Contact with Children in Public Care

Both the child and the parents have the right to visitation and contact with each other. The Child Welfare and Health Board (barneverns- og helsenemnda) decides how the visitation will take place and how much contact you can have. The board assesses each case individually, based on factors such as the child's need for protection, the child's development, and the family's ability to maintain a family life and strengthen their bonds.

The visitation must be in the child's best interest, and the child's own opinion will be an important factor in the decision-making process.

Parents, and in certain special situations, also grandparents, siblings, uncles/aunts, or close friends of the child.

See in particular Barnevernsloven kapittel 7 and § 14-25.

Barnevernsloven
Forvaltningsloven

Once the level of visitation has been determined, the Child Welfare Services will create a visitation plan for contact with parents, siblings, and other close relations.

The child welfare authorities must regularly assess whether the conditions at home have changed to determine whether the decision should be reconsidered.

A visitation plan is not an official decision that you can appeal. However, after 18 months, parents can request a full reassessment of the case by the Child Welfare and Health Board.

If you believe that the child welfare service has mishandled the case when drafting the visitation plan, or if the facilitation and quality of the visitations are inadequate, you can raise the issue with the child welfare service or submit a supervisory complaint to the County Governor (Statsforvalteren).