Randi Edland Kroken

Randi Edland Kroken serves as a Consultant at the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Agder (UiA). She holds a doctorate in social work from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and has been appointed as professor in child welfare. Her scholarly work aligns with UiA's signing of the DORA declaration in October 2020 (San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment).

Dr. Kroken's academic background includes:

• Social worker qualification from NKSH (1982)
• Master's degree in social work (1997) from NTNU
• Doctorate (PhD) in social work (2012) from NTNU

Her research focuses on three interconnected areas:

• Transformation of child welfare care and responsibility - examining how social workers navigate responsibility within the welfare state's administrative levels from micro to macro
• Management of power and morality in the welfare state - exploring how social workers find themselves in fields of tension where power appears in moral guise
• Extended studies of care - investigating how qualitative phenomena like responsibility and care can be conveyed through humanistic and phenomenological approaches

Dr. Kroken's scholarly output demonstrates an evolution from traditional social work analysis toward more philosophical and existential approaches to care. Her recent publications increasingly incorporate spirituality, self-care, and phenomenological perspectives while maintaining her critical analysis of power structures in welfare systems. She effectively bridges academic research with public discourse through regular contributions to Telemarksavisa newspaper.

Her significant scholarly contributions include:

• 2018 book "Omsorgsforståelser. Mellom poesi, profesjon og politikk" (Understandings of Care. Between Poetry, Profession and Politics)
• 2016 co-authored book "Forvaltning av makt og moral i velferdsstaten" (Management of Power and Morality in the Welfare State)
• 2015 book "Ansvar i barnevern" (Responsibility in Child Welfare)
• 2023 chapter "Truth-telling in the Care of the Self" exploring spirituality in compressed times

Dr. Kroken actively engages with both academic and public audiences, demonstrating her commitment to translating complex theoretical insights into practical social understanding and contributing to broader societal discussions about welfare, care, and ethical responsibility.