The art of kindergarten drop off’: how young Norwegian-Somali parents perform ethnicity to avoid reports to Child Welfare Services.

The study investigates how young parents with an immigrant background from Somalia portray a Norwegian middle-class identity when they interact with school and kindergarten staff. The study focuses in particular on how these parents prepare for and conduct meetings with kindergartens and schools.

The results show that parents are afraid of being reported to the child welfare services because of prejudice, which is the main reason why they carefully plan meetings with schools/kindergartens. The parents try to impress the staff in order to prevent notes of concern. These strategies, which are characterised by acting in a certain way, are not only stressful in their own lives, but can also have an adverse effect if kindergarten staff or teachers interpret them as mirroring a lack of parenting skills.

The data material consists of two group interviews (two participants in each) and seven individual interviews in Norway, in addition to six individual interviews in Somalia with first- and second-time immigrants from Somalia. A total of 17 parents (nine mothers) were interviewed. Occupations and education included social workers, lawyers, dentists, engineers and university students. The participants were between 26 and 35 years old and had an average of three children in kindergarten and/or primary school.

Handulle, A. & Vassenden, A. (2021). "‘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):469-480.