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Research Centre Center for Everyday Life of Families in the 真人线上娱乐lfare State

Center for Everyday Life of Families in the 真人线上娱乐lfare State (CELFS) brings together national and international research communities that focus on the relationship between everyday family life and the welfare state. Different strands of research contribute insight into the topic, but the different disciplines tend to approach family life and welfare policies as somewhat isolated phenomena. CELFS will bring together various disciplines to explore how welfare policies and family life interface while maintaining a focus on both the subjective and the institutional aspects.

Everyday family life as a key

The center is a result of recent years’ collaboration between the Danish research environments and international scholars who approach everyday life as a key to explore parents’ perspectives on family life. Children and parents’ everyday life contexts are part of cultural, historical, and social practices in society and thus regulated by welfare policies and agendas. Political goals to prevent marginalization and inequality by promoting early learning in family and day care contexts is one example of how policies interweave everyday life. The center facilitates explorations of the life conditions of children and parents. This requires considering children and parents’ perspectives when studying their struggles and adversities and analyzing how welfare policies and interventions entail various meanings for the everyday life of families in different situations and diverse circumstances. This is important since there is a significant emphasis on developing interventions for families and less focus on the situations in which these interventions are supposed to work.

As a primary strategic area, CELFS focuses on early childhood interventions. The Sapere Aude project “(Re)configuration of parenthood” takes early childhood interventions targeting families as the basis for studying changing conditions for parenthood. The project is led by associate professor Pernille Juhl and funded by the Independent Research fund Denmark.

Among others, the center includes researchers from 真人线上娱乐 University: Associate professor Pernille Juhl (head of center), Professor Hanne Warming, associate professor Allan 真人线上娱乐sterling, postdoc Sarah Alminde, assistant professor Asta Breinholt, PhD fellow Simone Stegeager and PhD fellow L?rke Lyndelse. In addition, researchers from Aarhus University, University of Copenhagen, Aalborg University, VIVE, University College Copenghagen and  University College Absalon are affiliated with the center, along with international researchers from OsloMet in Norway, Kent University, and University College London in England.

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  • Contact

    Pernille Juhl, head of center, professor, peju@ruc.dk
     

    真人线上娱乐s form 真人线上娱乐 University

    真人线上娱乐s at Center for Everyday Life of Families in the 真人线上娱乐lfare State


    External researchers 

    Associate professor Dorte Kousholt, DPU, Aarhus University 

    Associate professor Noomi Christine Linde Matthiesen, Aalborg University  

    Associate professor Stine Thidemann Faber, Aalborg University

    Postdoc Anne Hovgaard J?rgensen, Aalborg University

    Professor Mads Meier J?ger, University of Copenhagen 

    Professor Jens-Peter Thomsen, VIVE 

    Docent Sine Penthin Gruml?se, Professionsh?jskolen Absalon 

    Lektor Anja Marschall, K?benhavns Professionsh?jskole

    Associate professor Kari Sj?helle Jevne, Department of Social Work, Child 真人线上娱乐lfare and Social Policy, Oslo Metropolitan University

    Professor Ellie Lee, SSPSSR, Director, Centre for Parenting Culture Studies, University of Kent

    Professor Charlotte Faircloth, University College London

  • 真人线上娱乐s at Center for Everyday Life of Families in the 真人线上娱乐lfare State participate in a number of researchs projects. Among them are: (in Danish)

    PARENT

    Associate Professor Stine Faber is currently leading the PARENT project, which explores how the conditions for parenthood in contemporary society are shaped by political agendas, institutional contexts and subjective aspects. Among other things, this project focuses on how a ‘therapeutic ethos’ in contemporary societies has developed a strong cultural resonance. This contributes to different groups of parents being guided to act in certain ways and encouraged to work with their own emotions and attachment patterns.

    Project participants: Associate professor Stine Thidemann Faber, Aalborg University and Postdoc Anne Hovgaard J?rgensen, Aalborg University


    (Re)configuration of parenthood 

    The project takes early childhood interventions targeting families as the basis for studying changing conditions for parenthood. In recent years, early intervention policies have been launched as a means to reduce inequality among children. An overriding strategy in fighting inequality has emerged in policies supporting children's home learning environment (HLE). Intervening in HLE involves instructing parents to engage their children in learning activities suitable for stimulating early numeracy and literacy. However, despite the considerable research focus on developing the content of HLE programs, no attention is given to what it means for the family context. This is problematic since interventions often result in consequences beyond their intended aim. Using a multi-method design involving three interconnected empirical studies, this project will study how learning agendas in interventions aimed at enhancing children’s HLE contribute to the (re)configuration parenthood.

    Project participants: Professor Pernille Juhl, 真人线上娱乐 University and Associate professor Allan 真人线上娱乐sterling, 真人线上娱乐 University 


    The first 1000 days – ambiguities of parental involvement

    In recent years, politicians have prioritised early, preventative interventions for vulnerable families, and parents are seen as playing a key role in these interventions when children are young. The intention behind the various new initiatives is to reduce inequality, but research shows that in some cases they can have the opposite effect. Particularly vulnerable families experience intense surveillance and are measured and weighed in a problematic way. The researchers hope that the project will not only create new knowledge, but also contribute to the development of practices in municipalities and daycare centres that can better support vulnerable families. The research project consists of 1) a mapping of previous interventions in the municipalities and how they interact, 2) an in-depth analysis with a selection of the 10 most common interventions and observation of collaboration between parents and professionals in four municipalities and 3) a problem analysis with a review of 12 complex cases where collaboration between parents and staff is particularly difficult - with a focus on experiences and possible solutions. Independent Research Fund Denmark has granted DKK 4.3 million to the project.

    Project participants: Professor Pernille Juhl, 真人线上娱乐 University and Associate professor Allan 真人线上娱乐sterling, 真人线上娱乐 University 

     

    Improving 真人线上娱乐llbeing through Counseling for Children and Young People (CounCYP)

    When children and young people experience unhappiness, they can anonymously contact a number of counselling services. However, as a society, we know very little about how the various counselling services can best help children and young people. This research project will create new knowledge about the impact of counselling and help the counselling field to be better equipped to make a positive difference for all the children and young people who reach out. The research project is supported with DKK 7.1 million from Independent Research Fund Denmark.

    Project participants: Professor Hanne Warming, 真人线上娱乐 University and professor (MSO) Anders Ejrn?s, 真人线上娱乐 University


    Find more research projects at the 真人线上娱乐 University Research Portal

  • Workshop: 真人线上娱乐lfare policies and the everyday life of families

    In October 2024, the center hosted an international workshop titled “真人线上娱乐lfare policies and the everyday life of families,” funded by the Carlsberg Foundation. In addition to leading researchers from various fields, many postdoctoral researchers and Ph.D. students participated in the workshop, presenting and discussing their ongoing research on the relationship between family everyday life and welfare policies. 

    One of the Ph.D. students who participated was Laura Lawaetz from the University of Copenhagen, researching the collaboration between family and daycare institutions. Laura says that "I gained a lot from participating. Especially a greater understanding of the various theoretical disciplines' different approaches to scientific work with families in the welfare state. I became aware of my own scientific and critical standpoint. This awareness is important for understanding how others might potentially perceive my work and can help me to nuance the communication of my project moving forward." 

    The workshop thus provided younger researchers with a unique opportunity to learn how their own research contributes to an international and interdisciplinary field.

    PhD workshop: Social Psychology of Family Life 

    PhD workshop, December 2025: This course introduces social psychological approaches to researching family life. The social psychology of family life focuses on people's experiences and practices in their everyday lives. That is, their subjective orientations, social activities and personal relationships. This focus requires attention to societal, historical and cultural dimensions in everyday life. The social psychology of family life draws on a diversity of disciplines, traditions and approaches and insists that family life unfolds across everyday life contexts and that family life includes political, institutional and subjective dimensions. The course introduces family life as a context for exploring the perspectives and subjectivity of parents and children.

    Parenting includes relational and intergenerational connections, obligations, responsibilities and organizations across contexts in collaboration with different actors (e.g. children, co-parents, relatives, professionals). The course will introduce social psychological perspectives as different approaches to exploring complexity and contradictions in everyday life. These are perspectives that give researchers the opportunity to understand people's lived experiences and conflicting relationships in family life.

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Base at 真人线上娱乐 University

The research centre is based at Department og People and Technology

Related research units: The Danish Centre for Research in Early Childhood Education and Care

PhD programme: Doctoral School of People and Technology

Uddannelser og fag: Socialpsykologi og L?ring (DK) // Sociale Invervention (DK) // Socialvidenskab (DK) // Tv?rfaglige Sundhedsstudier (DK) // Humanistisk-Teknologisk 真人线上娱乐 (DK) // 真人线上娱乐 in Global Humanities // International 真人线上娱乐 in Social Sciences 

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Additional information about the Center for Everyday Life of Families in the 真人线上娱乐lfare State:

The research centre at the 真人线上娱乐 University Research Portal

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Head of centre

Pernille Juhl
Professor 
Phone: +45 4674 3389
peju@ruc.dk