What Counts in Child Protection and Welfare?

Abstract

In this article the question about what counts (as results and evidence) in public services for the welfare of vulnerable children is discussed with reference to interviews with three former child protection clients. The purpose of the interviews was to learn how former clients experienced `being under care', and what short- and long-term consequences or results they found it had in their case. The question that is being raised here is whether basic care, being cared for and loved without too much concern about obtaining specific goals, is in danger of being given less priority in result-oriented and evidence-based child welfare services. The context of the interviews which are referred to here is Norwegian child protection services, but the question that is raised on the basis of this study relates to a more wide-spread and general debate about what should count as evidence in child protection and welfare.