NBK 2024

Opening speeches by
Minister of Children and Families Kjersti Toppe
Hege Nilssen, The Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs (Bufdir)
A representative from the Ombudsperson for Children

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) is the supreme interpreter of all matters regarding the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and has no obligations toward any other international law and/or jurisprudence. While the ECHR/ECtHR and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) are separate treaties, they are related in their protection of human rights. Even though there is no official connection between the ECHR/ECtHR and the CRC, the Court has acknowledged a reciprocal, harmonious relationship between the two conventions. Leaning on concepts of legal mobilisation, lawfare, and availability heuristics, there seems to be a clear development in how the CRC is used in and by the ECtHR, indicating that the CRC has an increasingly stronger footing within the Court, especially in the past decade.

Moreover, within the last decade, children’s rights have gained increased attention in the ECtHR following a mobilisation against the Norwegian child protection system (CPS). Between 2017 and January 2024, the Court resolved 51 cases against the Norwegian CPS – which is more than all other European countries combined. Norway, having ratified both the ECHR and CRC, is thus obliged to follow both conventions. The questions are: How has children’s rights developed in the ECtHR, which role has the CRC played in this development, and what does it entail for children’s rights in Norway and the rest of Europe?

In Iceland 8% of children are reported to Child Protection. We want to turn that tide by changing our way of working, our responsibility and how we respond when parents or children seek help. In January 2022 the act of The Integration of Service in the interest of Childrens Prosperity came into force. We want to help children solve problems before they become too complicated or too hard to fix. We want to listen and talk to children and in cooperation with them and their parents integrate service of those who can be part of the solution. Children in need of early assistance, along with their parents, are ensured access to Coordinator who works at the primary level of service within Health care, Schools or Social Service. If children and their parents, need more targeted assistance, they are assured access to Case Manager in Social Service. The Case Manager leads the Support Team and is responsible for the creation of a Support Plan telling us how we are going to help the child. We are now in the third year of implementation and I want to tell you why we started this journey,  what we have learned so far, were we are heading and why we got this financed