practice study is not passed the practice study must be retaken in whole.

Compulsory activities:

- at least 80 % participation in practice preparation skill development training,

- at least 80 % participation in practice summing skill development training,

- practice assignment must be approved in order to have the course passed.

See "Guidelines for implementation and evaluation of practice studies at Department of Social Work at NTNU".

Specific conditions

Required previous knowledge

Students must have passed all the courses in the three first semesters and passed 105 credits in the programme in order to access this course. The course has study rights requirements. This means that the course is reserved for students admitted to the programme Bachelor in child protection and child welfare at NTNU.

Course materials

To be published in Blackboard at the beginning of the course

Credit reductions