The system of foster care in Norway and it`s challenges Synnøve Orvik

1. The system of foster care in Norway and it`s challenges Synnøve Orvik Foster Care Service Sortland, The Regional Office for Children,Youth and Family Affairs (Bufetat), Northern Norway

2. Foster Care Service tasks: • Generell guidance and education of fosterhomes • Assist local authorities with placement,monitoring and termination of foster care • Stand by home / crises home for young people aged 13 – 18 • Assist local authorities with training and guidance of supervisers • Give local authorities financial reimbursement for foster care,Recruitment of potensial fosterparents

3. The general demands on foster parents are that they should have: • Ability, time and energy to give children a safe and good home • A stable life situation • Good health • Good co-operation skills • Economy, living arrangements and social network providing the child space for self-realization • Do not recivehelp from localchildwelfare to theirownchildren • Unblemished record (i.e., no criminal offences)

4. Different foster homes in Norway: Fosterhomeswithcontractwithlocalauthorities: • Ordinaryfosterhome • Ordinaryfosterhomewhich is «strengthen» FosterhomeswithcontractwithBufetat: • Stand-by or crisis foster home • «Family»homes

5. Most of the children who cannot stay at home, live in foster homes Norway 2014: • Ca 10 250 children and youths live in foster homes • Ca 85 % of the children living outside their birth home, live in foster homes, and 11% live in institutions • About 25% live in family and with people from the child’s close network • The goal is to recruit ca 1700 new fosterhomes • Need for new homes increase with 10 % each year Side 5

6. National goals for foster care work • More placement in foster care – less in institution • More placement in family and with people from the child’s close network • More recruitment of immigrant foster parents • Focus on foster parents for children of national minorities and aboriginal population • Focus on couple of same sex From national guidelines for foster care: Bufetat shall recruit different types of foster homes so it is possible to meet the single child’ s special needs, including ethnic, religious, cultural and linguistic needs Side 6

7. Why do children need to come in fostercare? • Alcohol and narcotics abuse • Neglect • Violence and trauma • Sexual assault • Relationship challenges between children and parents • Behavioral disorders

8. Who are the potential foster parents? • Strongest motivation is to help a child with difficulties. • Likely under 40 year as more than 40 year • 2 % are non-ethnic Norwegians, 4% from aboriginal populations and 1 % from national minorities • 6 of 10 lives in a village or in a town • The woman in the family is the most activ in the prosess • 1 of 2 use 1 year from they get the idea until they get in contact, 1 of 4 use more than 3 years from the first idea until they get in contact with the foster care service.

9. Recruitment How to make contact with potential foster families ? • Advertising in newspapers and other media • “Homeparty” in fosterhomes • Posters and flyers • Invite to open local information meetings • Internett and our homepage www.fosterhjem.no • Face book / Twitter • Campaigns;Eks: Mayers and celebrities ambassadors for foster care • Increase public attention in newspapers,radio,tv etc.

10. Pridekurs • The Parenting Resources for Information, Development and Education (PRIDE) program is designed to strengthen the quality of family foster care • Foster PRIDE, the pre-service component of PRIDE, is a program for the recruitment, preparation and selection of prospective foster parents. • Foster PRIDE core is an in-service training program for new and experienced foster parents, • Integral to both components is the belief that protecting and nurturing children at risk - requires teamwork among individuals with diverse knowledge and skills .Foster parents are essential members of this team.

11. Foster PRIDE – pre service Foster PRIDE aredesigned to teachknowledge and skills in fiveessentialcategoriesofcompetence for foster parents: • Protecting and nurturingchildren • Meeting children'sdevelopmentalneeds, and addressingdevelopmentaldelays • Supporting relationships betweenchildren and their families • Connectingchildren to safe, nurturing relationships intended to last a lifetime • Working as a memberof a professional team. Through a series of at-homeconsultations (4) and weekend courses (3) prospective families are given theopportunity to learn and practicetheknowledge and skills theyaregoing to need as foster parents.

12. Foster PRIDE Core- in service • The Foundation for Meeting the Developmental Needs of Children at Risk • Using Discipline to Protect, Nurture, and Meet Developmental Needs • Responding to the Signs and Symptoms of Sexual Abuse • Supporting Relationships between Children and Their Families • Promoting Children's Personal and Cultural Identity • Understanding and Promoting Preteen and Teen Development • ”Mini” PRIDE for families with no training prior to placement of fosterchild (often placement in the childs own familie and network) • We offer 4 -5 different courses pr year to fosterfamilies in our region

13. Assist local authorities with placement i foster care • Local authorities contacts us when they have a child in need for a fosterhome • In cooperation we identify the need of the child • We look to our recruited fosterhomes - if there are any foster homes that can meet the needs of the child • In cooperation with the fosterparents, child/youth, local authorities and others we make a plan and prepare for the moving into the fosterhome • We see too that the child have opportunities for education and training from their fosterhome (school, after-school activities..) • Local athorities have resposibiliety to cooperate with the biological parents and family of the child/youth – and see to that a contract for visits after placement in fostercare is made.

14. Support, guidance and education to foster parents Our responibility after placement of a child in fostercare; • Monitoring the foster placement after 3 mnd and 1 year together with the local athourites. • Offer PRIDE in-service courses • First-year guidance groups for fosterparents

15. Supervision of foster homes The child welfare service is responsable for supervision of the fosterhome: • The case worker visits as often as necessary and minimum four times a year • A supervisor i appointed who shall be available to the child and visit at least four times a year – the supervisor reports to the child welfare service • Complaints about the child welfare service can be directed to the County Governor

16. Remuneration to the foster home • Recommend remuneration for child / youth a month: - current expenses- depending,on age: EUR 585 – 863 - for the ”work”: EUR 897 (7175,- ) • Can get higher remuneration if the child or the youth have special needs • Some foster parents have a full time work with the foster child for a period • Some full time foster parents are special foster homes Side 16

17. Conditions for foster parents Fosterhomes with contract from local child welfare • Economic support • Guidance and support • Education offers from Bufetat and others Fosterhomes with Bufetat contracts • Better economic and guidance support • Contract which ensures economic support in case of illness, and pension agrement

18. Main challenges • To recruit enough fosterhomes with the right qualities • To avoid foster children haveing to move • To give the foster homes support and teach them skills in order to manage

19. Who does what in Child Welfare in Norway?