Concern Report to Child Welfare Services

A concern report can be submitted by parents, the child themselves, or other private individuals who know the child. Child welfare services also receive concern reports from public authorities such as schools, healthcare providers, and the police.

Once you have submitted a concern report, child welfare services will assess whether the report should be followed up with a home assessment. This assessment must be initiated within one week of receiving the report. Child welfare services may contact you for additional information. It is possible to submit a concern report anonymously.

In your concern report, you should describe what you have seen or heard that raises your concern. Be aware that the family is often given access to the report.

Melde fra til barnevernet (bekymringsmelding)

This is a legally mandated task. See in particular Barnevernsloven § 2-1.

Barnevernsloven
Forvaltningsloven

Digital Concern Report
Concern report to child welfare services (ks.no)

When you use the National Portal for Concern Reports, child welfare services will know your name. In most cases, they will inform the family about who submitted the report, even if you prefer to remain anonymous. This is because child welfare services often do not have the ability to keep this information confidential from the family. It is also easier for them to conduct a thorough assessment when they can discuss who raised the concern and why. If you want to know more about what it means not to be anonymous, you can call child welfare services in your municipality.

If you wish to remain anonymous, you can call or send a letter by mail
If you want to remain anonymous, you cannot use the National Portal for Concern Reports. Instead, you can download a form and send the concern report by mail without disclosing your identity. You can also call child welfare services directly and choose not to give your name.

Find your local child welfare emergency service | Child Welfare Emergency Services

When you submit a concern report about a child, child welfare services must follow up. They will assess what kind of support the child and family need.

Child welfare services are bound by confidentiality, which means you will not receive information about how they follow up with the child and family.

If the child’s situation remains concerning or has worsened, it is important that you contact child welfare services in your municipality again.

Child welfare services must review incoming concern reports as quickly as possible to identify any urgent needs for assistance. If a concern report is not urgent, it must still be processed within one week of being received.