Marit Skivenes

Professor

Centre for Research on Discretion and Paternalism

E-mailMarit.Skivenes@uib.no
Phone+47 55 58 25 87+47 959 24 979
Visitor Address
Christiesgt. 17

Bergen
Postal Address
Postboks 7802

5020 Bergen

Skivenes is recognised as a leading expert in the field of child protection systems, with numerous publications in well-regarded journals. She is also a popular lecturer and a widely used expert by the media. Skivenes is the Head of the Centre for Research on Discretion and Paternalism, and the Principal Investigator of several international research projects. Skivenes heads the commission for the Official Norwegian Report on improved quality and legal protection in child protection (2021-2023).

Contact

If you wish to be affiliated with the research centre, please contact prof. Skivenes. Other inquiries should be directed to Barbara Ruiken. Students who would like supervision, discuss the discipline, or be affiliated with one of the research projects, are very welcome to contact prof. Skivenes via email.

Prof. Skivenes is unfortunately not accepting new students at the moment.

Follow Marit Skivenes on Academia, ResearchGate and LinkedIn.

Biography

Skivenes completed her PhD in Political Science at the University of Bergen in 2002. Post PhD, she worked two years as a researcher at the research institute "Fafo" in Oslo.

Later she spent three years at the Centre for Child Welfare at the Faculty of Psychology (UiB), as associate professor and head of the Centre. She then continued to work three years at the Department of Social Education at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL), first as associate professor and later as a professor.

Marit Skivenes is a professor at the Department of Administration and Organization Theory (University of Bergen), appointed in 2012.

Research interests

Theoretical focus:

Argumentation Theory - Deliberative Democracy - Discretion and decision-making in Organizations - Freedom of Speech - Paternalism and Welfare - Political Theory - Quality of Public Administration.

Empirical research themes:

Access to public information, Children's Interests, Child Protection Systems, Child Rights, Decision-Making Proceedings, Migration, Public Debate, Public Policy formation, Transparency, Welfare State Systems, Whistle-Blowing, Wrongdoing in Organizations.

Please examine professor Skivenes projects and publications for elaborations about her research.

Awards and grants

Marit Skivenes was awarded the prestigous ERC Consolidator Grant in 2016 for her research project DISCRETION. Read more about this here.

Marit Skivenes and Katrin Kriz were awarded the ISW prize for best article published in 2015 with the article "Challenges for marginalized minority parents in different welfare systems: Child welfare workers’ perspectives".

Selected publications

Burns, Kenneth; Križ, Katrin; Krutzinna, Jenny; Luhamaa, Katre; Meysen, Thomas; Pösö, Tarja; Segado, Sagrario; Skivenes, Marit; Thoburn, June. 2019. The hidden proceedings - An analysis of accountability of child protection adoption proceedings in eight European jurisdictions. European Journal of Comparative Law and Governance. 6: 339-371. doi: 10.1163/22134514-00604002
Skivenes, Marit; Helland, Hege Beate Stein. 2019. Rapport: Adopsjon som barneverntiltak. Centre for Research on Discretion and Paternalism, Bergen. 303 pages.
Skivenes, Marit; Tonheim, Milfrid. 2018. Improving decision-making in care order proceedings: A multijurisdictional study of court decision-makers' viewpoints. Child & Family Social Work. doi: 10.1111/cfs.12600
Skivenes, Marit; Thoburn, June. 2017. Citizens' views in four jurisdictions on placement policies for maltreated children. Child & Family Social Work. 22: 1472-1479. doi: 10.1111/cfs.12369
Magnussen, Anne-Mette; Skivenes, Marit. 2015. The child´s opinion and position in care order proceedings: an analysis of judiciary discretion in the county boards decision-making. The International Journal of Children's Rights. 23: 705-723. doi: 10.1163/15718182-02304001
Berrick, Jill Duerr; Dickens, Jonathan; Pösö, Tarja; Skivenes, Marit. 2015. Children's involvement in care order decision-making: A cross-country analysis. International Journal of Child Abuse & Neglect. 49: 128-141. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2015.07.001
Skivenes, Marit; Kriz, Katrin. 2015. Child welfare workers’ perceptions of children’s participation: a comparative study of England, Norway and the United States (California). Child & Family Social Work. 22: 11-22. doi: 10.1111/cfs.12224
Skivenes, Marit; Skramstad, Heidi. 2015. Child welfare workers' views of fathers in risk assessment and planned interventions, a comparison between English and Norwegian workers. Child & Family Social Work. 22: 203-212. doi: 10.1111/cfs.12220
Berrick, Jill Duerr; Peckover, Sue; Pösö, Tarja; Skivenes, Marit. 2015. The formalized framework for decision-making in child protection care orders: A cross-country analysis. Journal of European Social Policy. 25: 366-378. doi: 10.1177/0958928715594540
Skivenes, Marit; Skramstad, Heidi. 2015. The emotional dimension in risk assessment: a cross-country study of the perceptions of child welfare workers in England, Norway and California (United States). The British Journal of Social Work. 45: 809-824. doi: 10.1093/bjsw/bct177
Skivenes, Marit; Stenberg, Hanne. 2013. Risk assessment and domestic violence - how do child welfare workers in three countries assess and substantiate the risk level for a 5-year-old girl? Child & Family Social Work. 20: 424-436. doi: 10.1111/cfs.12092
Kriz, Katrin; Skivenes, Marit. 2015. Challenges for marginalized minority parents in different welfare systems: Child welfare workers’ perspectives. International Social Work. 58: 75-87. doi: 10.1177/0020872812456052
Berrick, Jill Duerr; Skivenes, Marit. 2012. Dimensions of high quality foster care: Parenting Plus. Children and Youth Services Review. 34: 1956-1965. doi: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2012.05.026
Gilbert, N.; Parton, N.; Skivenes, Marit. 2011. Child Protection Systems: International Trends and Emerging Orientations. Oxford University Press. 257 pages. ISBN: 9780199793358.
Skivenes, Marit. 2010. Judging the best interests of children - rational reasoning or subjective presumptions? Acta Sociologica. 53: 339-353. doi: 10.1177/0001699310379142
Archard, David; Skivenes, Marit. 2009. Balancing a Child’s Best Interest and a Child’s Views. The International Journal of Children's Rights. 17: 1-21. doi: 10.1163/157181808X358276

Skivenes and colleagues present research in blogposts and some of Skivenes´s blogposts are also in Norwegian.

Recent Commentaries in Media

Skivenes M. (2019). Child protection and child centrism – the Grand Chamber case of Strand Lobben and others v. Norway 2019. Strasbourg Observers, 11 October 2019.
Skivenes, M. og Helland, H. (2019). Barns rett til familieliv ("Children's right to family life", in Norwegian). Dagbladet, 23 February 2019.
Skivenes, M. (2018). Hvem har mest innflytelse - Solberg eller NAV-konsulenten? ("Who has the most influence - the Prime Minister or the welfare officer", in Norwegian). Bergens Tidende, 5 June 2018.
Skivenes M. og McEwan-Strand A. (2018). A Child-Centred Court of Human Rights? Strand Lobben v. Norway. Strasbourg Observers, 3 January 2018.
Skivenes, M. (2016). Rettigheter som utfordrer. ("Rights that challenge", in Norwegian). Bergens Tidende, December 1 2016

Marit Skivenes does also regularly publish blog posts at discretion.uib.no

Recent media coverage

Erfaren forsker skal lede ny barnevernsutredning. (Experienced researcher to lead new Official Norwegian Report on child protection) Kommunal rapport, 30. March 2021.
Barnevernet ber sjeldnere om å ta over omsorgen for barn med tvang. (Child protection services ask less frequently for compulsory care orders) Bergens Tidende, 16. October 2020.
Ny forskning: Avslører nye lovbrudd. (New research: reveals new violations of the law) Dagbladet, 15. September 2020.
Advarer mot inspirasjon fra Norge. (Warning against inspiration from Norway) Dagen, 23. May 2020.
Professor: – Norsk barnevern er i front med barns rettigheter. Det kan virke som om vi har fått svi for det. (Professor: - Norwegian child welfare is at the forefront in terms of children´s rights. It seems like we are paying the price for this”, in Norwegian. Aftenposten / Bergens Tidende, 25 November 2019.
De har vært fosterforeldrene til Nora (7) siden hun var ett år. Deres største ønske er å få adoptere henne. Men retten sier nei. (They have been foster parents to Nora (7) since she was 1 years old. Their greatest wish is to adopt her. But the court says no, in Norwegian). Aftenposten, 18 May 2019.
Adopsjon gir bedre levevilkår (Adoption provides better living conditions, in Norwegian). Forskning.no, 9 February 2019.
Too few Norwegian children under protection adopted by foster parents: report. Xinhua News, 6.februar 2019.
Rundt 50 barn i året adopteres av fosterforeldre. Det er altfor få, ifølge ny rapport (Around 50 children are adopted by their foster parents each year. The number is much too low, according to new report, in Norwegian). Aftenposten, 5 February 2019.
Hva skal til for at barnevernet tar et nyfødt barn fra mor? (What are the requirements for the child protection services to remove a newborn child from its mother?, in Norwegian). Forskning.no, 7 February 2018.
Fikk 18 millioner kroner i stipend (Received 18 million norwegian kroner in scholarship, in Norwegian). Bergens Tidende, 15 December 2016.

Keynote speaker (selected)

Keynote speaker at the 15th International EUSARF Conference “All Children, All Families. Promoting Excellence in Child Welfare Research, Policy and Practice”. 2018-10-03 – 2018-10-05. Porto, Portugal
Keynote speaker at the conference “Decision Making in Child and Adult Protection: Discretion and Dialogue“. 2018-05-31 – 2018-06-02. Basel, Switzerland
«Do we still trust barnevernet - and should we?» UiB Innsikt. 12-09-2020.
Key note speaker at the 3rd Annual International ERCPAMM Seminar “Research, social policy and action with migrant minors”, Title: «Children across borders: Rights and policies», Melilla, Spain; 2018-04-25 to 2018-04-27.
Key note speaker at the conference “Unaccompanied minors across borders: Main social and political issues for their protection”. Title: “Discrimination of unaccompanied asylum seeking minors”, Melilla, Spain; 2017-04-25
Keynote speaker at the 8^th ESFR Conference “Changing Family Relations – Gender and Generations”; 2016-08-31 – 2016-09-03. Dortmund, Germany.
Keynote speaker at the Nordic Congress on Child Welfare; 2015-08-26 - 2015-08-28. Turku, Finland.

Recent videos

Er det norske barnevernet i krise?. (Is Norwegian child protection in crisis?) UiB 19. November 2020
Child protection in Norway - an international perspective. UiB 19. November 2020

For full overview of media contributions, presentations and publications, please visit the Cristin database.

Students who would like supervision, discuss the discipline, or be affiliated with one of the research projects, are very welcome to contact prof. Skivenes via email.

PhD-students under supervision

Frøydis Petersen Jensen, project (UiB):
Hanne Skoe Cederkvist, project (County Social Welfare Board): Children’s right to participation in the County Social Welfare Boards
Mathea Loen, project (UiB): Legitimacy Challenges: Participation in Public Debate
Barbara Ruiken, project (UiB): Understanding risk and protective factors in child's best interest decisions
Irene Aase Kvåle, project (HVL): Priorities in Child Protection and Health Services
Line Sørsdal, project (UiB): Decision Making about best interests

Master's students under supervision:

Tanja Maria Gummedal (UiB)

Courses

GOV216 Constitutions, Courts and Politics
Effects of Lawfare – Courts and law as battlegrounds for social change
AORG 907 Introduction to Systematic Review and the use of SR in Social Science
AORG 350 Master's thesis in Administration and Organization Theory
AORG 332 Research design
AORG 325 Discretion and paternalism
AORG 250 Bachelor’s Thesis (2013 - 2017)
AORG 104 Political Theory and Democratic Governance (2013 - 2014)
AORG 100 Introductory Course in Administration and Organization Theory (2013 - 2014)

Academic article

Show author(s) (2023). Legitimate child protection interventions and the dimension of confidence: A comparative analysis of populations views in six European countries. Journal of Social Policy. 1-20.

Show author(s) (2022). The invisible child. A comparative study of newborn removal judgments from a Child Equality Perspective (cep) . The International Journal of Children's Rights. 644-674.
Show author(s) (2022). Securing permanence for children in care: A cross-country analysis of citizen's view on adoption versus foster care. Child & Family Social Work.
Show author(s) (2022). Populations trust in the child protection system: A cross-country comparison of nine high-income jurisdictions. Journal of European Social Policy.
Show author(s) (2022). Parental Freedom in the Context of Risk to the Child: Citizens’ Views of Child Protection and the State in the US and Norway. Journal of Social Policy.
Show author(s) (2022). Comparing population view´s on state responsibility for children in vulnerable situations – the role of institutional context and socio-demographic characteristics. Journal of Public Child Welfare. 1-22.

Show author(s) (2021). Services and support for mothers and newborn babies in vulnerable situations A study of eight European jurisdictions. Children and Youth Services Review.
Show author(s) (2021). Justifying interventions in Norwegian child protection - an analysis of cases of violence in migrant and non-migrant families. Nordic Journal on Law and Society. 1-41.
Show author(s) (2021). Exploring populations view on thresholds and reasons for child protection intervention–comparing England, Norway, Poland and Romania. European Journal of Social Work.
Show author(s) (2021). Children’s rights and parents’ rights: Popular attitudes about when we privilege one over the other. International Journal of Social Welfare.

Show author(s) (2020). Judging parental competence: A cross‐country analysis of judicial decision makers' written assessment of mothers' parenting capacities in newborn removal cases. Child & Family Social Work. 50-60.
Show author(s) (2020). Family life for children in state care. An analysis of the European court of human rights’ reasoning on adoption without consent. The International Journal of Children's Rights. 715-747.
Show author(s) (2020). Corporal punishment and reporting to child protection authorities: An empirical study of population attitudes in five European countries. Children and Youth Services Review.
Show author(s) (2020). Children’s Capacities and Role in Matters of Great Significance for Them. The International Journal of Children's Rights. 632-665.
Show author(s) (2020). Child welfare removal of infants: Exploring policies and principles for decision-making in Nordic countries. Children and Youth Services Review. 1-8.
Show author(s) (2020). Are child protection workers and judges in alignment with citizens when considering interventions into a family? A cross-country study of four jurisdictions. Children and Youth Services Review.
Show author(s) (2020). Adoption or public care? Views on adoption as a child protection measure. Tidsskrift for samfunnsforskning. 124-139.

Show author(s) (2019). The hidden proceedings - An analysis of accountability of child protection adoption proceedings in eight European jurisdictions. European Journal of Comparative Law and Governance. 339-371.
Show author(s) (2019). Children’s and parents’ involvement in care order proceedings: a cross-national comparison of judicial decision-makers’ views and experiences. Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law. 188-204.

Show author(s) (2018). International Perspectives on Child-responsive Courts. The International Journal of Children's Rights. 251-277.
Show author(s) (2018). Improving decision-making in care order proceedings: A multijurisdictional study of court decision-makers' viewpoints. Child & Family Social Work.

Show author(s) (2017). The role and function of spokesperson in care order proceedings: A cross-country study in Finland and Norway. Children and Youth Services Review. 8-16.
Show author(s) (2017). Social Workers and Independent Experts in Child Protection Decision Making: Messages from an Intercountry Comparative Study. The British Journal of Social Work. 1024-1042.
Show author(s) (2017). Parents' involvement in care order decisions: a cross-country study of front-line practice. Child & Family Social Work. 626-637.
Show author(s) (2017). Citizens' views in four jurisdictions on placement policies for maltreated children. Child & Family Social Work. 1472-1479.
Show author(s) (2017). Care order templates as institutional scripts in child protection: A cross-system analysis. Children and Youth Services Review. 40-47.
Show author(s) (2017). Are there population biases against migrant children? An experimental analysis of attitudes towards corporal punishment in Austria, Norway and Spain. Children and Youth Services Review. 151-157.
Show author(s) (2017). A Cross-Country Comparison of Child Welfare Systems and Workers' Responses to Children Appearing to be at Risk or in Need of Help. Child Abuse Review http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/%28ISSN%291099-0852. 305-319.

Show author(s) (2016). Whistleblowing in local government: an empirical study of contact patterns and whistleblowing in 20 Norwegian municipalities. Scandinavian Political Studies. 264-289.
Show author(s) (2016). Time, institutional support, and quality of decision making in child protection: a cross-country analysis. Human service organizations, management, leadership & governance. 451-468.
Show author(s) (2016). The population's confidence in the child protection system - A survey study of England, Finland, Norway and the United States (California). Social Policy & Administration. 1330-1347.
Show author(s) (2016). Pathways to permanence in England and Norway: A critical analysis of documents and data. Children and Youth Services Review. 152-160.
Show author(s) (2016). Improving the care order decision-making processes: viewpoints of child welfare workers in four countries. Human service organizations, management, leadership & governance. 107-117.
Show author(s) (2016). Deliberative decision-making on the Norwegian County Social Welfare Board The experiences of expert and lay members. Journal of Public Child Welfare. 108-132.
Show author(s) (2016). Child welfare workers’ experiences of obstacles in care order preparation: a cross-country comparison. European Journal of Social Work. 100-113.

Show author(s) (2015). The formalized framework for decision-making in child protection care orders: A cross-country analysis. Journal of European Social Policy. 366-378.
Show author(s) (2015). The emotional dimension in risk assessment: a cross-country study of the perceptions of child welfare workers in England, Norway and California (United States). The British Journal of Social Work. 809-824.
Show author(s) (2015). The child´s opinion and position in care order proceedings: an analysis of judiciary discretion in the county boards decision-making. The International Journal of Children's Rights. 705 -723.
Show author(s) (2015). Handlingsrommet for barns deltagelse i barnevernssaker. Tidsskrift for velferdsforskning. 48-60.
Show author(s) (2015). Explaining whistle blowing processes in the Norwegian labour market: Between individual power resources and institutional arrangement. Economic and Industrial Democracy: an international journal. 119-143.
Show author(s) (2015). Children's involvement in care order decision-making: A cross-country analysis. International Journal of Child Abuse & Neglect. 128-141.
Show author(s) (2015). Child welfare workers’ perceptions of children’s participation: a comparative study of England, Norway and the United States (California). Child & Family Social Work. 11-22.
Show author(s) (2015). Child welfare workers' views of fathers in risk assessment and planned interventions, a comparison between English and Norwegian workers. Child & Family Social Work. 203-212.
Show author(s) (2015). Challenges for marginalized minority parents in different welfare systems: Child welfare workers’ perspectives. International Social Work. 75-87.

Show author(s) (2014). Street-level policy aims of child welfare workers in England, Norway and the United States: An exploratory study. Children and Youth Services Review. 71-78.
Show author(s) (2014). Child protection systems within the Danish, Finnish and Norwegian welfare states-time for a child centric approach? European Journal of Social Work. 475-490.

Show author(s) (2013). Systemic differences in views on risk: A comparative case vignette study of risk assessment in England, Norway and the United States (California). Children and Youth Services Review. 1862-1870.
Show author(s) (2013). Risk assessment and domestic violence - how do child welfare workers in three countries assess and substantiate the risk level for a 5-year-old girl? Child & Family Social Work. 424-436.
Show author(s) (2013). Is the type of misconduct decisive for the perceived legitimacy of whistleblowing? A study of municipal managers’ assessments of whistleblowing in cases of harassment and corruption. E-Journal of International and Comparative Labour Studies. 50-65.
Show author(s) (2013). Fostering in the welfare states of the US and Norway. Journal of European Social Policy. 423-436.

Show author(s) (2012). How child welfare workers perceive their work with undocumented immigrant families: An explorative study of challenges and coping strategies. Children and Youth Services Review. 790-797.
Show author(s) (2012). Dimensions of high quality foster care: Parenting Plus. Children and Youth Services Review. 1956-1965.
Show author(s) (2012). Child-centric or family focused? A study of child welfare workers’ perceptions of ethnic minority children in England and Norway. Child & Family Social Work. 448-457.
Show author(s) (2012). Adoption in the child welfare system - A cross-country analysis of child welfare workers' recommendations for or against adoption. Children and Youth Services Review. 2220-2228.

Show author(s) (2011). How child welfare workers view their work with racial and ethnic minority families: The United States in contrast to England and Norway. Children and Youth Services Review. 1866-1874.

Show author(s) (2010). ”Knowing our society” and “fighting against prejudices”: How child welfare workers in Norway and England perceive the challenges of minority parents. The British Journal of Social Work. 2634-2651.
Show author(s) (2010). When whistle-blowing works: The Norwegian case. Human Relations. 1071-1097.
Show author(s) (2010). Lost in Translation: How Child Welfare Workers in Norway and England Experience Language Difficulties when Working with Minority Ethnic Families. The British Journal of Social Work. 1353-1367.
Show author(s) (2010). Judging the best interests of children - rational reasoning or subjective presumptions? Acta Sociologica. 339-353.
Show author(s) (2010). Deciding best interests: general principles and the cases of Norway and the UK. Journal of Children's Services. 43-54.
Show author(s) (2010). 'We have very different positions on some issues': how child welfare workers in Norway and England bridge cultural differences when communicating with ethnic minority families. European Journal of Social Work. 3-18.
Show author(s) (2010). 'Knowing Our Society' and 'Fighting Against Prejudices': How Child Welfare Workers in Norway and England Perceive the Challenges of Minority Parents. The British Journal of Social Work. 2634-2651.

Show author(s) (2009). Kontakt med biologisk familie etter adopsjon i barnevernet - til barnets beste? Tidsskrift for familierett, arverett og barnevernrettslige spørsmål. 135-154.
Show author(s) (2009). Hearing the child. Child & Family Social Work. 391-399.
Show author(s) (2009). Balancing a Child’s Best Interest and a Child’s Views. The International Journal of Children's Rights. 1-21.

Show author(s) (2008). “New Public Management and Whistle Blowing.”. Tidsskriftet Politik. 82-95.
Show author(s) (2008). New Public Managment og varsling. Tidsskriftet Politik. 82-95.

Show author(s) (2006). A Child perspective and participation for children. Children, Youth and Environments. 10-29.

Show author(s) (2005). Core Groups and Child Protection - a forum for collaboration and legitimate decision-making. Child & Family Social Work.
Show author(s) (2005). Collaboration between service users and professionals: Legitimate decisions in child protection - a Norwegian model. Child & Family Social Work. 9.

Show author(s) (2004). Kritikkstandarder og lovgivning. Kritisk juss.
Show author(s) (2004). Grensen mellom det private og det offentlige i barnevernet. Tidsskrift for velferdsforskning.
Show author(s) (2004). Barn og familieråd. En analyse av det organisatoriske rammeverket for barns medvirkning i barnevernet. Tidsskrift for velferdsforskning. 213-228.

Show author(s) (2003). Biologi og barnets beste i barneverntjenesteloven. Retfærd. Nordisk Juridisk Tidsskrift.

Show author(s) (2001). Demokratisk beslutningsforberedelser. Nordisk Administrativt Tidsskrift.

Academic lecture

Show author(s) (2021). Services and support for mothers and newborn babies in vulnerable situations.
Show author(s) (2021). Justifying best interest interventions in Norwegian child protection cases on violence in migrant and non-migrant families.
Show author(s) (2021). Judging parental competence: A cross-country analysis of judicial decision-makers’ assessment of parental capacities in newborn removal cases.
Show author(s) (2021). International comparative attitudes about child protection and the state: Parental freedom in the context of risk to the child.
Show author(s) (2021). Family life for children in state care. An analysis of the European Court of Human Rights’ reasoning on adoption without consent.
Show author(s) (2021). Errors and Mistakes in Child Protection. International approaches and strategies to strengthen the perspective and rights of the child - Child perspective errors in the Norwegian child protection system.
Show author(s) (2021). Discretionary reasoning in child protection.
Show author(s) (2021). Decision-making and Participation of Children in the Child Protection System’ - The Invisible Child: The Child’s Perspective in Judicial Decision-Making in Eight European Countries.
Show author(s) (2021). Children’s rights and parents’ rights: Popular attitudes about balanced decision making.
Show author(s) (2021). Child Protection Systems: A Global Typology.
Show author(s) (2021). 2 år etter Strand Lobben-dommen. Hva har skjedd?

Show author(s) (2020). Free to Fail? Paternalistic Preferences in the U.S.

Show author(s) (2019). The Child’s Right to Family Life. An analysis of the European Court of Human Rights’ reasoning on adoption without consent.
Show author(s) (2019). Justifying the Child’s Best Interest - A Comparison of Court Decisions in Norwegian Child Protection Cases of Violence in Migrant and Non-Migrant Families.

Show author(s) (2018). Perceptions of risk, need, and neglect: A cross-country comparison.
Show author(s) (2018). Justifying a child’s best interest - A comparison of court decisions in Norwegian child protection cases of violence in migrant and non-migrant families.
Show author(s) (2018). Justifying Removals of Newborn Babies: A Cross-Country Analysis of Judiciary Decision Makers Reasoning of Parental Capacities .
Show author(s) (2018). In the Best Interest of the Child – An Analysis of Judgments on Involuntary Adoption in the Norwegian Judicial System.
Show author(s) (2018). European Court of Human Rights Directions on Newborn Removals.
Show author(s) (2018). Children across borders: Rights and policies.
Show author(s) (2018). Child protection removals of newborns: Policy and practice.

Show author(s) (2017). Workshop ERC funded project "DISCRETION".
Show author(s) (2017). Workshop.
Show author(s) (2017). Workshop.
Show author(s) (2017). Research meeting with the research team for "Legitimacy and fallibility in child welfare services".
Show author(s) (2017). Nytenkende forskning på barns beste i barnevernet.
Show author(s) (2017). Medvirkning som sentralt for gode beslutningsprosesser.
Show author(s) (2017). Launch of ERC funded project "DISCRETION" at Bergen Exchanges 2017.
Show author(s) (2017). International perspectives on children’s involvement in child protection court cases.
Show author(s) (2017). How can we improve our understanding of the mechanisms in discretionary decision-making?
Show author(s) (2017). Er norsk barnevern dårligere enn andre lands barnevern? .
Show author(s) (2017). Discrimination of unaccompanied asylum seeking minors.
Show author(s) (2017). Discretion, children’s and parents’ involvement in decision-making and the role of the court – key findings in a cross-country context .
Show author(s) (2017). Child Welfare Policy & Practice in Norway: A child-centric approach .

Show author(s) (2016). Statlig overgrep eller vern av barn?
Show author(s) (2016). Norsk barnevern – utvikling i et internasjonalt perspektiv.
Show author(s) (2016). Launch of the book "Child Welfare Removals by the State" and the research group Child rights unit.
Show author(s) (2016). Discrimination due to migrant background? A study of the populations in 3 countries.
Show author(s) (2016). Det norske barnevernets omdømme.
Show author(s) (2016). Child welfare systems and children's participation - are some systems better than others?
Show author(s) (2016). Changing Family Relations – Gender and Generations.

Show author(s) (2015). Tillit og rettssikkerhet i barnevernet.
Show author(s) (2015). The best interests principle in child protection removal cases.
Show author(s) (2015). Kvalitet og legitimitet – et statsvitenskapelig blikk på fylkesnemndenes avgjørelse.
Show author(s) (2015). International Perspectives on Social Work and Judicial Decision Making in Child Protection Cases.
Show author(s) (2015). Internasjonale perspektiver på barnevernet.
Show author(s) (2015). Cross-country perspectives on the Finnish and Norwegian child welfare: how are the good decisions made?
Show author(s) (2015). Children’s participation in child protection – Exit, Voice or Loyalty.

Show author(s) (2014). The Child`s opinion and position in care order proceedings. An analysis of judiciary discretion in the County boards decision making.
Show author(s) (2014). Paths to permanence in England and Norway: evolving policy and the welfare state foundation.
Show author(s) (2014). Decision-making in child protection care orders: A cross-country analysis of practice.
Show author(s) (2014). Children as stakeholders in decision-making: contested issue, diverse practices.
Show author(s) (2014). Child welfare workers’ perceptions of children’s participation: a comparative study of England, Norway and the United States (California).
Show author(s) (2014). Beslutningskvaliteten i omsorgsovertakelser og adopsjon til barnets beste?

Show author(s) (2013). Whistleblowing in Norwegian municipalities - the role of politicians.
Show author(s) (2013). Explaining whistle blowing processes in the Norwegian labour market – power or institutional factors?
Show author(s) (2013). Decision making in child welfare: A cross-country comparison.
Show author(s) (2013). Child welfare systems and migrant families; the Norwegian approach.
Show author(s) (2013). Child orientation – a contested concept or a "wicked problem”?

Show author(s) (2012). Child protection systems – Trends and orientations.
Show author(s) (2012). Adopsjon til barnets beste?

Show author(s) (2004). Ansvarsgrupper i Barneverntjenesten - et forum for samarbeid og legitime beslutninger?

Show author(s) (2003). Employability, partnership and labour displacement among metal workers in the Norwegian shipbuilding industry.
Show author(s) (2003). Core groups in Child Protection - A forum for participation and legitimate decision-making?
Show author(s) (2003). Ansvarsgrupper i barneverntjenesten - et forum for samarbeid og legitime beslutninger?

Book review

Show author(s) (2016). Book Review: International Perspectives and Empirical Findings on Child Participation: From Social Exclusion to Child-Inclusive Policies. Critical Social Policy. 454-456.

Show author(s) (2014). Et grunnlag for debatt - anmeldelse av Knut Halvorsens bok "Fra ide til politikk for en godt samfunn". Fontene. 53.

Show author(s) (2008). En muldvarp i Siemens. Prosa - tidsskrift for skribenter.

Show author(s) (2007). En utypisk varslers historie. Prosa - tidsskrift for skribenter. 40-42.
Show author(s) (2007). Delt bosted for barn. Tidsskrift for velferdsforskning. 274-276.

Academic anthology/Conference proceedings

Show author(s) (2023). Oxford Handbook of Child Protection Systems. Oxford University Press.

Show author(s) (2021). Adoption from Care. International Perspectives on Children’s Rights, Family Preservation and State Intervention. Policy Press.

Show author(s) (2019). Children’s Rights in Norway: An Implementation Paradox? Universitetsforlaget.
Show author(s) (2019). Child Rights and International Discrimination Law: Implementing Article 2 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Routledge.

Show author(s) (2016). Child Welfare Removals by the State. A Cross-Country Analysis of Decision-Making Systems. Oxford University Press.

Show author(s) (2014). Child Welfare Systems and Migrant Children - A Cross Country Study of Policies and Practice. Oxford University Press.

Show author(s) (2011). Child Protection Systems: International Trends and Emerging Orientations. Oxford University Press.

Open Access Publications:

Berrick, Jill Duerr; Skivenes, Marit; Roscoe, Joseph N. (2022) Parental Freedom in the Context of Risk to the Child: Citizens’ Views of Child Protection and the State in the US and Norway. Journal of Social Policy
Helland, Hege Stein; Pedersen, Siri Hansen; Skivenes, Marit (2022) Comparing population view´s on state responsibility for children in vulnerable situations – the role of institutional context and socio-demographic characteristics. Journal of Public Child Welfare
Berrick, Jill Duerr; Skivenes, Marit; Roscoe, Joseph N. (2021) Children’s rights and parents’ rights: Popular attitudes about when we privilege one over the other. International Journal of Social Welfare
Løvlie, A.; Skivenes, M. (2021) Justifying interventions in Norwegian child protection - an analysis of cases of violence in migrant and non-migrant families. Nordic Journal on Law and Society
Skivenes, Thoburn, J., & Poso, T. (2021). Adoption from Care. International Perspectives on Children’s Rights, Family Preservation and State Intervention. Policy Press
Skivenes, Marit (2021) Exploring populations view on thresholds and reasons for child protection intervention–comparing England, Norway, Poland and Romania. European Journal of Social Work
Luhamaa, Katre; McEwan-Strand, Amy; Ruiken, Barbara; Skivenes, Marit; Wingens, Florian A. (2021) Services and support for mothers and newborn babies in vulnerable situations A study of eight European jurisdictions. Children and Youth Services Review
Breen, C., Krutzinna, J., Luhamaa, K., & Skivenes, M. (2020). Family Life for Children in State Care. The International Journal of Children’s Rights.
Krutzinna & Skivenes (2020). Judging parental competence: A cross-country analysis of judicial decision makers’ written assessment of mothers’ parenting capacities in newborn removal cases. Child & family social work.
McEwan-Strand, A., & Skivenes, M. (2020). Children’s Capacities and Role in Matters of Great Significance for Them. The International Journal of Children’s Rights.
Burns, Kriz, Krutzinna, Luhamaa, Meysen, Pösö, Segado, Skivenes & Thoburn. 2019. The Hidden Proceedings – An Analysis of Accountability of Child Protection Adoption Proceedings in Eight European Jurisdictions. European Journal of Comparative Law and Governance.
Skivenes, Marit; Helland, Hege Beate Stein. 2019. Rapport: Adopsjon som barneverntiltak. Centre for Research on Discretion and Paternalism, Bergen.
Langford, Skivenes & Søvig (eds.). 2019. Child rights in Norway: Measuring Compliance. Universitetsforlaget.
Berrick, Dickens, Pösö & Skivenes. 2018. International Perspectives on Child-responsive Courts. International Journal of Children’s Rights.
Skivenes & Sørsdal. 2018. The Child’s Best Interest Principle across Child Protection Jurisdictions. In Falch-Eriksen, A. & Backe-Hansen, E. (eds.) Human Rights in Child Protection – Implications for Professional Practice and Policy, pp. 59-88. London, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.
Skivenes, M. and Thoburn, J. (2016) ‘Pathways to permanence in England and Norway: A critical analysis of documents and data‘, Children and Youth Services Review, 67 (2016), pp. 152-160.
Križ, K. and Skivenes, M. (2014) ‘Street-level policy aims of child welfare workers in England, Norway and the United States: An exploratory study’, Children and Youth Services Review, 40 (2014), pp. 71-78.
Skivenes, M. and Trygstad, S. C. (2013) ‘Is the type of misconduct decisive for the perceived legitimacy of whistleblowing? A study of municipal managers’ assessments of whistleblowing in cases of harassment and corruption’, E-Journal of International and Comparative Labour Studies, 2, pp. 50-65.

ERC-grant: DISCRETION

Professor Marit Skivenes is awarded an European Research Council (ERC) Frontier Research Grant for the research project DISCRETION to consolidate her research ideas and thinking around core themes in social sciences about the governments use of power towards its citizens, and the justifications of state interventions into peoples lives. The ERC sole evaluation criterion is scientific excellence of researcher and research proposal.

The full title of the project is “Discretion and the child’s best interests in child protection”, and it aims to unlock the black box of discretionary decision-making in child protection cases by a comparative-empirical study of how discretionary decisions are made and justified in the best interests of the child.

There are huge research gaps in this important area of the welfare state, with a great deal of uncertainty concerning how, when and why discretionary decisions about the child’s best interests are different between decision- makers within and between child protection systems.

Read more here: www.discretion.uib.no

Current projects:

Principal Investigator for the research project "CPS-WORLD" (University of Bergen). Funded by UiB and the Norwegian Research Council. 2022-2028.
Principal Investigator for the research project Cross-national Experiences of Foster Care" (UiB/UC Berkeley). Finanisert av Peder Sather Grant Program. 2020-2021.
Principal investigator for the research project "Legitimacy Challenges: An analysis of mistrust in core institutions and the normative fundament of the welfare state" (University of Bergen). Funded by the Norwegian Research Council (VAM). 2020 - 2025.
Principal investigator for the research project "Discretion and the Child's Best Interest" (University of Bergen). Funded by the European Research Council (Consolidator Grant). 2017-2021.
Principal investigator for the research project "The Acceptability of Child Protection Interventions: A Cross-Country Analysis" (University of Bergen). Funded by the Norwegian Research Council (FRIHUMSAM). 2017-2021.
Team leader for the research project "Cosmopolitan Turn and Democratic Sentiments: The Case of Child Protection Services" (Gabriel Bădescu, Asgeir Falch-Eriksen, Marit Skivenes) (Babeş-Bolyai University). Funded by the EEA and Norway Grants – Romania. 2019-2023.
Member of the core group in the research project "Understanding Paternalism" together with Alexander Cappelen and Bertil Tungodden (The Choice Lab, Norwegian School of Economics). Funded by the Norwegian Research Council (FRIPRO)
Volume co-author (together with Jill Berrick and Neil Gilbert) on "Handbook on Comparative Child Welfare Policy» as part of the Oxford University Press International Social Policy Library. 2016-2019.

Previous projects

Principal Investigator with Jill Berrick for the research project "Citizens’ views of child protection and the state: Welfare state theory, values, and risk" (UiB/UC Berkeley). Funded by the Peder Sather Grant Program. 2019-2020.Principal Investigator for the PRO BONO group research project on the implementation of "Mit Liv" (UiB). 2016-2019.
Principal Investigator for the research project «Adoption as a Child Welfare Measure» (Adopsjon som et barneverntiltak, in Norwegian) (Marit Skivenes, Hege Helland, Øyvind Tefre), The Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs. 2016-2018.
Book project: "Children´s participation in child protection - street level bureaucrats exercise of discretion" (Marit Skivenes, Katrin Kriz). 2016-2018.
Principal investigator in the research project “Legitimacy and Fallibility in Child Welfare Services – A Cross-Country Study of Decision-Making” (Marit Skivenes, Tarja Pösö, Jill Berrick, Jonathan Dickens, Anne-Mette Magnussen, Line Sørsdal), The Norwegian Research Council (VAM) 2012- june 2017.*
Organizer of the fourth "Colloquium on the United Nations Covention on the Rights of the Child Implementation Project (CRC-IP)" together with Karl Harald Søvig. Funded by the Norwegian Research Council (VAM). April 2017.
Principal Investigator for the research project “The Norwegian Child Welfare System in a Comparative Perspective" (Marit Skivenes, Katrin Kriz, Heidi Skramstad, Øyvind Tefre, Milfrid Tonheim), The Norwegian Research Council (FRISAM) 2010- may 2017.
Book project: Co-editor (Together with Malcolm Langford and Karl Harald Søvig) "Measuring Child Rights in Norway". Universitetsforlaget. 2016-2017

Positions

Head of the Centre for Research on Discretion and Paternalism
Chair of the research group Law, Democracy and Welfare
Elected representative for permanent staff in the Faculty Board, 2017-2021 (as well as 2013-2017).
Elected representative for permanent staff in the Departments Council, 2017-2021 (as well as 2013-2017).
Research leader of Child Rights Unit at Centre on Law and Social Transformation
Steering Committee member of Centre on Law and Social Transformation
Steering Committee member of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child Implementing Project (CRC-IP)
Steering Committee member of the Inter-disciplinary Network for Research on Child Welfare Proceedings and Decision-Making
Steering committee member of CEIPAMM (Centro Europeo de Investigación. Políticas y Acción Para Los Menores y La Migración)
Member of the working group for the Quality in Research Strategy at UiB
Leader of the working group for research in the Government's Barnunge21 strategy
Head of commission for the Official Norwegian Report on improved quality and legal protection in child protection 2021-2023 for the Ministry of Children and Families
Elected member of The European Academy of Sciences: https://www.ae-info.org/ae/Member/Skivenes_Marit

The Pro Bono Group

The pro bono group conducts research on children's rights. Pro bono is a latin phrase for professional work and research undertaken voluntarily without payment and for the benefit of the public good. We believe that working for children and young individual’s rights is a particularly important social responsibility. Professor Marit Skivenes is the principal investigator and chair of the group.

Volunteers

Do you wish to volunteer for the The Child Rights Unit at Centre on Law and Social Transformation?

Please contact professor Marit Skivenes.

Graduated PhD-candidates:

Audun Løvlie, political science (UiB): Accepting Care Orders: Expertise as premise-provider. 2023.
Ida B. Juhasz, political science (UiB): Removals of new-borns in Norway and England. 2022.
Hege B. Helland, political science (UiB) : Adoption in child protection. 2021
Øyvind S. Tefre, political science (HVL): Public and private responsibility for children. 2020.
Astrid Strandbu, pedagogy (UiT). Barns deltakelse og barneperspektivet i familierådsmodellen. 2009.
Liv Walseth, medicine (UiB). Hvordan bedre lege-pasientsamtalen?. 2012. (Co-supervisor).
Eirik Gundersern, philosophy (OsloMet). What We Owe to Our Children. Relationships and Obligations in Public Care. 2018. (Co-supervisor).

Fields of competence

Argumentation theory

Child Protection

Child Welfare Systems

Decision-making

Deliberative Democracy

Discretion

Paternalism

Political Theory

Public administration

Whistle-Blowing