The aim of the project is to contribute to developing knowledge about how child welfare institutions detect substance abuse at the earliest possible stage, as well as to work responsibly and effectively to prevent substance abuse among young people.
The main research question for the project is: What is the extent of substance amongst youth living in residential care institutions and how is this use handled when it is discovered?
The findings from the various approaches will form the basis for the further development of the substance abuse prevention work at the institutions. The assignment project will develop knowledge and recommendations for preventive work and measures with substance abuse challenges in child welfare institutions.
The recommendations in the report will be prepared with a view to challenges that are particularly central in a metropolitan context and recommend best practice in working with substance-related challenges for young people living in BFE institutions in the City of Oslo.
More about the project
This project contains of three parts that can be briefly outlined as follows:
Part 1: Mapping tools, register data and document analysis
To map the extent of substance abuse, type of substance abuse and substance abuse trajectories among children and adolescents in child welfare institutions.
The methodology in this section are mapping tools, anonymous survey to young people with adapted and quality-assured questions for young respondents.
- Questions about drugs (attitudes, use), satisfaction with life, thoughts about the future, self-image, etc.
- Registry data: child welfare data from the districts' professional systems (1994-2022) with, among other things, the basis for placement, substance-related information (problems, offences) registered by the district before and after a stay in an institution and linked to administrative registers containing information on education, income, employment, social security and crime.
- Document analysis: system documents with anonymised information from referrals, intake assessment and the course of the stay in the institution
Part 2: Qualitative interviews
To explore how the institutions work with detection and prevention of substance abuse, as well as what effect this work has in the BFE institutions.
The goal is to gain insight into the institution's work with prevention, detection and management of substance abuse and substance abuse problems Young people, employees, managers and partners are invited to participate in individual interviews. The interviews are conducted by the researchers in the project with the consent of the invitees. The information that emerges during the interview is strictly regulated with regard to anonymity (both individual and institution) and is stored/processed in accordance with data protection legislation.
Part 3: Document analysis
To examine experiences from other countries with a view to best practice when it comes to institutional practices with substance abuse challenges related to children and young people.
The goal is to gain knowledge about effective practices for preventing, uncovering and dealing with substance abuse challenges in child welfare institutions Mapping and analysis of documents and experiences from countries in the Nordic countries (scientific publications, public policy documents, reports, etc.).
- What benefit do the different approaches have in terms of challenges related to substance abuse?
- Which perspectives on substance abuse dominate the understanding in institutions and how is this expressed in the work with substance abuse challenges?
- What prerequisites must the institutions have to establish best practice in working with substance-related challenges?
