Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Defining “Good Enough” Parenting

Ambiguities When Immigrant Parents Migrate to Interventionist and Child-Centric Western Countries – The Case of Norway

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
The Palgrave Handbook of Global Social Problems

Abstract

This chapter explores significant themes that contribute to the understanding of responsible parenting, child abuse, and child neglect among immigrant parents who migrate to Western countries. It further explores how these understandings contribute to a deficiency positioning of immigrant parents in contact with Western child welfare systems. The themes discussed in this chapter are partly based on research on how immigrant parents perceive and experience their involvement with child welfare services and how immigrant parents experience parenting in the Norwegian welfare state. Furthermore, the themes are also based on a review and discussion of studies on immigrant parents’ experiences of their parental positioning in Western countries, particularly when they are also involved with child welfare/protection services. Reviewing the situation within the Norwegian welfare state as a baseline case study, this chapter critically examines the social problems resulting from the “professional turn to parenting” in Western countries. The chapter highlights how this impacts immigrant families, particularly those from non-Western countries, when they migrate to interventionist and child-centric societies like Norway. This chapter suggests that the Norwegian context, with its emphasis on welfare provision, indirectly conveys certain parental standards that immigrant parents perceive they must conform to in order to pass as acceptable parents. Furthermore, the chapter suggests that these parental standards are reflected in the scientification of parenthood that relies on professional involvement. The result for immigrants is an incongruency between their parenting ideals and those to which they are expected to conform in Norway.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Ayón, C., Aisenberg, E., & Erera, P. (2010). Learning how to dance with the public child welfare system: Mexican parents’ efforts to exercise their voice. Journal of Public Child Welfare, 4(3), 263–286. https://doi.org/10.1080/15548732.2010.496077

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berg, B., Paulsen, V., Midjo, T., Haugen, G. M. D., Garvik, M., & Tøssebro, J. (2017). Myter og realiteter: Innvandreres møter med barnevernet. NTNU Samfunnsforskning.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brochmann, G., & Kjeldstadli, K. (2008). A history of immigration: The case of Norway 900–2000. Universitetsforlaget.

    Google Scholar 

  • Child Welfare Act. (1992). Act of July 1992 no. 100 relating to child welfare services. Norwegian Ministry of Children, Equality, and Social Inclusion.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dalikeni, C. (2019). Child-rearing practices: Cross cultural perspectives of African asylum-seeking families and child protection social workers in Ireland. European Journal of Social Work, 24(2), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691457.2019.1585333

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Daly, M. (2013). Parenting support: Another gender-related policy illusion in Europe? Women’s Studies International Forum, 41, 223–230.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De la Rica, S., Glitz, A., & Ortega, F. (2015). Immigration in Europe: Trends, policies, and empirical evidence. In Handbook of the economics of international migration (Vol. 1, pp. 1303–1362). Elsevier.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dettlaff, A., & Fong, R. (2014). Child welfare practice with immigrant children and families. Routledge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Dettlaff, A. J., Earner, I., & Phillips, S. D. (2009). Latino children of immigrants in the child welfare system: Prevalence, characteristics, and risk. Children and Youth Services Review, 31(7), 775–783. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2009.02.004

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Devaney, J., & Spratt, T. (2009). Child abuse as a complex and wicked problem: Reflecting on policy developments in the United Kingdom in working with children and families with multiple problems. Children and Youth Services Review, 31(6), 635–641. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2008.12.003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davies. (2011). The impact of a child protection investigation: A personal reflective account. Child & Family Social Work, 16(2), 201–209. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2206.2010.00732.x

  • Dumbrill, G. C. (2009). Your policies, our children: Messages from refugee parents to child welfare workers and policymakers. Child Welfare, 88(3), 145.

    Google Scholar 

  • Earner, I. (2007). Immigrant families and public child welfare: Barriers to services and approaches for change. Child Welfare, 86(4), 63.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellingsæter, A. L. (2012). Innledning: Velferdsstatens familier. I: Ellingsæter. In Anne Lise og Karin Widerberg (Red.), Velferdsstatens familier. Nye Sosiologiske Perspektiver. Gyldendal Akademisk.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellingsæter, A. L. (2015). Politisering av foreldreskap: Likestilling, anerkjennelse og valgfrihet. In Myndighet og medborgerskap: Festskrift til Gro Hagemann på 70-årsdagen 3, September 2015 (Vol. I). Novus Forlag. ISBN 978-82-7099-819-7.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellingsæter, A. L., & Pedersen, E. (2016). Institutional trust: Family policy and fertility in Norway. Social Politics, 23(1), 119–141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elstad, J. I., & Stefansen, K. (2014). Social variations in perceived parenting styles among Norwegian adolescents. Child Indicators Research, 7(3), 649–670.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ericsson, K. (2000). Social control and emancipation. Ambiguities in child welfare. Journal of Scandinavian Studies in Criminology and Crime Prevention, 1, 16–26. https://doi.org/10.1080/14043850050116237

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Falch-Eriksen, A., & Skivenes, M. (2019). Right to protection. In Children’s rights in Norway (pp. 107–135). Universitetsforlaget.

    Google Scholar 

  • Friberg, J. H. (2016). New patterns of labour migration from Central to Eastern Europe and its impact on labour market institutions in Norway: Reviewing the evidence. In J. E. Dølviik & L. Eldring (Eds.), Labour mobility in the enlarged single European market (pp. 19–43). Emerald Group Publishing.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Friberg, J. H. (2019). Konflikt, fellesskap og forandring. Nordic Open Access Scholarly Publishing. Cappelen Damm Akademisk.

    Google Scholar 

  • Friberg, J. H., & Bjørnset, M. (2019). Migrasjon, foreldreskap og sosial kontroll. Rapport.

    Google Scholar 

  • Friberg, J. H., & Midtbøen, A. H. (2019). The making of immigrant niches in an affluent welfare state. International Migration Review, 53(2), 322–345. https://doi.org/10.1177/0197918318765168

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fylkesnes, M. K. (2018). Frykt, forhandlinger og deltakelse. Ungdommer og foreldre med etnisk minoritetsbakgrunn i møte med den norske barnevernstjenesten. PhD Avhandling. Bergen: Universitetet i Bergen.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fylkesnes, M. K., Iversen, A. C., & Nygren, L. (2018). Negotiating deficiency: Exploring ethnic minority parents’ narratives about encountering child welfare services in Norway. Child & Family Social Work, 23(2), 196–203. https://doi.org/10.1111/cfs.12400

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gilbert, N. (1997). Combatting child abuse: International perspectives and trends. Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gullestad, M. (2002). Det norske sett med nye øyne. Universitetsforlaget.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hagelund, A. (2002). Problematizing culture: Discourses on integration in Norway. Journal of International Migration and Integration, 3(3), 401–415.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Handulle, A., & Vassenden, A. (2020). “The art of kindergarten drop off”: How young Norwegian-Somali parents perform ethnicity to avoid reports to Child Welfare Services. European Journal of Social Work, 24(3), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691457.2020.1713053

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hantrais, L. (2004). Family policy matters: Responding to family change in Europe. Policy Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Hennum, N. (2010). Mot en standardisering av voksenhet?: Barn som redskap i statens disiplinering av voksne. Sosiologi i Dag, 40(1–2), 57–75.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hennum, N. (2017). The Norwegian child protection services in stormy weather. Critical and Radical Social Work, 5(3), 319–334. https://doi.org/10.1332/204986017X15029695863676

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hollekim, R., Anderssen, N., & Daniel, M. (2016). Contemporary discourses on children and parenting in Norway: Norwegian Child Welfare Services meets immigrant families. Children and Youth Services Review, 60, 52–60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2015.11.004

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hulbert, A. (2011). Raising America: Experts, parents, and a century of advice about children. Vintage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jacobs, M. A., & Saus, M. (2012). Child welfare services for indigenous populations: A comparison of child welfare histories, policies, practices and laws for American Indians and Norwegian Samis. Child Care in Practice, 18(3), 271–290. https://doi.org/10.1080/13575279.2012.683777

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, & Sullivan. (2008). How child protection workers support or further victimize battered mothers. Affilia, 23(3), 242–258. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886109908319113

  • Kagitcibasi, C. (2013). Family, self, and human development across cultures: Theory and applications. Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keller, J., & McDade, K. (2000). Attitudes of low-income parents toward seeking help with parenting: Implications for practice. Child Welfare, 79(3), 285.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kojan, B. H., & Fauske, H. (2011). Et klasseperspektiv på barnevernets familier. Tidsskrift for velferdsforskning, 14(2), 95–109.

    Google Scholar 

  • Korzeniewska, L., Marta, B. E., Natasza, K.-B., & Magdalena, Ż. (2019). Trust across borders: A review of the literature on trust, migration and child welfare services. Retrieved from GDANSK.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewig, K., Arney, F., & Salveron, M. (2010). Challenges to parenting in a new culture: Implications for child and family welfare. Evaluation and Program Planning, 33(3), 324–332. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2009.05.002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maiter, S., Stalker, C., & Alaggia, R. (2009). The experiences of minority immigrant families receiving child welfare services: Seeking to understand how to reduce risk and increase protective factors. Families in Society, 90(1), 28–36. https://doi.org/10.1606/1044-3894.3842

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Midtbøen, A. H., & Lidèn, H. (2015). Diskriminering av samer, nasjonale minoriteter og innvandrere i Norge. En Kunnskapsgjennomgang. Institutt for Samfunnsforskning.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Research Council, Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, Panel on Research on Child Abuse and Neglect. (1993). Understanding child abuse and neglect. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Norges Offentlige Utredninger. (2016). No. 16: Ny barnevernslov. Sikring av barnets rett til omsorg og beskyttelse. Departementets Sikkerjhets- og Serviceorganisasjon. Informasjonsforvaltning.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oltedal, S., & Nygren, L. (2019). Private and public families: Social workers’ views on children’s and parents’ position in Chile, England, Lithuania and Norway. Journal of Comparative Social Work, 14(1), 115–140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Osman, F., Klingberg-Allvin, M., Flacking, R., & Schön, U.-K. (2016). Parenthood in transition – Somali-born parents’ experiences of and needs for parenting support programmes. BMC International Health and Human Rights, 16(1), 7. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12914-016-0082-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Palmer, S., Maiter, S., & Manji, S. (2006). Effective intervention in child protective services: Learning from parents. Children and Youth Services Review, 28(7), 812–824. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2005.08.010

  • Parsai, M., Nieri, T., & Villar, P. (2010). Away from home: Paradoxes of parenting for Mexican immigrant adults. Families in Society, 91(2), 201–208. https://doi.org/10.1606/1044-3894.3976

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perreira, K. M., Chapman, M. V., & Stein, G. L. (2006). Becoming an American parent: Overcoming challenges and finding strength in a new immigrant Latino community. Journal of Family Issues, 27(10), 1383–1414. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X06290041

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Picot, A. (2014). Transforming child welfare: From explicit to implicit control of families. European Journal of Social Work, 17(5), 689–701. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691457.2014.932273

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ramaekers, S., & Suissa, J. (2011). The claims of parenting: Reasons, responsibility and society (Vol. 4). Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rasmussen, A., Akinsulure-Smith, A., Chu, T., & Keatley, E. (2012). “911” Among West African immigrants in New York City: A qualitative study of parents’ disciplinary practices and their perceptions of child welfare authorities. Social Science and Medicine, 75(3), 516–525. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.03.042

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reisig, J. A., & Miller, M. K. (2009). How the social construction of “child abuse” affect immigrant parents: Policy changes that protect children and families. International Journal of Social Inquiry, 2(1), 17–37.

    Google Scholar 

  • Riggs, S. A. (2010). Childhood emotional abuse and the attachment system across the life cycle: What theory and research tell us. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment and Trauma, 19(1), 154–179. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926770903475968

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Samsonsen, V., & Willumsen, E. (2015). Assessment in child protection: Social workers’ voices in England and Norway. Journal of Comparative Social Work, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.31265/jcsw.v10i1.120

  • Skivenes, M., & Skramstad, H. (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). British Journal of Social Work, 45(3), 800–824. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bct177

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Skogstrøm, L. (2015). Bufdir mener foreldre må slutte å stole på ryggmargsrefleksen. Retrieved 2 November 2020 from https://www.aftenposten.no/norge/i/bdmB/bufdir-mener-foreldre-maa-slutte-aa-stole-paa-ryggmargsrefleksen

  • Smette, I., & Rosten, M. G. (2019). Et iakttatt foreldreskap. Om å være foreldre og minoritet i Norge. NOVA Rapport.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, R. (2009). A universal child? Macmillan International Higher Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spratt, T., & Callan, J. (2004). Parents’ views on social work interventions in child welfare cases. British Journal of Social Work, 34(2), 199–224.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Staer, T., & Bjørknes, R. (2015). Ethnic disproportionality in the child welfare system: A Norwegian national cohort study. Children and Youth Services Review, 56, 26–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2015.06.008

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Statistisk Sentralbyrå. (2020a). Innvandrere og norskfødte med innvandrerforeldre. Retrieved from https://www.ssb.no/befolkning/statistikker/innvbefolkning

  • Statistisk Sentralbyrå. (2020b). Barnevern. Retrieved from https://www.ssb.no/sosiale-forhold-og-kriminalitet/statistikker/barneverng

  • Tembo, M. J. (2020). Navigating emotions in child welfare: Immigrant parents’ experiences and perceptions of involvement with child welfare services in Norway. International Social Work, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020872819897770

  • Tembo, M. J., & Studsrød, I. (2017). Foreldreskap i ny kontekst: Når mor og far har migrert til Norge. In Barneomsorg på norsk: I samspill og spenning mellom hjem og stat. Universitetsforlaget. ISBN 9788215029818. s. 107-124.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tembo, M. J., Studsrød, I., & Young, S. (2020). Governing the family: Immigrant parents’ perceptions of the controlling power of the Norwegian welfare system. European Journal of Social Work, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691457.2020.1738349

  • Thorpe, D., & Jackson, M. (1997). Child protection services and parental reactions to children’s behaviour. Child & Family Social Work, 2(2), 81–89. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2206.1997.00046.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tuastad, S., & Studsrød, I. (2017). Landsby og velferdsstat. In I. Studsrød & S. Tuastad (Eds.), Barneomsorg på norsk: I samspill og spenning mellom hjem og stat (pp. 9–21). Universitetsforlaget.

    Google Scholar 

  • United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. (1989). United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

    Google Scholar 

  • Utting, D., & Pugh, G. (2004). The social context of parenting. In Handbook of parenting, theory and research for practice (pp. 19–37). Sage.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Religious and Cultural Studies, VID Specialized University, Stavanger, Norway

    Memory J. Tembo-Pankuku

  2. Department of Social Studies, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway

    Ingunn Studsrød

Authors
  1. Memory J. Tembo-Pankuku
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ingunn Studsrød
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Memory J. Tembo-Pankuku .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work and Social Welfare, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

    Rajendra Baikady

  2. Department of Social Work, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India

    S.M Sajid

  3. Nicolaus Copernicus University, Torun, Poland

    Jaroslaw Przeperski

  4. Department of Social Work, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park, South Africa

    Varoshini Nadesan

  5. Inst of Social Welfare & Res, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh

    Islam Rezaul

  6. Sch of Philosophy & Social Development, Shandong University, Central Campus, Jinan, China

    Jianguo Gao

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Tembo-Pankuku, M.J., Studsrød, I. (2022). Defining “Good Enough” Parenting. In: Baikady, R., Sajid, S., Przeperski, J., Nadesan, V., Rezaul, I., Gao, J. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Global Social Problems. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-68127-2_87-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-68127-2_87-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-68127-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-68127-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Social SciencesReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation