Child Welfare and the Significance of Family

Abstract

The chapter examines the changing relationships between children, families and the state, and their impact on the Norwegian child welfare services authority. It discusses the evolution of concepts of family and parental rights, providing a historical backdrop of state-family interactions with a focus on children. The importance of the parent-child relationship's quality and caregiver duties are emphasized, alongside human rights considerations, referencing European Court of Human Rights cases and the Norwegian Child Welfare Act. The chapter underscores the necessity for child welfare services to evaluate the family network, parental competence, relationship quality and child development critically.