BarnsBeste

BarnsBeste is a national expertise network for children with caring responsibilities established by the Ministry of Health and Care through a specific assignment to the South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority (Helse Sør-Øst RHF) in 2007.

South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority (Helse Sør-Øst) operates the network and leads the steering group, which consists of all four regional health enterprises, user representatives, the municipal sector organization, and Kristiansand Municipality. Sørlandet Hospital Trust has responsibility for leading and coordinating the expertise network at the national level.

Guidelines for the work

BarnsBeste - National Expertise Network for Children with Caring Responsibilities should be a leading expertise actor within the target group of children with caring responsibilities. This means that the expertise network has an overview of current knowledge and further develops the field of children with caring responsibilities together with its network of practitioners, researchers, user representatives, and key authorities.

BarnsBeste prioritizes professional development aimed at children with caring responsibilities and their caregivers, as well as practitioners who encounter them in their work.

Legislation and government guidelines

BarnsBeste’s professional work is carried out in accordance with current legislation. Government guidelines, for example in the form of guidelines and national initiatives, will be guiding for our priorities.

Professional principles

In professional development, we are committed to following established principles that will ensure that our efforts meet a real need among the target groups. It should be knowledge-based, network-based, and have practical value.

BarnsBeste’s values

Our values are respect, accessibility, professional competence, and commitment. Our values should characterize the organization in everything we do and guide our behavior.

BarnsBeste’s vision

Our vision is that children with caring responsibilities and those left behind experience openness, participation, recognition, and support in their everyday lives.

BarnsBeste’s areas of work

BarnsBeste’s work can be categorized into five areas of work. Networking and knowledge-based work are overarching and form the basis for the work in the other three; dissemination, advice, and professional development.

Knowledge

Knowledge forms the basis for our professional activities in BarnsBeste. Current knowledge is gathered into our knowledge bank based on inspiration from the modelKnowledge-based practice, which includes research-based knowledge, experiential knowledge, and
user knowledge. Our knowledge bank consists of systematized knowledge from all three knowledge sources.

Networks

BarnsBeste’s networking work consists of organizing and operating networks of clinicians, researchers, authorities, organizations, and resource persons who are relevant to the field. The networks meet regularly and contribute both with sharing of experiences, knowledge
about needs, challenges, and good practices, input for further development of the field, and quality improvement of existing systems.

Dissemination

Dissemination of knowledge about children with caring responsibilities is a central task in our mandate. We disseminate through e-learning, teaching, presentations at conferences, professional articles, scientific articles, books, film, and social media.

Advice

BarnsBeste answers inquiries about children with caring responsibilities from all levels, from national authorities, practitioners who encounter children with caring responsibilities and their families, and private individuals who have questions or want advice. BarnsBeste is also an active consultation body that contributes with advice and recommendations through consultation submissions.

Professional development

A large part of BarnsBeste’s work is about professional development. In this work, we prioritize organization and measures, training and health competence.