Cause for Concern. Summary of countrywide supervision in 2015 and 2016 of the work of the child welfare services with reports of concern about the welfare of a child, and feedback to the person or organization that reported

The municipalities shall lead and control their child welfare services in such a way that children who need help shall receive adequate help when they need it. Work with receiving and dealing with reports of concern about the welfare of a child, and feedback to the person or organization that reported, shall be sound and in accordance with the statutory requirements. Children who need help must be identified.

The Offices of the County Governors have carried out supervision of child welfare services, and the municipalities have carried out self-assessment of their own services. Altogether we have summarized 225 reports from municipalities or urban districts that have assessed their quality improvement measures in their work with dealing with reports of concern.

The supervision reports show that there is a high level of deficiency in this area. Child welfare services do not meet the statutory requirements regarding how reports of concern shall be received and assessed. Reports of concern that the Offices of the County Governors meant clearly should have been examined, were dismissed. Some children did not receive essential help and care when they needed it.

Those who report their concern about a child to the child welfare services shall be given feedback and informed about the result. A large majority of the child welfare services did not meet this requirement, both with regard to private persons and public organizations. This meant that schools and nurseries that had reported concern about a child could be uninformed about whether a child had received help or not.

The Offices of the County Governors shall follow up the child welfare services that did not meet the statutory requirements until the deficiencies are dealt with. The Norwegian Board of Health Supervision encourages the child welfare services throughout the land to assess their management and practice in the light of the findings presented in this report.