Leadership of quality development within the Norwegian child welfare service

Norwegian child welfare reform emphasizes quality development within the child welfare service (CWS), identifying effective management and leadership as key drivers. This study examines leadership in quality development in the CWS, focusing on the roles of municipal directors (MDs) and child welfare managers (CWMs). Qualitative interviews with 16 MDs and CWMs across eight municipalities indicate that while both groups are committed to quality and collaboration, their strategies differ. The former adopts a systemic perspective, whereas the latter concentrates on quality development in day-to-day operations. Municipal directors stress the importance of CWS in interdisciplinary collaboration for preventive work, whereas CWMs emphasize cooperation in complex child welfare cases. Municipal directors are attentive to organizational structures that foster interaction between the CWS and other services, while CWMs stress the need to establish robust frameworks, recruit competent personnel, and secure strong municipal management support. A silo mentality characterized by excessive internal isolation and insufficient cross-functional collaboration presents a challenge in all municipalities. This study complements the CWM literature by revealing how CWMs and MDs approach quality development. It contributes to quality development scholarship by demonstrating that interdisciplinary collaboration is promoted as a key measure of quality. The findings offer policymakers and stakeholders valuable insights by clarifying perspectives and approaches to quality development within CWS management.