Mentoring for inclusion: A scoping review of the literature

This article explores and summarizes the characteristics and findings in Norwegian research on mentoring for inclusion, using a scoping literature review. Mentoring matches younger or less experienced individuals with non-parental mentors to provide support and promote skills, personal development, and/or attainment of specific goals, such as employment. Searches were conducted in databases and in grey literature, with 19 publications included in our final analyses. The included publications encompass various approaches to organizing mentoring: by public sector organizations such as NAV and by non-public organizations (ideal organizations, social entrepreneurships). Over half of the mentoring programs in the included publications had immigrants or individuals with minority backgrounds as target groups. Nearly all the included publications assessed program results, concluding that mentoring generally achieved its (often broadly defined) objectives and/or that participants were satisfied. Notably, a robust assessment of the effects of mentoring remains an area for future inquiry. The included studies provide valuable insights into mentoring for supporting welfare state institutions in inclusion of vulnerable groups. Mentoring represents an individualized and flexible approach with the potential to supplement public services. Based on the findings, future directions for research on mentoring in the welfare state context are discussed.publishedVersio

Participatory research approaches to studying social capital in youth mentoring: Not the panacea we hoped for

Participatory approaches have gained broad interest among researchers as a vehicle for allowing participants’ experiences and voices to inform research, beyond simply being a source of data. However, participants in mentoring programs, particularly young people, often are not included in research partnerships in a meaningful way. Additionally, practitioners often struggle to translate research findings into program improvements. This paper examines the experiences of a research team collaborating with two user groups: mentoring practitioners, and youth with migrant and refugee backgrounds participating in mentoring programs. With ambitions for meaningful user involvement, our aim was to develop and test a digital intervention for supporting social capital in mentoring. The paper draws primarily upon participant observation and qualitative data from a focus group and panel discussions. While youth voices did inform and shape the research, we also experienced challenges related to youth understanding and engagement. The adult practitioners participated actively but encountered tensions due to their dual roles as co-researchers and mentoring professionals, and resource constraints. Ultimately, a close collaboration enabled the co-creation of adaptations to our research approaches, allowing meaningful participation for some of the youth, and facilitating program changes. This paper offers lessons for researchers wishing to conduct participatory research in the context of youth mentoring, as well as specific suggestions for those studying social capital. It contributes to the discussion on participatory approaches with multicultural youth, presenting critical reflections on our experiences within this mentoring context.publishedVersio

En "europeisert" norsk velferdsforvaltning? Kartlegging av rutiner og praksis knyttet til EØS-forpliktelsene om trygdekoordinering

Formålet med dette prosjektet har vært å undersøke hvordan arbeids- og velferdsforvaltningen forholder seg til forpliktelser som følger av EØS-regelverket. Prosjektet er avgrenset til saksområder som omfatter trygdekoordinering. Studien finner at det er økt bevissthet rundt EØS-regelverket, men at det knytter seg betydelig usikkerhet til hvordan regelverket skal omsettes i praksis. Dette skyldes kompleksiteten i regelverket, der nasjonal politikkutvikling blant annet betinges av rettsavgjørelser fra EU- og EFTA-domstolen. Studien finner også at det er økt behov for informasjon, samt kapasitets- og kompetansebygging, særlig i de operative delene.publishedVersio

User perspectives on the role of local services in promoting labor market participation of people with chronic illnesses

How do local Norwegian work, welfare, and health services (WWH services) support the labor market integration of chronically ill people? We discuss how user organization representatives evaluate the role of municipal-level service support in facilitating labor market participation of people with chronic illnesses and disabilities, and to what extent the views of user organizations are requested and included in local service development. We thus contribute to the limited research on the role of WWH services for work inclusion from the user perspective. Our analysis rests on an original web-based survey, combining qualitative and quantitative data, and a focus group discussion. Although user representatives call for strengthening of services, they also view employers’ adaptations as being more important than local services. And despite their expertise, user organizations are only included in local service development to a limited extent.publishedVersio

Kunnskapsproduksjon med relevans for IA-avtalen 2019–2024 – en systematisering og oppsummering

Rapporten besvarer et oppdrag gitt av Arbeids- og velferdsdirektoratet med formål å oppsummere og systematisere kunnskapsproduksjon med relevans for inneværende IAavtaleperiode (2019–2024). Rapporten oppsummerer og sammenstiller 101 publikasjoner (56 fagfellevurderte artikler og 45 rapporter) som ble identifisert gjennom søk og screening etter fagfellevurdert litteratur og grå litteratur. Sammenstillingen viser at det i perioden er generert mye kunnskap om risikofaktorer. På samfunnsnivå synliggjør rapporten at IA-avtalen gjennom de ulike bransjeprogrammene har bidratt til å bedre forutsetningene for forebyggende arbeidsmiljøarbeid i de involverte virksomhetene. Innen rehabilitering / tilbakeføring er det fortsatt mye å hente i form av samhandling mellom de ulike aktørene og kvaliteten av denne samhandlingen. Sammenstillingen kan ikke si noe overordnet om hvorvidt den samlede aktiviteten i inneværende IA-periode har bidratt til redusert sykefravær og frafall. Til dette er tidsperspektivet for kort og det totale tallgrunnlaget i de inkluderte studiene for tynt.Kunnskapsproduksjon med relevans for IA-avtalen 2019–2024 – en systematisering og oppsummeringpublishedVersio

Formative assessment and summative evaluation of a mentoring program for immigrants with education from their home countries

For many immigrants, education represents an important step towards employment in Norway, yet they may face a variety of challenges in admission to higher education. Thus, programs which support this endeavor are worth exploring. Catalysts, a social entrepreneurship with experience in providing mentoring programs to multicultural youth, initiated contact with researchers as part of a partnership with Knutepunktet, an educational counseling service connected to the University of Oslo. Catalysts sought to develop an evidence-informed mentoring program for a slightly different target group: adult immigrants (primarily refugees) with education obtained in their home countries, who wanted additional education, to complete previously started education, or to build on an existing degree. These individuals in this new demographic are diverse in terms of their previous experiences and personal characteristics, including educational field, although all have some level of education from their home countries.publishedVersio

Adverse Childhood Experiences

https://www.norceresearch.no/en/projects/adverse-childhood-experiences-families-resilience-and-childrens-outcome

Mellom autonomi og europeiske forpliktelser: Om handlingsrommet i den norske velferdsforvaltningen

I denne artikkelen argumenterer vi for at politisering av velferdssektoren har medført at man i større grad utfordrer det nasjonale handlingsrommet. Vi bygger vårt teoretiske argument rundt betydningen av politisering av politikken. Datagrunnlaget består av to deler: Den første delen er en gjennomgang av sentrale velferdspolitiske styringsdokumenter supplert med medieoppslag. Gjennom dette viser vi hvordan velferdspolitikken i økende grad ble utsatt for politisk press frem til 2019 da «Trygdesaken» sprakk. Den andre delen består av kvalitative forskningsintervju gjennomført med byråkrater i velferdsforvaltningen i januar og februar 2023 (N = 13). Studien viser at det er en sammenheng mellom politisering av velferdspolitikken og forståelsen av handlingsrom. Dette manifesterer seg først og fremst gjennom en sterkere tendens til at velferdsbyråkrater vektlegger nasjonale føringer på bekostning av de europeiske.Mellom autonomi og europeiske forpliktelser: Om handlingsrommet i den norske velferdsforvaltningenpublishedVersio