“Our colleague, member and Gypsy Roma Traveller Special Interest Group Chair, Dr Dan Allen, is currently in Greenland having been awarded a United Kingdom-Greenland Arctic Research Bursary. This unique opportunity allows Dan to partner with Associate Professor Bonnie Jensen at Ilisimatusarfik Grønlands Universitet (University of Greenland) on a critical project: SafeHarbour Greenland: Safely Reducing the Number of Children in Out-of-Home Care. Dan will provide a series of blogs highlighting his work and experience sin Greenland over the coming days”
Greenland faces a child welfare crisis: more than four times as many children are placed in out-of-home care compared to other Nordic countries. This situation is putting immense emotional strain on children and families, while also stretching the country's child protection and state care systems.
Although some research has explored the reasons behind this overrepresentation, there has been less focus on finding proactive solutions to keep Greenlandic children safe within their communities. What works to prevent out-of-home placements? How can families be supported before crises arise? These are the pressing questions that remain underexplored.
In response to these challenges, I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve been awarded a United Kingdom-Greenland Arctic Research Bursary. This unique opportunity allows me to partner with Associate Professor Bonnie Jensen at Ilisimatusarfik Grønlands Universitet (University of Greenland) on a critical project: SafeHarbour Greenland: Safely Reducing the Number of Children in Out-of-Home Care.
Throughout this blog, I’ll be documenting the exciting journey of building an international collaboration between Liverpool Hope University and Ilisimatusarfik. Together, we aim to create a community of practice dedicated to developing new, effective models for child protection in Greenland. My goal is that these insights will not only make a difference in Greenland but also inform child welfare services in the UK.
Stay tuned for updates on this important initiative, where we explore innovative approaches to safeguard children’s futures and strengthen families.
Dan Allen is a Principal Lecture of Social Work at Liverpool Hope University
Day 1: A Journey to the Top of the World: My Flight to Nuuk
Flying to Nuuk, Greenland’s capital and the northernmost city in the world, was an adventure in itself. The journey took about eleven hours in total, with a short layover in Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital. There is no direct flight from Manchester to Nuuk, so a brief stop in Iceland was necessary.
The real excitement began on the second leg of the trip. The plane from Reykjavik to Nuuk was a small, turboprop-powered De Havilland Canada Dash 8 with just 30 seats. As I settled in, the noise and vibrations from the propellers were unlike anything I’d experienced before. I kept reminding myself, "These planes fly all the time, they must be safe!" Still, the unfamiliar hum and small size of the aircraft had me gripping the armrests a little tighter than usual. Thankfully, the air steward was fantastic, keeping the coffee and cake flowing the entire way, which definitely helped ease the nerves.
The flight from Reykjavik to Nuuk lasted around three and a half hours, with a brief stop for refueling at Kulusuk Airport. Kulusuk, being in the harsh Arctic, doesn’t even have a tarmac runway—just a strip of sand and grit. As we descended, I couldn’t help but be distracted by the breathtaking sights of towering icebergs, snow-capped mountains, and sprawling glaciers. It was a view that momentarily made me forget about the plane’s vibrations.
After refueling, we took off again, flying over the vast Greenlandic Ice Sheet. It was like looking out into a sea of white, with snow stretching in every direction as far as the eye could see. Every now and then, I could see where the glaciers met the ocean. One particularly stunning view captured my attention—the gap where the glacier flowed into the sea was almost two miles wide and over 60 meters high. The air steward pointed it out to me, and I quickly took a photo to capture the moment.
We landed in Nuuk just after 9pm local time (11pm for my body clock). I was greeted by Associate Professor Bonnie Jensen at arrivals, and although the sun was setting, I could already see that Nuuk was surrounded by dramatic, rugged mountains. After checking into Hotel Hans Egede, I unpacked and reflected on the unforgettable journey from Manchester to Nuuk before falling asleep. The awe-inspiring views of Greenland’s icy wilderness and the exhilarating flight experience were the perfect start to this Arctic adventure.
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