Norwegian Health Authority: Extensive failure in Nav’s safeguarding of children’s needs when applying for social assistance

On Monday morning, the Norwegian Health Authority presented a summary report of an inspection the state administrators have carried out with Nav offices throughout the country in 2022 and 2023. The inspection looked at how Nav looks after and follows up children in families who apply for, or receive financial social assistance. During the inspection, offenses were uncovered at 58 out of 68 Nav offices.

– In this inspection, the state administrators uncovered many failures. We are concerned that children and young people in families who need financial social assistance do not get the help they need, says director Sjur Lehmann of the Norwegian Health Authority in a press release.

The Norwegian Health Authority determines that Nav does not look after the children in families who receive financial social assistance well enough.

– It is difficult to make assessments of the child’s best interests and assessments of the need for financial social assistance if you have not mapped the needs of the children and the family, says Lehmann.

– Rarely obtained children’s views

In the inspection, the Norwegian Health Authority examined several requirements for the Nav offices’ practice. Among them was the requirement that they carry out an adequate survey of children’s needs when applying for financial benefits.

On this point, the inspectorate found violations of the law at 51 of the 68 Nav offices, and it was concluded that the offices rarely obtained children’s views in matters that concerned them. Lehmann points out that this is something that needs to be done.

– This is a requirement under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which we see was done to a small extent, says Lehmann.

According to the Norwegian Health Authority, this lack of mapping has led to consequential errors in the form of breaches of the law relating to the requirement that Nav offices make a proper assessment and decision on such applications. Such offenses were discovered at 53 of the offices.

– Because the survey failed, the assessment and decision on financial benefits was made on a failing basis, writes the Norwegian Health Authority.

When it came to the follow-up of families receiving financial benefits, violations of the law were discovered at 14 offices.

– Must be improved

– I think that here there is a lot that the individual municipality has to follow up, says director of employment and welfare Hans Christian Holte to NTB.

Holte also points out that the inspection was carried out one and a half to two years ago. He believes that there has been some positive development in the area since the inspection was carried out, based on early signals they received from the Norwegian Health Authority.

At the same time, he acknowledges that the offenses that have been uncovered show that the practices in the municipalities and at the individual Nav office have not followed the Convention on the Rights of the Child as they should.

– I think that all the deviations show that the practice in this area needs to be improved in the individual municipality. It is an important responsibility for Nav to follow up. We consider it a situation that needs to improve, so that we can be more confident that every single family in need of social assistance and their children are well looked after, says Holte.

May be due to lack of documentation

Holte thinks it is difficult to point to a specific reason for what is revealed in the inspection, but points, among other things, to a lack of awareness of safeguarding children’s best interests in connection with the allocation of social assistance to a family.

At the same time, he believes it may also be linked to a lack of documentation.

– There may have been surveys and conversations with children that are not documented, and therefore not revealed in the inspection, points out Holte.

Could this be due to poor routines at the Nav offices?

– Yes, I think it seems that it is part of the weakness. Something goes according to bad routines, but at the same time probably not enough mapping work and assessment and follow-up have been done. It depends both on documentation and that the job has not been done, says Holte.

Collaborates with the state administrators

Holte says that Nav will now cooperate with the state administrators to follow up on the violations of the law, and to provide good information to all Norwegian counties and municipalities about the guide for Nav employees that the Directorate of Labor and Welfare has developed.

Holte emphasizes that he sees the road ahead positively.

– I feel that both the thorough inspection by the Norwegian Health Authority and the good cooperation with the children’s ombudsman over the last couple of years means that I believe we should move forward with follow-up in this area in Norway. It is important, concludes Holte.

– Must take it seriously

Senior adviser Inger Aasgaard in the Children’s Ombudsman states in a press release that the Norwegian Health Authority’s report is serious and shows that the work to strengthen children’s rights in Nav is urgent.

Aasgard points to legislative regulation and skills development as measures the Children’s Ombudsman believes are crucial to ensuring a greater focus on children’s rights, and believes that Minister for Employment and Inclusion Tonje Brenna (Ap) must ensure that Nav safeguards children’s rights.

– Both the current and former Minister for Employment and Inclusion have encouraged people who have problems supporting themselves and their families to contact Nav. This is important and right. But the minister must then be sure that Nav actually gives the children’s families the follow-up they are entitled to and that children’s rights are safeguarded, says Aasgaard.

– Gross failure

Leader of Redd Barna’s Norwegian program Monica Sydgård is not surprised by the result of the inspection and, like the Children’s Ombudsman, believes that Brenna must get involved.

– The inspections reveal a serious failure in the Nav system. Redd Barna believes that there must now be a requirement that Nav has investigated the child’s needs and life situation when working with families with children. It must be clear from the decision that the best interests of the child have been considered, says Sydgård in a press release.

The Red Cross, for its part, writes in a press release that they believe the findings in the report are shocking, and that they support the Norwegian Health Authority’s assessment that these families are not getting the help they need.

– These are serious findings and unfortunately in line with what the families we are in contact with tell us. Too much responsibility is placed on parents who do not always have an overview of what they can apply for benefits for, says head of humanitarian programs Ingvill Alisøy-Gjerløw at the Red Cross.