Efficacy in working with migrant families in child welfare services: influencing factors

The Child Welfare Services (CWS) practitioners' cultural competence in service provision influences the practice and decision-making, and thus outcomes for migrant children and families. This study investigates social workers' confidence in delivering culturally sensitive services in Norway and assesses the main influencing factors by examining the relationship between self-efficacy and personal and work-related resources. In this study, a Self-efficacy Scale was developed to assess professionals' beliefs in their capability to work with migrant families. The scale was administered through a questionnaire to child welfare workers in Norway (N = 251), and the reliability of the scale measured by Cronbach's alpha coefficient was .904. The data were analysed using univariate statistics, correlations, and multiple regressions. The study shows that practitioners' level of efficacy in working with migrant families is high. Experience, training, and access to services with cultural expertise were the main contributing factors to confidence in delivering culturally sensitive services in CWS. The findings add to an emerging body of research exploring welfare services providers' efficacy in service provision and highlight the need for recognising professional experience and training needs as well as developing and strengthening collaboration with culturally sensitive services in advancing the cultural competence within CWS' practice. Ansatte i barnevernet utover en type kulturell kompetanse som har implikasjoner for deres praksis og deres beslutninger, og som far betydning for migrantbarn og deres familier. Denne studien undersoker barnevernsarbeideres opplevelse av egen mestring for a kunne utove kultursensitive tjenester i Norge; og vurderer de viktigste pavirkningsfaktorene mellom mestringfolelse og personlige og arbeidsrelaterte ressurser. Jeg utviklet en skala for opplevelse av mestringskompetanse for a kunne arbeide med migrantfamilier. Skalaen gjorde bruk av et sporreskjema som jeg hadde laget for barnevernsansatte i Norge (N = 251), og reliabiliteten til skalaen ble malt med Cronbachs alfa som har koeffisient pa .904. Dataene ble analysert med univariate metoder samt korrelasjon og multippel regresjon. Resultatene viser at barnevernsarbeidernes opplevelse av egen mestring i arbeidet med migrantfamilier er hoy. Erfaring, oppl AE ring og tilgang til tjenester med kulturell kompetanse var de viktigste faktorene for a oppna mestringstro pa a kunne gi kultursensitive tjenester i barnevernet. Studien bidrar til a utvikle en gryende forskning om profesjonelle utoveres opplevelse av mestring i tjenesteyting og den viser betydningen av yrkeserfaring og behovene for spesialisert oppl AE ring for a kunne utvikle kultursensitive tjenester og for a fremme den kulturelle kompetansen innenfor barnevernets praksis.