Care Order

A care order only occurs in serious cases and can happen with or without the parents' consent.

When child welfare services determine that a child's situation is severe enough to require removal from the home, the case must be decided by an independent body, the Child Welfare and Health Tribunal. The tribunal makes the final decision after hearing from the parents, the child, and child welfare services.

If you experience having your child placed under a care order, you can receive help and support from both the child welfare services in your municipality and the family counseling office.

In principle, a care order is temporary, and child welfare services will work with the parents to enable the child to return home. Parents also have the right to visitation with the child.

Criteria for a care order may include:

• Serious deficiencies in the child's daily care, personal contact, or security necessary for their age and development.
• The parents’ failure to ensure that a sick or disabled child receives the necessary treatment and education.
• The child being subjected to abuse.
• A risk that the child's health or development will be harmed.

Er du fråteken omsorgen for barnet ditt?
Saksgangen hos barneverns- og helsenemnda
Alt om barnevernet (fra Buf-direktoratet)

See especially Barnevernloven kapittel 5, kapittel 7, § 8-3 and kapittel 14.

Barnevernsloven
Forskrift om barns medvirkning i barnevernet

The municipal child welfare services present the case for a care order to the Child Welfare and Health Tribunal. The tribunal ensures that parents receive a lawyer and that the child has a representative. Hearings or meetings are then held with all parties present. The tribunal makes the final decision regarding the care order. (Barneverns- og helsenemnda (bvhn.no)

A decision must be made no later than two weeks after the hearing is concluded. Once the tribunal has decided on a care order, the child must be relocated as soon as possible. The decision expires if the child has not been moved within six weeks.

A care order decision can be appealed to the court. In emergency situations, where there is no time to wait for a tribunal decision, the municipal child welfare services can issue an emergency care order. You can appeal an emergency decision directly to the Child Welfare and Health Tribunal, either verbally or in writing. When you appeal, you will be assigned a lawyer to handle the case for you.