Child protection committee
The aim of the Child Protection Act is to ensure that children living in unacceptable conditions or children who endanger their health and development receive necessary assistance. It is therefore the task of a child protection committee (Barnavernd) to strengthen families in their role of upbringing their children and to take necessary actions for the best interest of children.
When a child protection issue has been reported to a child protection committee, they evaluate whether there is a reason to check the case in more detail. The parents of a child are in most cases informed about the notification and that the process of investigating the case has begun. An exception is if a child is deemed to be at risk under the auspices of parents and it is believed to serve the child's interests that the parent does not know of the process.
The work of a child protection committee, which starts when the decision has been taken to check the case, consists of getting detailed information about the child and its state, so that support and assistance provided to the child, parents and family will be most appropriate. In most cases, the child protection support includes support interviews, counselling, training, and guidance. Additionally, a child protection committee may provide a support family and work in cooperation with schools and preschools, etc.
If cooperation between a child protection committee and parents is not effective and the child's circumstances are still considered unacceptable it may prove necessary for a child to go to a foster family. It is important to note that fostering a child is only considered if all other and milder measures have not yielded the desired results.
For further information, go to the Árborg Municipality website: https://www.arborg.is/stjornsysla/svid-og-deildir/fjolskyldusvid/felagsthjonusta-1