Barn som er utsatt for omsorgssvikt - hvordan oppdage dem? : en kvalitativ studie som belyser hvordan barnehageansatte oppdager barn som er utsatt for omsorgssvikt

Abstract

Background: Suspected child abuse reports to Child Protective Services (CPS) made by pre-school teachers has been on the rise. Consequently, that raises the question about whether the teachers' knowledge or awareness of child abuse or the actual number of children who have been abused has increased. Pre-school teachers, as many other professionals who work with children on a daily basis, face many challenges in their work place. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to describe the pre-school teachers' experiences with child abuse, including how they identify children who have been abused and how they determine whether they need to make a suspected child abuse report to Children Protective Services. Method: A qualitative design with phenomenology-hermeneutics approach was used in this study. Individual interviews were conducted with pre-school teachers from both public and private preschools. Findings: The study demonstrated that the experiences of pre-school teachers related to identifying and reporting child abuse can be categorized in six sections: 1) Maltreatment (or child abuse) - a broad definition, 2) "Hidden" maltreatment (or child abuse), 3) Seriousness of the abuse, 4) A process from identification of child abuse to making a suspected child abuse report, 5) Loyalty to the work place, and 6) Making an acquaintance with parents. 5 Conclusion: Pre- school teachers view the concept of the maltreatment (child abuse) of children as broad, and that the child abuse could be " hidden." (hard to be identified). It has been reported that it is easier to identify children who have been sexually abused or victims of violence then children who have been physically or mentally abused. The decision about whether to file a suspected child abuse report with the Children Protective Services has been based on the seriousness of the maltreatment. Key words: child abuse, pre-school teachers' experiences, loyalty, and Child Protective Services.