Bekymringsbarn blir til: En institusjonell etnografi av tidlig innsats som styringsrasjonal i barnehagen

Author
Nilsen, A. C. E.
Source
Avhandling for graden doctor philosophiae i samfunnsvitenskap. Universitetet i Agder, Fakultet for samfunnsvitenskap.
Year
2017

Purpose

The purpose is to examine how early intervention is carried out, how it is socially organised and what early intervention does, as seen from the standpoint of kindergarten staff (barnehageansatte). The author sees early intervention as an unclear and complex phenomena that can hold different understandings. Early intervention is generally about paying particular attention to the youngest children (0-6 years) and about acting fast when concerns arise and problems are identified. The dissertation focuses on the staff's concerns about children, and the staff’s understandings of normality and deviance as well as their reflections, actions and experiences with early intervention.

Result

The author finds that the staff's concerns about children's quality of life and development often start with a bad gut feeling based on observations of the child and the child's interaction with others. In the analysis, the author finds three different signs of concern: 1) characteristics of the child or the child's behaviour, 2) circumstances in the child's family, and 3) various specific or visual signs such as bruises or worn clothes. According to the author, the various signs of concern do something when they are given a meaning as symbols of concern, and a combination of these three signs often raises concern in the staff.

The author identifies two types of concern in the employees: developmental concerns, which relate to delays or deviances in the child's social, linguistic or motor development, and care concerns, which are related to circumstances regarding the child's care situation that are unsatisfactory or negative for the child. Care concerns are often connected to something in the relationship between the child and his/her parents/guardians. According to the author, developmental concerns are justified on the grounds of a specific understanding of normality which has its roots in developmental psychology, whereas care concerns are often more difficult to justify.

The study shows that the staff's determination of what kind of concern is involved often involves a "textualisation" of the child, which is about justifying and documenting the concern in ways that are legitimate. The study shows that early intervention includes categorisation of children as different types, such as "a child with developmental delay" or "a child at risk". This categorisation of the child is crucial for the future course of events and for the staff's cross-disciplinary cooperation with other professionals outside the kindergarten.

Design

The point of departure for the dissertation is the intervention entitled "Early intervention for a good start" carried out in two municipalities in Aust-Agder from 2010 to 2014. The goal was to improve early intervention in the two municipalities by strengthening cooperation between kindergarten staff and other municipal professionals. Moreover, employees in and around kindergartens were offered training in the observation and assessment method known as "the Kvello model" which can be used to identify children at risk. The model includes a list of risk and protection factors that influence children's quality of life and development possibilities. The majority of the data material consists of individual interviews and group interviews with 14 employees in four kindergartens (barnehager) divided into two municipalities as well as observations of staff meetings and courses on "the Kvello model". The author also conducted individual and group interviews with employees in the child welfare service (barnevernstjeneste), the educational-psychological service (PPR) (Pedagogisk-psykologisk tjeneste) and health stations (helsestasjon) in the two municipalities as well as observations of cross-disciplinary meetings, for example.

References

Nilsen, A. C. E. (2017). Bekymringsbarn blir til: En institusjonell etnografi av tidlig innsats som styringsrasjonal i barnehagen. Avhandling for graden doctor philosophiae i samfunnsvitenskap. Universitetet i Agder, Fakultet for samfunnsvitenskap.

Financed by

The follow-up research project was financed by the County Governor of Aust-Agter, the county of Aust- Agder and the University of Agder.