Profile
I am a researcher at the University of Bergen, Department of Administration and Organization Theory and the Centre for Research on Discretion and Paternalism. I have a PhD in political science and a background in sociology. My research is mostly socio-legal and often comparative. My interest are on child protection and children's rights, as well as on the exercise of state power and legitimacy of institutions.
Research
Publications
- Helland, H.S., Skivenes, M. & Pedersen, S.H. (2022). Comparing population views on state responsibility for children in vulnerable situations – the role of institutional context and socio-demographic characteristics, Journal of Public Child Welfare, DOI: 10.1080/15548732.2022.2051674
- Helland, H. S. (2021). Reasoning between Rules and Discretion: A Comparative Study of the Normative Platform for Best Interest Decision-Making on Adoption in England and Norway. International Journal of Law, Policy and the Family, 35(1). https://doi.org/10.1093/lawfam/ebab036
- Helland, H. S. (2021). In the Best Interest of the Child? Justifying Decisions on Adoption from Care in the Norwegian Supreme Court. The International Journal of Children's Rights, 29(3), 609-639. https://doi.org/10.1163/15718182-29030004
- Burns, K., Helland, H. S., Križ, K., Sánchez-Cabezudo, S. S., Skivenes, M., & Strömpl, J. (2021). Corporal punishment and reporting to child protection authorities: An empirical study of population attitudes in five European countries. Children and Youth Services Review, 120, 105749. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105749
- Helland, H. S. (2020). Tipping the scales: The power of parental commitment in decisions on adoption from care. Children and Youth Services Review, 119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105693
- Helland, H. S., Pedersen, S. H., & Skivenes, M. (2020). Adopsjon eller offentlig omsorg? En studie av befolkningens syn på adopsjon som tiltak i barnevernet. Tidsskrift for samfunnsforskning, 61(02), 124–139. https://doi.org/10.18261/issn.1504-291X-2020-02-02
- Helland, H. S., Križ, K., Sánchez-Cabezudo, S. S., & Skivenes, M. (2018). Are there population biases against migrant children? An experimental analysis of attitudes towards corporal punishment in Austria, Norway and Spain. Children and Youth Services Review, 85, 151–157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.12.012
- Enroos, R., Stein Helland, H., Pösö, T., Skivenes, M., & Tonheim, M. (2017). The role and function of the spokesperson in care order proceedings: A cross-country study in Finland and Norway. Children and Youth Services Review, 74, 8–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.01.017
Book Chapters
- Helland, H.S., Križ, K. & Skivenes, M. In press. Children´s Involvement in Adoption Decision-Making. In Lowe, N. & Fenton-Glynn, C. (eds). Research Handbook on Adoption. Research Handbook in Family Law Series. Cheltenham/Northampton: Edward Elgar.
- Helland, H.S. & Skivenes, M. (2021). Adoptions from Care: Norway. Helland, H. S. & Nygård, S. H. (2021). Understanding Attachment in Decisions on Adoptions from Care in Norway. In Pösö, T., Skivenes, M. & Thoburn, J. Adoption from Care: International Perspectives on Children’s Rights, Family Preservation and State Intervention (pp. 139-156). Bristol: Policy Press.
- Helland, H. S. & Nygård, S. H. (2021). Understanding Attachment in Decisions on Adoptions from Care in Norway. In Pösö, T., Skivenes, M. & Thoburn, J. Adoption from Care: International Perspectives on Children’s Rights, Family Preservation and State Intervention (pp. 215-231). Bristol: Policy Press.