Child Welfare Service Conflict Resolution Board

The state and municipal levels of Norway's child welfare service sometimes find themselves in disagreement over problem-solving approaches and financial responsibility. To avoid long and expensive processes while making sure that cases are handled satisfactorily, the Ministry of Children, Equality and Social Inclusion and the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities (Kommunenes Sentralforbund) have established the Child Welfare Service Conflict Resolution Board (Barnevernets tvisteløsningsnemnd), effective 1 January. This independent board shall provide advisory statements on which party is to cover the expenses for child welfare responses when the state and a municipality disagree.

District Court Judge Kim Heger, of Oslo, has been appointed to head the board for three years.

The board’s members include three people chosen freely and three chosen on the recommendation of the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities.

Appointed as members:
Ola Rømo — assistant city advocate, Oslo
Kari Jørgensen — municipal advocate, Alta
Ivar Otto Myhre — municipal advocate, Sandefjord
Kristel Heyerdahl — lawyer, Oslo
Tore Roald Riedel — lawyer, Oslo
Ingrid Smedsrud — judge, Nedre Romerike District Court.

All members are appointed to serve two years.

 

 
Background:

The joint agreement between the Ministry of Children, Equality and Social Inclusion and the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities on developments in the child welfare service can be downloaded (Norwegian only) here:

Samarbeidsavtalen om utvikling av barnevernsområdet (pdf)

 

Procedural rules for the Child Welfare Service Conflict Resolution Board can be downloaded (Norwegian only) from here:

Saksbehandlingsregler for barnevernets tvisteløsningsnemnd (word)
Saksbehandlingsregler for barnevernets tvisteløsningsnemnder (pdf)

Address to Child Welfare Service Conflict Resolution Board:

Barnevernets tvisteløsningsnemnd
Postboks 8036 Dep

0030 OSLO

Phone number: 22 24 29 49