We will in our paper present a discussion on the developing of Sámi child welfare. The study is an empirical investigation of the stakeholder’s reflection of cultural issues, challenges and opportunities in this field. The main research question is what is the force in Sámi child welfare.
Sámi is an indigenous people in northern part of Europe, living in the fours states Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. Their share a common history and culture, and Sami languages that is divided by distinctive regional differences. The Sami has, as other indigenous people in the word, experiences severe oppression and assimilations. However, in the latest year the Sami in Norway, Sweden and Finland, have earned some degrees of co-government with the majority peoples, trough establishment of Sami parliaments in these three states. The Sami parliament is institutions that shall be included when the government are addressing cases that concern the indigenous people. It is a political elected parliament, that is assisted by a discipline organized administration. Within some field they have the power of independent funding, and that goes for the field of social work. Additional, the national social services have in the last decades taken an interest in supporting a development of the social work towards a more cultural sensitive approaches towards the indigenous peoples. In this changing attitudes towards the Sami people, we see the contours of a new framing of Sami child welfare. What is Sami child welfare, what is important to include in such approach, and who has the power to punt out the directions?
We argue the importance of including stakeholder’s reflections when exploring the framing of Sámi child welfare. Stakeholders by nature consist of a duality that can lead to actual changes and at the same time, they have the power to prevent changes by preserving some aspects. A deeper knowledge of the themes, subjects and topics that they call attention on, contribute to the understanding of the forces that frame the new Sámi child welfare. In order to contribute in the discourses of further development of cultural adequate Sami child welfare, this understanding is of importance.
Findings of this study suggest that Sámi child welfare practice is guided mainly by those working in the field. The participants of this study, stakeholders such as Sámi politicians, Sámi child welfare leaders, and governmental leaders that have Sámi child welfare in their responsibility have dual roles as one of creating change and one of preserving. Our findings propose that changes are related to more technical aspects of culture such as language and culture conservation. On the other side, stakeholders are potential agents of change who are continually engaged in development and new ways of thinking. This is particularly relevant when stakeholders are challenged on how to deal with complex issues in Sámi child welfare.
Assessment and decision making in child welfare , Migration and minorities in child welfare
