Understanding factors that promote and limit the use of video guidance in child protection services: A SWOT analysis

摘要

Video interaction guidance, based on the Marte Meo method, is used in child protection services (CPSs) and offered to parents to improve interactions with their children. However, the factors that promote and limit the use of video guidance in CPS are unclear. The present study explored the perceptions of 8 Norwegian Marte Meo therapists who utilize this method in the CPS. The therapists were asked questions about the method's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, to clarify factors that may be important for the use of Marte Meo in the CPS context. Therapists reported a predominance of strengths associated with the method; for example, that Marte Meo provides a set of conditions that makes it possible for parents to see themselves as significant persons in interactions with their children and raise their parenting competency to a reflective level. The results also suggested that there is a need to develop the method to make it applicable to different age groups, problem areas, and contexts. A central agency could establish procedures for identifying such challenges, to ensure continuous quality improvement and to improve Marte Meo through research and innovation.