Child welfare, 2000

Most of the children, eight out of ten, received assistance while living at home, such as visit homes, people selected to support the child and kindergartens. About 6 000 children and youths were under the protective care of the Child Welfare Service during 2000, and eight out of ten of these children were placed in foster homes. The others were placed in institutions or in other care

More children receiving assistance at the close of 2000

About 24 800 children and youths received assistance from the Child Welfare Service at the close of 2000. This is about 1 000 more than in the previous year, an increase of 4.2 per cent. The vast majority, 19 700, children received one or more types of assistance in the home. About 800 more than at the close of 1999, an increase of 4.3 per cent. At the close of 2000 about 5 100 children were under protective care. Most of these children, about 4450, were placed in foster homes. About 450 children stayed in orphanages and about 200 children lived in other care outside their home.

Increase in placement outside home as assistance

The Act relating to child welfare services allows children to be placed outside the home without any decision being made by the county committee for social cases to assume protective care. Therefore there are more children placed outside the home than there are children under protective care. The number of children placed in foster homes as a type of assistance, has increased each year from about 300 in 1993 to about 1 500 children at the close of 2000. The number of children living in children's homes, as a type of assistance, has also increased in recent years from about 150 in 1993 to almost 700 at the close of 2000. The growth is partly due to the increase of the age limit from 20 to 23 in the Child Welfare Service Act. At the close of 2000, there was a total of 1 719 youths of age 18-22 who were registered as clients. On turning 18 the children are no longer under protective care by definition. They then receive assistance in the home, even though a third of these youths (33 per cent) were youths still placed in foster homes.

About 5 100 children under protective care

At the close of 2000 about 5 100 children were placed in protective care. This is nearly 200 more than in 1999, an increase of 3.8 per cent. From 1998 to 1999 there was an increase of 2.1 per cent.

Big differences among the counties

At the close of 2000 there were 22 children out of 1000 under age 18 who received assistance, compared to 21 in the previous year. According to the census, we find the majority of children under the protection of the Child Welfare Service to be in Telemark county and Østfold county with 27 clients per 1000 children, respectively. Nordland county also ranks high with 26, and Oslo, Rogaland and Finnmark counties all rank at 24 clients per 1000 children. The lowest client rates are in Akershus county with 17, and in Sogn og Fjordane and Oppland counties with 18 children receiving assistance per 1000 children.

Stavanger on the top

Among the four biggest cities in Norway, Stavanger has the largest number of clients with 29 clients per 1000 children under age 18. This is just as many as in the previous year. Oslo had 24 at the close of 2000, and Bergen and Trondheim had respectively 23 and 22 clients per 1000 children under age 18.

Tables:

• Table 1 Children under protection 31 December, by type of assistance. County. 1987-2000
• Table 2 Children under protection 31 December, by age and type of assistance. 2000
• Table 3 Children under protection during the year and at the end of the year under protection, by type of assistance. 2000
• Table 4 Children under protection during the year, at the end of the year and new cases of children placed under protection, by type of assistance and county. 1987-2000
• Table 5 Children under protection during the year, by age and type of assistance. 2000. (Corrected 05.09.01)
• Table 6 Children under protection during the year, at the end of the year and new cases of children placed under protection. Figures for sex and age. Absolute figures and per 1 000 children. 2000 (Corrected 26 October 2001)
• Table 7 Children under protection during the year, by type of care and county. 1987-2000
• Table 8 New cases of children placed under protection, by age and reason for intervention. 1987-2000
• Table 9 New cases of children placed under protection, by age and type of assistance. 2000. (Corrected 06.09.2001)
• Table 10 New cases of children placed under protection, by age and who reported the case. 2000 (Corrected 06.09.2001)
• Table 11 Children under protection during the year, by age and size of municipality. 2000