Bjørn Kjetil Larsen

• Sæbjørnsen, Siv Elin Nord; Larsen, Bjørn Kjetil & Ødegård, Atle (2023). The Responsibility Team—A Way to Ensure Children’s Right to Participation? The British Journal of Social Work. ISSN 0045-3102. 53(6), p. 3015–3033. doi: 10.1093/bjsw/bcad111. Show summary

  Children’s effective participation seems to be difficult to achieve in practice. Although the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child came into force in 1989, recent research reports that effective participation rarely occurs. This qualitative study explores a group of adolescents’ views on participating in child welfare ‘responsibility teams’ (RTs) in Norway. The two specific foci are experiences regarding influence on their own situation and how the RT model may be a useful way to ensure children’s right to participate. The study concludes that RT alone cannot ensure children’s right to participate in the form of effective participation and that professional competencies are also important. The study calls for further research, especially on children and adolescents’ own experiences with RTs. Keywords: children’s participation, children’s rights, collaboration, responsibility team

• Larsen, Bjørn Kjetil; Hean, Sarah Catherine Patricia Duff & Ødegård, Atle (2021). Exploring Norwegian prison frontline workers’ perceptions of interprofessional collaboration – a pilot study. International Journal of Prisoner Health. ISSN 1744-9200. 18(4), p. 429–442. doi: 10.1108/IJPH-08-2021-0084. Show summary

  Purpose: Interprofessional collaboration is necessary for handling the complex psychosocial needs of prisoners. This collaboration must be addressed to avoid high recidivism rates and the human and societal costs linked to them. Challenges are exacerbated by a linear approach to handling prisoners’ problems, silo working between welfare agencies and professional boundaries between frontline workers. There are few adequate theoretical frameworks and tools to address these challenges in the prison context. The purpose of this study is to explore the perceptions that frontline staff working in Norwegian prison facilities have regarding interprofessional collaboration in providing mental health services for prisoners. Design/methodology/approach: This study had a non-experimental, cross-sectional design to explore perceptions of interprofessional collaboration in a prison context. Descriptive and multifactorial analyses (exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis) were used to explore the data. Findings: The analysis showed that three factors, communication, organizational culture and domain, explained 95% of the variance. Results are discussed using relational coordination, as well as the conceptual PINCOM model, as a theoretical framework. Originality/value: Few studies explicitly explore collaboration between professionals in mental health and prison services despite its being a prerequisite to achieving sufficient services for prisoners. To our knowledge, this current study is one of the first in Norway to explore collaboration in a prison context by analysing quantitative data and focusing on frontline workers perception of the phenomenon. Keywords: interprofessional collaboration, Norwegian prisons, relational coordination, PINCOM-Q, forntline workers

• Larsen, Bjørn Kjetil & Hean, Sarah Catherine Patricia Duff (2021). The significance of interprofessional and interagency collaboration in reintegration after prison : a qualitative study exploring Norwegian frontline workers’ views. Journal of Comparative Social Work. ISSN 0809-9936. 16(1), p. 109–134. doi: 10.31265/jcsw.v16i1.366. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The Norwegian Correctional Service is well known for its focus on rehabilitation and the humane treatment of offenders. However, welfare issues and comorbidity are overrepresented among offenders, and recidivism ratesremain unacceptably high. Mental health problems, substance abuse and a lack of housing suggest that offenders need support from a range of services in their reintegration processes. This calls for collaboration between frontline workers, welfare agenciesand non-governmental organizations, especially in the transition from prison back into society.In the present study, we aim to explore frontline workers’ views of interprofessional and interagency collaboration among frontline workers working with offenders suffering from substance abuse issues in their reintegration after prison.Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine frontline workers employed in welfare agencies and the correctional service, with workers directly engaged in supporting offenders ́ reintegration after prison.Findings suggest that interprofessional collaboration is perceived as multifaceted. The participants in the study perceived the welfare needs of offenders as complex, and the transition phase from prison as particularly vulnerable. Finally, findings suggest that frontline workers’ individual values and engagement in the work, as well as a lack of shared knowledge and shared information among frontline workers, are perceived as important factors in how collaboration processes unfold.We further argue that there is a need for additional knowledge, such as theoretical frameworks and conceptual models, to increase the understanding of interprofessional collaboration in the interface between prison and welfare services. We discuss substance abusers’ transition from prison into society and interprofessional collaboration in this context, using relational coordination as a theoretical framework.This study shows that relational coordination contributes to a greater understanding of interprofessional collaboration in the prison-welfare context, but an understanding of this phenomenon may be further developed by expanding the theory of relational Journal of Comparative Social Work 2021/1111collaboration, and by using other relevant theories and models. New insights are presented and illustrated, combining the theoretical and practical aspects of interprofessional collaboration. Keywords:interprofessional collaboration, relational coordination, offenders, substance abuse, reintegration, frontline workers

• Larsen, Bjørn Kjetil; Dale, Karl Yngvar & Ødegård, Atle (2021). Interprofessional collaboration in reintegration after prison for prisoners with substance abuse issues : a scoping review. International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy. ISSN 2202-7998. 10(2), p. 1–17. doi: 10.5204/ijcjsd.1951. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Reintegration after prison for prisoners with interlinked welfare needs has been one of the most challenging issues for decades in the criminal justice system. The WHO and the UN highlight the demand for well-functioning collaboration between professionals and welfare agencies handling these challenges. However, interprofessional collaboration has been an underdeveloped field of research and theory, especially concerning prisoners with substance abuse issues. The present study undertakes a scoping review of research on interprofessional collaboration in reintegration after prison for prisoners with substance abuse issues, particularly identifying factors that influence collaboration. Nineteen included studies from the USA, the U.K., Australia, and Norway show that relational and structural factors influence collaboration and that innovative projects are perceived as improving collaboration. A tentative conceptual model of factors that influence collaboration is presented and may serve as a basis for reflection and further development of a theoretical framework within the field of research. Keywords: interprofessional collaboration, prisoners, prison, reintegration, scoping review

• Sæbjørnsen, Siv Elin Nord; Hean, Sarah Catherine Patricia Duff; Røvik, Kristin; Larsen, Bjørn Kjetil & Ødegård, Atle (2021). Do we need the users voice : An empirical research example comparing views of service providers and ex-prisoners : Implications for practice. In Hean, Sarah Catherine Patricia Duff; Johnsen, Berit; Kloetzer, Laure & Kajamaa, Anu (Ed.), Improving interagency collaboration, innovation and learning in criminal justice systems. Supporting offender rehabilitation. Palgrave Macmillan. ISSN 9783030706616. p. 375–399. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-70661-6_15. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  User involvement in service development is seen as important to the credibility of these interventions but involving prisoners or ex-prisoners in this process can be problematic because of the vulnerability of this group as well as security issues. Questions arise as whether front line workers can instead reflect the perspectives of their clients accurately during service development events. Further, we query whether an alignment of perspectives is important for effective professional-prisoner relationships and offender self-efficacy when engaging in rehabilitation and reintegration programmes. To explore these questions, this chapter, in a case study third sector mentorship organisation, compares and contrasts the views of ex-prisoners and their mentors. Q methodology is employed to make this comparison. We find that mentors perspectives are most in tune with the most pessimistic perspectives of their clients: the most lonely, indigent and ill group of the exoffenders they work with. They do not share the optimistic views that characterise other groups of offenders in receipt of their service. The chapter explores the implications of these different views for exoffenders, their mentors and the participation of the offender in service innovation.

• Hean, Sarah; Lahtinen, Paivikki; Dugdale, William; Larsen, Bjørn Kjetil & Kajamaa, Anu (2020). The Change laboratory as a tool for collaboration and social innovation. In Willumsen, Elisabeth & Ødegård, Atle (Ed.), Samskaping : sosial innovasjon for helse og velferd. Universitetsforlaget. ISSN 9788215034089. p. 207–221.
• Larsen, Bjørn Kjetil; Hean, Sarah & Ødegård, Atle (2019). A conceptual model on reintegration after prison in Norway. International Journal of Prisoner Health. ISSN 1744-9200. 15(3), p. 282–292. doi: 10.1108/IJPH-06-2018-0032. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Purpose: Many offenders struggle when attempting to reintegrate into society after release from prison, and the conditions they face after release often lead to reoffending. The purpose of this paper is to present a conceptual model on reintegration after prison. The model has the potential to guide practitioners in their understanding of the relationships between welfare services and the agency of the offender. Design/methodology/approach: The model was developed from a small-scale study in the Norwegian Criminal Justice system, which is well known for its emphasis on rehabilitation and crime prevention. Data collection aimed to explore the reintegration process from the perspective of the hard-to-reach and vulnerable population of serial offenders. Nine prisoners in two different prisons were interviewed. A thematic analysis identified two main themes that related, first, to the personal challenges the offenders faced in the rehabilitation and reintegration process and, second, to the factors in the welfare services that interacted with the prisoners’ psychosocial issues in the reintegration process. Findings: Findings suggest that the interaction between the psychosocial needs of the prisoners and the organization of the welfare services is complex and does not harmonize. The findings underpin the argument that the current reintegration strategies for certain groups of inmates need to be questioned and challenged. Research limitations/implications: The model is a conceptual model intended to provide a lens from which to reinterpret offenders’ experiences of reintegration and applied to only the small and exploratory study described in this paper. As such, it requires further testing and substantiation, and the model and the study’s findings should be regarded as tentative and cannot be generalized to a larger population. The prisoners were selected by the first author for convenience, and it is possible that this also influenced the findings. Other inmates may have presented other experiences. Originality/value: There are few studies looking into reintegration from the reoffenders’ perspective, and this study also presents a model that serves as a reflective and analytical tool to developing new approaches to supporting offenders in their reintegration into society from prison in the future. Keywords: conceptual model, reintegration, nterprofessional collaboration, reoffenders, social innovation, welfare services

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• Larsen, Bjørn Kjetil (2023). Samarbeid om å håndtere gjenstridige problem.
• Larsen, Bjørn Kjetil (2023). Hvilke faktorer har betydning for å lykkes med tverrprofesjonelt samarbeid? .
• Larsen, Bjørn Kjetil (2023). Tverrprofesjonelt samarbeid i overgangen fra fengsel til samfunn med fokus på innsatte med intellektuell funksjonsnedsettelse og rusproblemer.
• Hean, Sarah Catherine Patricia Duff; Johnsen, Berit & Larsen, Bjørn Kjetil (2023). A taste of COLABboration and Innovation in Criminal Justice.
• Larsen, Bjørn Kjetil; Hean, Sarah Catherine Patricia Duff & Ødegård, Atle (2023). Exploring interprofessional collaboration within drug courts in Norway .
• Larsen, Bjørn Kjetil (2023). Exploring perception of prisoners convicted of sexual crimes among students within the field of criminal justice in Norway - preliminary findings .
• Gonçalves ., L.; Dirkzwager, A.; Andres-Pueyo, A.; Appleton, Catherine Amelia; Blanc, J-S. & Brosens, D. [Show all 37 contributors for this article] (2022). Prison-related research in Europe: Annual meeting of the Prison Working Group of the European Society of Criminology, 21-22 April, Geneva. Forensic Science International: Mind and Law. ISSN 2666-3538. 3. doi: 10.1016/j.fsiml.2022.100079.
• Larsen, Bjørn Kjetil; Ødegård, Atle & Hilde, Pape (2022). Exploring perceptions towards persons convicted of sexual crimes among students within the field of criminal justice, health care, and social work in Norway. Forensic Science International: Mind and Law. ISSN 2666-3538. 3.
• Larsen, Bjørn Kjetil (2022). Exploring reintegration after prison in Norway. Show summary

  The life situation of prisoners with drug abuse issues is complex, and they need multiple welfare services when they are released from prison. Furthermore, the reintegration process in the community after prison is a vulnerable period both for this group of prisoners and the agencies providing welfare services to them. Interlinked welfare issues among prisoners with comorbid challenges, such as drug abuse and mental health, can be viewed as wicked problems. The theory of wicked problems has, during the last decades, been adopted and used in several contexts and tested in empirical studies on subjects ranging from public policy, management, and organizational theory to child poverty and climate change. In this current study, in-depth interviews of 9 reoffenders from various prisons and 9 frontline workers from different welfare agencies in Norway was conducted. Findings suggest that interactions between welfare services and prisoners’ psychosocial needs in reintegration after prison is complex and multifaceted, and the welfare needs of the prisoners and services provided from welfare agencies does often not match.

• Larsen, Bjørn Kjetil (2022). Umedgjørlige problemer og tverrprofesjonelt samarbeid.
• Larsen, Bjørn Kjetil (2022). Exploring attitudes towards persons convicted of sexual crimes, among students within the field of criminal justice, health care, and social work in Norway - A pilot study.
• Larsen, Bjørn Kjetil; Gradovski, Mikhail; Øndes, Salim Josef & Kajamaa, Anu (2022). Mind the gap : interprofessional collaboration for reintegration after prison. Podcast: Better together : improving interagency collaboration, innovation and learning. [Internet]. Spotify.
• Larsen, Bjørn Kjetil (2021). De moderne spedalske og det umedgjørlige rusmisbruket. Tidens Krav.
• Larsen, Bjørn Kjetil (2021). De moderne spedalske og det umedgjørlige rusmisbruket. Romsdals Budstikke.. ISSN 0806-5160. p. 44–45.
• Larsen, Bjørn Kjetil (2021). Exploring interprofessional collaboration after prison in Norway - a mixed methods study. Show summary

  This study explores the phenomenon of interprofessional collaboration during the reintegration process focusing on offenders with substance abuse and mental health issues in Norway. The aim of the study is to contribute to the development of conceptual models and a theoretical framework on interprofessional collaboration in reintegration after prison. Data includes (1) In-depth interviews with nine offenders in Norway, (2) a scoping review of international empirical studies, (3) in-depth interviews with nine frontline workers in Norway and (4) a factor analysis of a questionnaire from 160 frontline workers working in prisons in Norway. Findings show that interaction between welfare services and offenders psychosocial needs in reintegration after prison is complex and multifacetted. In international research, interprofessional collaboration is viewed as a prerequisite to meet these needs, but the amount of research describing which factors influence this collaboration and implicitly welfare service provided to offenders in reintegration after prison is highly limited. Findings also suggest that there is a broad spectrum of aspects at the individual and organisational level perceived as influencing interprofessional collaboration in the reintegration process of offenders. Communication, domain and organizational culture are some of the aspects perceived as important.

• Larsen, Bjørn Kjetil (2021). Ansvarsgruppen – over 30 år med skiftende arbeidsvilkår. Fontene. ISSN 0805-5432.
• Larsen, Bjørn Kjetil; Dale, Karl Yngvar & Ødegård, Atle (2019). Exploring interprofessional collaboration in the transition from prison to community for male adult offenders with substance abuse issues : a scoping review. Show summary

  Offenders with substance abuse issues has interlinked challenges including lack of housing, loss of social network, high recidivism rates and mental health issues facing their release from prison. Reintegration after prison for offenders with complex psycho-social needs has been one of the most challenging issues for decades within the criminal justice system. Academics, practitioners and policymakers are urging for a more effective approach. Internationally, large groups of offenders are struggling with substance abuse issues. Complex social needs demand a broad range of services from welfare agencies and well-functioning collaboration between professionals. Interprofessional collaboration has been underdeveloped as a field of research and theory. In this scoping review we aimed to present an overview of empirical studies on interprofessional collaboration in the transition phase from prison to community for male offenders with drug abuse issues. Results show a gap in empirical based knowledge in this area. Research has highlighted the need for interprofessional collaboration but does not delve enough into how interprofessional collaboration is organized or the effect of it. Eight included empirical studies show that unclear distribution of responsibility, resource limitations, logistical issues and attitudes towards the offenders’ challenge interprofessional collaboration, while social innovation are perceived as improving collaboration. This scoping review contributes with knowledge and inspiration in a clearly underdeveloped, but highly important, field of research.

• Larsen, Bjørn Kjetil; Sæbjørnsen, Siv Elin Nord & Ødegård, Atle (2019). Er ansvarsgruppen en god løsning? Romsdals Budstikke.. ISSN 0806-5160.
• Larsen, Bjørn Kjetil (2022). Exploring interprofessional collaboration in the field of criminal justice in Norway : a mixed methods study of prisoners' reintegration after prison. Høgskolen i Molde - Vitenskapelig høgskole i logistikk og Høgskulen i Volda. ISSN 978-82-7962-316-8.

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