‘Dispositifs’ of parenting in child welfare work: a cross-cultural study of home-based interventions in child protective services in Norway and France

Abstract

Although a few cross-national comparative studies have shed light on variation in parenting support policies, none specifically concentrates on perceptions of parenting within child protective services. This article examines Norwegian and French child welfare workers’ accounts of parenting in home-based interventions. The aims of the article are twofold: (i) to compare child welfare workers’ accounts of home-based interventions and (ii) to learn about the underlying basis of cross-national differences in these accounts. The central issues explored in the article involve the similarities and cross-national differences in social workers’ perceptions of parenting in home-based interventions. Drawing on 37 interviews with child welfare workers, the article sheds light on two distinct ‘dispositifs’ of parenting: the Norwegian emphasizes changing the parent, whilst the French stresses giving support for parenting. The findings thus reflect two distinct ways of conceptualizing and talking about child rearing and the parent–child relationship.