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BARNEVERNET

Norwegian county ‘failed to protect 90 percent of children’ under its watch

The Norwegian Child Welfare Services has again come under fire for failing to protect children under its watch, and has been accused of violating the law in almost 90 percent of the cases investigated in Land, in southern Norway.

Published: 1 March 2017 10:52 CET
Norwegian county 'failed to protect 90 percent of children' under its watch
Photo: Bergens Tidende, file picture

A report published by the County Governor on Wednesday showed that in 253 child welfare cases investigated in the county, staff had violated either the UN convention on the rights of the child or other laws protecting children a staggering 89 percent of the time.

Norway’s Child Welfare Services, Barnevernet, has received a slew of criticism in the past year few years for either failing to protect children or committing serious violations by overreaching in its efforts to do so.

Last year, a worldwide protest movement accused it of “legal kidnapping” after removing five children from their Norwegian/Romanian parents for little, or no apparent reason. In the past 16 months, at least eight Norwegian child welfare cases have been heard by the European Court of Human Rights.

Monday’s report stated that staff at the agency in Land had failed in essentially all areas of their work: from the way the agency has dealt with reports of potential child abuse, to its investigations and case follow-ups.

The watchdog accused the agency of wrongfully removing children from their parents, but also of ignoring suspected cases of child abuse over long periods of time because staff prioritised less urgent tasks.  

The county responded to the criticism on its website, saying it was looking into the findings and is working to improve the situation.

 

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Norway child abuse victims were let down by authorities: investigation

The head of a committee appointed by the Norwegian government agency to investigate historical child abuse cases says that victims of serious abuse were let down by welfare services.

Published: 22 June 2017 13:47 CEST
Norway child abuse victims were let down by authorities: investigation
Ann-Kristin Olsen. File photo: Ole Gunnar Onsøien/NTB scanpix

Many cases in which children were subjected to violence, sexual abuse and serious neglect could have been avoided, says the leader of the government-appointed Child Abuse Investigation Committee (Barnevoldsutvalget).

Ann-Kristin Olsen told broadcaster NRK that she believes many children have been failed by authorities.

“We have uncovered a massive failure in the system. But ‘system’ is not a sufficient word, because what we have seen in these cases is that children have been failed,” Olsen said.

Olsen told the broadcaster that the committee had made several discoveries in the 20 cases of violence, sexual abuse and serious neglect it had investigated.

READ ALSO: Norwegian county 'failed to protect 90 percent of children' under its watch

Discoveries made by the committee include instances in which authorities were too slow to uncover problems; diagnoses of conditions such as ADHD being given and treated without sufficient investigation of children’s behaviour; lack of communication with affected children; unreported breaks of the law; complaints from children of violence not being followed up when these were denied by parents; delayed or insufficient help given to children; and lack of serious attention given to parental risk factors such as histories of violence or drug abuse.

Serious warning signs were missed by authorities in several of the cases, according to Olsen.

“Social services were offered to the families, for example in the form of daycare, relief and economic support, but it often took several years to realise that the reason for these children’s problems was the serious violence they were subjected to at home,” she said.

The committee leader told NRK that she was most shocked by how little authorities actually spoke to children.

“The child is the best source for his or her situation. We found that many of the children had been given diagnoses, most commonly ADHD. But nobody asked why the children were behaving as they were, they just treated the diagnosis,” she said.

Olsen added that although she believed Norway’s child protection agencies to be doing a lot of good work, services have been found wanting in some serious cases.

READ ALSO: Child welfare or 'kidnapping'? Parental anguish in Norway

“The picture given by these cases are so bleak and dominated by children not receiving help, getting help too late, insufficient help or being left alone. In cases of severe abuse, the consequences for individual children are profound. Their childhoods – their whole lives, in fact – are destroyed by things a society like ours should be able to manage,” she said.

Changes proposed by Olsen’s committee include regional teams that can assist local authorities with serious cases; and more consultation and communication between different authorities such as schools, psychiatrists and the Child Welfare Services (Barnevernet).

Olsen also wants Barnevernet to be unable to dismiss any case without first speaking to the relevant child or making a home visit, or to justify not having done this.