Personnel in the municipal child welfare service, 2000

The number of staff relative to the number of children under 18 has remained the same for the past four years, 2.4 man-years per 1 000 children. A key trend is that more and more of those employed have professional training.

It is the number of residential child care workers in the municipal child welfare service that is increasing the most, by a total of 57 man-years last year. This represents an increase of 6 per cent over the year before.

More have professional training

The number of social workers and residential child care workers has increased every year since 1995. Of these two occupational groups, it is residential child care workers that have seen the greatest increase, and they now form the largest professional group. From 1995 until today the number of residential child care workers has increased by 251 man-years. In the same period the number of social workers has increased by 73 man-years. The group of employees with other college/university education has declined in recent years, by 54 man-years from 1995 until today. Residential child care workers and social workers now comprise 39 and 37 per cent, respectively, of all employees in the municipal child welfare service, and 86 per cent of all employees of the municipal child welfare service now have educations at the college level. The number of unskilled workers in the municipal child welfare service has been reduced from 142 man-years in 1995 to 101 man-years in 2000, that is, a decline of 29 per cent. The decline last year was 2.2 man-years.

Big differences among counties

The number of employees of child welfare services relative to the number of children under aged 18 shows a national average of 2.4 man-years per 1 000 children. This is the same level as the previous four years. The best staffing is found in Oslo, with 3.5 man-years per 1 000 children under aged 18 (fig-2001-07-04-01.xls). In second and third place are Østfold and Vest-Agder, with 3.2 and 3.1 employees, respectively, for the corresponding population. Sogn og Fjordane, with 1.7 and Møre og Romsdal and Nord-Trøndelag with 1.8 per 1 000 children had the lowest staffing. Hedmark and Oppland also had few employees in the child welfare service relative to the number of children.

More vacancies

At the end of 2000 129 man-years remained unfilled in the municipal child welfare service. The number of vacancies has increased each year from 1997 to today, with the increase especially great last year. At the end of 2000 nearly 5 per cent of all budgeted positions were vacant.