Hege Stein Helland
Biographic Data
| ID | 4460276 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Hege Stein Helland |
| GIVEN NAMES | Hege Stein |
| FAMILY NAME | Helland |
| SIGNATURE | HELLAND H S |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Bergen |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-9169-9990 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 10 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 16 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 10 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2018 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Adolescents Trust in the Child Welfare System: Does Institutional Contact and Performance Matter
Institutional trust is associated with effective and efficient policy implementation and delivery of public welfare services. Still, the non‐adult population is overlooked in studies of institutional trust and its mechanisms despite their regular interaction with core welfare state institutions. This study focuses on adolescents' trust in the child welfare system (CWS) and asks if first‐hand experiences and satisfaction with institutional perform…
Reconciling Children’s Best Interests and Right to be Heard
This article explores the tension between the child’s best interests principle and children’s participation and examines the inherent challenges and different approaches to reconcile the dilemma in law and practice: how can children’s best interests be reconciled with their right to be heard? By exploring different systems’ institutional approaches and empirical ability to implement and honour children’s right to participation in national context…
Public Rights Orientations and Views on Long‐Term Care Options for Children in the Child Protection System: An Analysis of Representative Samples of Adults in California, USA and Norway
This study examines a representative sample of adults in California (USA) and Norway, and their attitudes toward adoption versus foster care in a child protection case. The results show that a majority of people favour adoption for a child who has been removed due to maltreatment and cannot be reunified with birth parents. The study examines if people's rights orientation, favouring children or adults, or favouring birth parents or adoptive paren…
Comparing population views on state responsibility for children in vulnerable situations – the role of institutional context and socio-demographic characteristics
This paper examines populous perspectives of the government’s responsibility to intervene in situations of possible parental neglect of children in England, Finland, Norway, and California (USA), and ask if institutional context, defined as child protection system and children ́s wellbeing situation, are formative for people’s perspectives on government responsibility for children in vulnerable situations and how they view children ́s future. Wit…
Reasoning between Rules and Discretion: A Comparative Study of the Normative Platform for Best Interest Decision-Making on Adoption in England and Norway
This article examines discretionary reasoning in child’s best interest (CBI) assessments in two jurisdictions, England and Norway, in decision concerning adoption from care. The two countries’ systems differ in child protection orientations and levels of discretionary autonomy but share the legal and moral yardstick of the CBI. Judgments from the Family Court in England (n = 29) and the County Social Welfare Board in Norway (n = 29) are analysed …
In the Best Interest of the Child? Justifying Decisions on Adoption from Care in the Norwegian Supreme Court
By utilising theories of deliberation and rational argumentation, this article critically analyses the Norwegian Supreme Court’s best interest decisions in four judgments on adoption from care. How does the Supreme Court reason their decisions and are the decisions rational? The findings show that the decisions are reasoned similarly, and conclusions are guided by norms of biology, vulnerability and stability for the child. However, discretion is…
Corporal punishment and reporting to child protection authorities: An empirical study of population attitudes in five European countries
This study, which draws upon representative survey data of the populations of Austria (n = 1000), Estonia (n = 1069), Ireland (n = 1000), Norway (n = 1002) and Spain (n = 1000), compares population attitudes towards corporal punishment (CP) and whether citizens would report corporal punishment to the child protection authorities. We found significant cross-country differences in attitudes towards CP, but only small differences between countries i…
Tipping the scales: The power of parental commitment in decisions on adoption from care
This article studies how three groups of professional decision-makers – child welfare workers, experts on children and judges – exercise discretion in decisions on adoption from care in the Norwegian child welfare system. The analysis is based on near 500 decision-makers’ responses to a vignette about David, a four-year-old boy whose foster parents want to adopt him. After reading the vignette, decision-makers were asked to choose a measure for D…
Adopsjon eller offentlig omsorg? Enstudie av befolkningens syn på adopsjon som tiltak i barnevernet
Barnevernet kan gjennomføre adopsjoner av fosterbarn uten biologiske foreldres samtykke. Dette representerer en betydelig utøvelse av statlig makt, og norsk rett krever særlig tungtveiende grunner for å tillate adopsjon. Det er også sjelden slike adopsjoner gjøres i Norge. Artikkelen undersøker hvordan befolkningen vurderer adopsjon som barneverntiltak, og om de er på linje med politikerne og retten i dette spørsmålet. Vi har gjennomført en surve…
Are there population biases against migrant children? An experimental analysis of attitudes towards corporal punishment in Austria, Norway and Spain
Corporal punishment and reporting to child protection authorities: An empirical study of population attitudes in five European countries
This study, which draws upon representative survey data of the populations of Austria (n = 1000), Estonia (n = 1069), Ireland (n = 1000), Norway (n = 1002) and Spain (n = 1000), compares population attitudes towards corporal punishment (CP) and whether citizens would report corporal punishment to the child protection authorities. We found significant cross-country differences in attitudes towards CP, but only small differences between countries i…
In the Best Interest of the Child? Justifying Decisions on Adoption from Care in the Norwegian Supreme Court
By utilising theories of deliberation and rational argumentation, this article critically analyses the Norwegian Supreme Court’s best interest decisions in four judgments on adoption from care. How does the Supreme Court reason their decisions and are the decisions rational? The findings show that the decisions are reasoned similarly, and conclusions are guided by norms of biology, vulnerability and stability for the child. However, discretion is…
Are there population biases against migrant children? An experimental analysis of attitudes towards corporal punishment in Austria, Norway and Spain
Reasoning between Rules and Discretion: A Comparative Study of the Normative Platform for Best Interest Decision-Making on Adoption in England and Norway
This article examines discretionary reasoning in child’s best interest (CBI) assessments in two jurisdictions, England and Norway, in decision concerning adoption from care. The two countries’ systems differ in child protection orientations and levels of discretionary autonomy but share the legal and moral yardstick of the CBI. Judgments from the Family Court in England (n = 29) and the County Social Welfare Board in Norway (n = 29) are analysed …
Adopsjon eller offentlig omsorg? Enstudie av befolkningens syn på adopsjon som tiltak i barnevernet
Barnevernet kan gjennomføre adopsjoner av fosterbarn uten biologiske foreldres samtykke. Dette representerer en betydelig utøvelse av statlig makt, og norsk rett krever særlig tungtveiende grunner for å tillate adopsjon. Det er også sjelden slike adopsjoner gjøres i Norge. Artikkelen undersøker hvordan befolkningen vurderer adopsjon som barneverntiltak, og om de er på linje med politikerne og retten i dette spørsmålet. Vi har gjennomført en surve…
Reconciling Children’s Best Interests and Right to be Heard
This article explores the tension between the child’s best interests principle and children’s participation and examines the inherent challenges and different approaches to reconcile the dilemma in law and practice: how can children’s best interests be reconciled with their right to be heard? By exploring different systems’ institutional approaches and empirical ability to implement and honour children’s right to participation in national context…
Comparing population views on state responsibility for children in vulnerable situations – the role of institutional context and socio-demographic characteristics
This paper examines populous perspectives of the government’s responsibility to intervene in situations of possible parental neglect of children in England, Finland, Norway, and California (USA), and ask if institutional context, defined as child protection system and children ́s wellbeing situation, are formative for people’s perspectives on government responsibility for children in vulnerable situations and how they view children ́s future. Wit…
Are there population biases against migrant children? An experimental analysis of attitudes towards corporal punishment in Austria, Norway and Spain
Tipping the scales: The power of parental commitment in decisions on adoption from care
This article studies how three groups of professional decision-makers – child welfare workers, experts on children and judges – exercise discretion in decisions on adoption from care in the Norwegian child welfare system. The analysis is based on near 500 decision-makers’ responses to a vignette about David, a four-year-old boy whose foster parents want to adopt him. After reading the vignette, decision-makers were asked to choose a measure for D…
Adopsjon eller offentlig omsorg? Enstudie av befolkningens syn på adopsjon som tiltak i barnevernet
Barnevernet kan gjennomføre adopsjoner av fosterbarn uten biologiske foreldres samtykke. Dette representerer en betydelig utøvelse av statlig makt, og norsk rett krever særlig tungtveiende grunner for å tillate adopsjon. Det er også sjelden slike adopsjoner gjøres i Norge. Artikkelen undersøker hvordan befolkningen vurderer adopsjon som barneverntiltak, og om de er på linje med politikerne og retten i dette spørsmålet. Vi har gjennomført en surve…
Reasoning between Rules and Discretion: A Comparative Study of the Normative Platform for Best Interest Decision-Making on Adoption in England and Norway
This article examines discretionary reasoning in child’s best interest (CBI) assessments in two jurisdictions, England and Norway, in decision concerning adoption from care. The two countries’ systems differ in child protection orientations and levels of discretionary autonomy but share the legal and moral yardstick of the CBI. Judgments from the Family Court in England (n = 29) and the County Social Welfare Board in Norway (n = 29) are analysed …
In the Best Interest of the Child? Justifying Decisions on Adoption from Care in the Norwegian Supreme Court
By utilising theories of deliberation and rational argumentation, this article critically analyses the Norwegian Supreme Court’s best interest decisions in four judgments on adoption from care. How does the Supreme Court reason their decisions and are the decisions rational? The findings show that the decisions are reasoned similarly, and conclusions are guided by norms of biology, vulnerability and stability for the child. However, discretion is…
Corporal punishment and reporting to child protection authorities: An empirical study of population attitudes in five European countries
This study, which draws upon representative survey data of the populations of Austria (n = 1000), Estonia (n = 1069), Ireland (n = 1000), Norway (n = 1002) and Spain (n = 1000), compares population attitudes towards corporal punishment (CP) and whether citizens would report corporal punishment to the child protection authorities. We found significant cross-country differences in attitudes towards CP, but only small differences between countries i…
Comparing population views on state responsibility for children in vulnerable situations – the role of institutional context and socio-demographic characteristics
This paper examines populous perspectives of the government’s responsibility to intervene in situations of possible parental neglect of children in England, Finland, Norway, and California (USA), and ask if institutional context, defined as child protection system and children ́s wellbeing situation, are formative for people’s perspectives on government responsibility for children in vulnerable situations and how they view children ́s future. Wit…
Reconciling Children’s Best Interests and Right to be Heard
This article explores the tension between the child’s best interests principle and children’s participation and examines the inherent challenges and different approaches to reconcile the dilemma in law and practice: how can children’s best interests be reconciled with their right to be heard? By exploring different systems’ institutional approaches and empirical ability to implement and honour children’s right to participation in national context…
Public Rights Orientations and Views on Long‐Term Care Options for Children in the Child Protection System: An Analysis of Representative Samples of Adults in California, USA and Norway
This study examines a representative sample of adults in California (USA) and Norway, and their attitudes toward adoption versus foster care in a child protection case. The results show that a majority of people favour adoption for a child who has been removed due to maltreatment and cannot be reunified with birth parents. The study examines if people's rights orientation, favouring children or adults, or favouring birth parents or adoptive paren…
Adolescents Trust in the Child Welfare System: Does Institutional Contact and Performance Matter
Institutional trust is associated with effective and efficient policy implementation and delivery of public welfare services. Still, the non‐adult population is overlooked in studies of institutional trust and its mechanisms despite their regular interaction with core welfare state institutions. This study focuses on adolescents' trust in the child welfare system (CWS) and asks if first‐hand experiences and satisfaction with institutional perform…
Political science (8 works) · Child Abuse and Trauma (7 works) · Child Welfare and Adoption (6 works) · Psychology (6 works) · Law (5 works) · Social Psychology (5 works) · Sociology (5 works) · Law (4 works) · Population (4 works) · Social Psychology (4 works)