Child Welfare that hurts?

In Norway, 8.488 children are under governmental care. Every day, in a tiny country with 5.5M inhabitants, three children are taken into emergency care, a deeply traumatising process that often involves uniformed police, with the stigmatisation this entails.

Consider this... what if our process, where the might of the system is used to separate children and their parents, hurts more than it helps?

"Barnevernet", as the Child Welfare System in Norway is called, has a troubling history. It has been used to separate indigenous children from their parents, robbing them of their culture and language. People with religion have had their children taken, and their children brought up in families of different faiths. Or no faith whatsoever.

On the basis of ridiculous assumptions, such as "it is dangerous for children to eat with their hands" (my friends from the African continent may find this amusing), parents have lost custody. One example of this was described in the movie Mrs. Chatterjee vs. Norway, and I have seen it myself in case documents.

Think back to your childhood. Was there anything you were more scared of than your parents disappearing?

In Norway, and also in Sweden, this is done by the system. State-sanctioned child abuse?

We all know that there are parents who aren't fit to give their children a good life. But most parent will, with guidance and compassion, be able to take care of their children's needs.

Norway has been condemned in the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg almost 40 times. In courtrooms, it is argued against parents that it is better for children to grow up under the care of child welfare. This suggests that the care provided by the state is not sufficient to enable parents to be good caregivers.

American research shows that children have better outcomes when they remain with their families compared to those who are taken into care. For children under the care of child welfare, the outcomes are bleak; low participation in the job market, substance abuse, and mental health problems. A high proportion of them end up disabled. Considering the costs associated with care takeovers, it is economically sensible and morally right to invest in reunification. Maintaining care outside the home costs eight times more than in the home.

What can we do?

• We need to establish a commission of inquiry that can delve into the complex cases and have the mandate to implement necessary systemic changes.
• We will establish interdisciplinary, national expert teams to handle potential care takeovers. Many local offices don't have sufficient competence.
• We demand that any process of care takeover must include a reunification plan, in accordance with the Child Welfare Act.
• We will work to achieve better gender balance in the service. 84% of the staff are women, and it is necessary to include both genders to achieve a diverse approach.
• Continuity is essential in the service: we demand stable, experienced professionals who see each individual as a whole, regardless of ethnicity and social background. Therefore, we support the authorization of child welfare educators.
• Previously, housewife/-father substitutes functioned as support in critical situations, and this should be reintroduced. We want this to be implemented as a low-threshold offer nationwide.
• We will separate child welfare into an advisory unit and an action-oriented unit. This will ensure a more humane and respectful process.
• Difficult family economics can destroy a family, as evidenced by numerous suicide attempts. By redistributing resources so that as much is invested directly in the families as in care takeovers, we ensure healthier adults tomorrow through investments today.

For those who want to read more.

https://www.americanbar.org/groups/litigation/about/committees/childrens-rights/trauma-child-parent-separation/

https://www.sciencenorway.no/children-society--culture/protests-mount-against-norwegian-child-welfare-service/1453943

https://www.forskning.no/ntb-psykiske-lidelser-studenter/en-av-tre-studenter-kan-ha-en-psykisk-lidelse/2253339 (50% of Norwegian students qualify for a psychiatric illness in the last year)

https://fontene.no/debatt/er-staten-norge-en-god-mor-6.47.860587.397b93d22f (An article I wrote where system crashed with system)

https://www.forskning.no/finans/en-av-fem-med-gjeldsproblemer-har-forsokt-a-ta-sitt-eget-liv-ifolge-svensk-studie/2215351 (A Swedish study showed that 20 % of people with financial difficulties had tried to end their own life)

https://ourworldindata.org/suicide (General information about suicide)

https://www.nhri.no/arsmelding/arsmelding2023/menneskerettigheter-i-hoyesterett-emd-og-fn/#emd-og-norge-–-en-historisk- (ECHR cases in Norway)