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13
November 2020
Marianne Haslev
Skånland:
The
Raundalen Committee's evaluation of the biological
principle, Recommendation NOU 2012-5, and the presentation
of the Recommendation
• • •
'Barnevernet' is the Norwegian term for 'the child
protection service', the CPS. Its official name in English
is the Norwegian Child Welfare
Services.
The Recommendation of the Raundalen
Committee, the press release accompanying its publication
and the other documents relating to it and referred to here
are all in Norwegian, published by the Norwegian
government.
The translations into English given are
mine and not from official sources. In some instances,
Norwegian titles etc may not have clear equivalents in
English. I have chosen translations I believe to come
close.
MH
Skånland
• • •
The so-called Raundalen Committee was appointed by the
Ministry of Children and Families on 18 February 2011,
under Minister Audun Lysbakken (Socialist Left Party). The
committee delivered its Recommendation on 6 February 2012.
(Inga Marte Thorkindsen, also of the Socialist Left Party,
took over as Minister shortly after, on 23 March 2012. The
Ministry has had some name changes.)
The committee members were:
Professor Arne
Johan Vetlesen
Unit leader for Barnevern Erna Bakken
Barnevern leader Iben Schier van den Berg
Senior lecturer Inge Kvaran
County Board leader Inger Mo
Special education educator Sabreen Selvik
Lawyer Stig Åkenes Johnsen
Psychologist Vigdis Bunkholdt
Professor Willy-Tore Mørch
Senior lecturer Øyvind Kvello
The letter from the Committee accompanying its
Recommendation makes it clear that the Committee has held
an evaluation of 'the use of the biological principle' to
be a central question:
"I statsråd 18.
februar oppnevnte regjeringen et ekspertutvalg som skulle
foreta en utredning av det biologiske prinsippets
anvendelse innen barnevernet. Utvalget ble bedt om å belyse
de vanskelige problemstillingene som oppstår i barnevernets
arbeid når det biologiske prinsipp kommer til anvendelse.
Ekspertutvalget ble også bedt om å vurdere dagens
lovgivning i forhold til barnets rettsikkerhet samt vernet
av ufødte barn og å fokusere på de minste barna. Utvalget
ble bedt om å sammenstille relevant forskning og kunnskap
samt oppsummere funn som var særlig interessante for
myndigheter og fagmiljøer som utvikler barnevernet."
(In cabinet
meeting on 18 February the government appointed an expert
committee to carry out an evaluation ot the use of the
biological principle in Barnevernet. The committee was
asked to elucidate the difficult problems that arise in
Barnevernet's work when the issue of the biological
principle is applied. The expert committee was also asked
to evaluate today's legislation in relation to children's
security under the rule of law, as well as the protection
of unborn children, and to focuse on the youngest children.
The committee was asked to collate relevant research and
knowledge and summarise findings of special interest to
authorities and expert milieus developing Barnevernet.)
NOU 2012:5
Bedre beskyttelse av barns utvikling – Ekspertutvalgets
utredning om det biologiske prinsipp i barnevernet
Til Barne-, likestillings- og
inkluderingsdepartementet
(NOU
2012:5
Better protection of children's development – the Expert
Committee's elucidation of the biological principle in
Barnevernet
(Letter) To the Ministry of Children, Equality and
Inclusion)
The
Government, 6 February 2012
The
Recommendation itself can be accessed from the above page
and from the front page of the
document as
well.
*
On the same day the government also publishes a news and
press release:
Foreslår nytt prinsipp i
barnevernet
(Proposes a
new principle in Barnevernet)
The
Government, 6 February 2012
The news release opens with the statement:
"Kva skal vera
terskelen for at barnevernet skal ta over omsorga for eit
barn? Dette diskuterer Raundalenutvalet i ei utgreiing som
i dag vart overrekt barne-, likestillings- og
inkluderingsminister Audun Lysbakken. Utvalet foreslår eit
nytt prinsipp i barnevernet om at barnet si tilknyting skal
ha forrang samanlikna med det biologiske prinsippet."
(What is to be
the threshold for Barnevernet to take over the care of a
child? This is discussed by the Raundalen Committee in a
study report which today was presented to Minister Audun
Lysbakken of the Child, Equality and Inclusion Ministry.
The Committee proposes a new principle in Barnevernet which
entails that the child's attachment is to take first place
compared to the biological principle.)
*
At the bottom of the page it is possible to click into the
Committee leader Magne Raundalen's presentation of the
Expert Committee's Recommendation. The presentation is
relatively long. The points below are those in which the
Committee's attitude and proposals regarding the
biological principle are particularly clear:
"Målet med en
utredning om det biologiske prinsipp er at spørsmål knyttet
til anvendelsen av prinsippet i barnevernet blir grundig
utredet. Utredningsarbeidet skal først og fremst belyse
vanskelige problem-stillinger i barnevernets arbeid."
(The purpose of
carrying out an assessment of the biological principle is
that questions concerning the implementation of the
principle in Barnevernet should be thoroughly reviewed. The
assessment work should primarily throw light on difficult
problems in the work of Barnevernet.)
"Det er usikkert
om det biologiske prinsipp vil ha samme vekt etter at
tilbakeføringsbestemmelsen i § 4-21 ble endret i 2009."
(It is unclear
whether the biological principle will have the same weight
after the 2009 revision of § 4-21 about conditions for
return of the child.)
"Utvalget er
kjent med at det finnes forskning som tyder på biologisk
preferanse i foreldreskapet, men tolker forskningen om den
tilknytningen som oppstår mellom barn og deres
omsorgspersoner som det sterkeste grunnlaget for et
utviklingsstøttende foreldreskap. Utvalget har ikke funnet
forskningsbaserte holdepunkter som hverken bekrefter eller
avkrefter at det har en avgjørende egenverdi for barn å
vokse opp med sine biologiske foreldre."
(The committee
knows that research exists pointing to a biological
preference in parenthood, but interprets the research about
the attachment developing between children and their
care-persons as the strongest basis for
development-supportive parenthood. The committee has not
found research-based facts which either support or disprove
that growing up with their own biological parents should be
of value for children in itself.)
"Utvalget
anbefaler at det etableres et fjerde, førende prinsipp for
vurdering av vanskelige avgjørelser i barnevernssaker.
Bakgrunnen er at en for stor vekting av egenverdien av det
biologiske prinsipp kan føre til at barnet vokser opp under
ugunstige omsorgsbetingelser dersom tilknytningen og
relasjonsutviklingen mellom barnet og omsorgspersonene er
svak."
(The committee
recommends that a fourth, leading principle be established
for deciding difficult Barnevern cases. The background is
that too heavy emphasis given to the intrinsic value of the
biological principle can lead to the child growing up under
unfavourable conditions of care if the attachment and the
relational development between the child and the persons
giving it care are weak.)
"Det
utviklingsstøttende tilknytningsprinsippet som utvalget
anbefaler som et nytt førende prinsipp i barnevernet, er
forskningsmessig begrunnet i utredningens hovedtekst og
ytterligere belyst i to vedlegg.
Utvalget anbefaler at det utviklingsstøttende
tilknytningsprinsippet gis forrang i forhold til det
biologiske prinsipp i saker der tilknytnings- og
relasjonskvaliteten er til hinder for barnets utvikling."
(The
development-supportive attachment principle recommended by
the committee as a new, leading principle in Barnevernet is
supported researchwise in the main text of the report and
elucidated further in two attachments.
The committee recommends that the development-supportive
attachment principle take precedence over the biological
principle in cases in which the attachment quality and the
relational quality are a hindrance to the child's
development.)
"Det
er mulig at barneverntjenesten og andre profesjoner
tillegger det biologiske prinsipp større vekt enn det er
grunnlag for etter rettspraksis. Den høye medholdsprosenten
for barnevernet i Fylkesnemndssaker kan være en indikasjon
på at barneverntjenesten legger terskelen høyt for å fremme
saker om omsorgsovertakelse – muligens for høyt."
(It is possible
that the child protective services and other professions
place greater importance on the biological principle than
is motivated by legal practice. The high proportion of
cases won by Barnevernet in the county social welfare
boards may indicate that Barnevernet practices a high
threshold for submitting cases for taking children into
care – perhaps too high.)
"Utvalget
vil anbefale at:
• det for spedbarn fra 0 til 18 måneder
tas stilling til adopsjon ikke senere enn ett år etter
plassering etter bvl § 4-15, tredje ledd.
• det for barn mellom 18 måneder til 4 år
tas stilling til adopsjon senest 2 år etter
fosterhjemsplassering bvl § 4-15, tredje ledd.
• Adopsjon alltid vurderes i tilfeller
der barn er tidlig og varig plassert i fosterhjem."
(The committee
will recommend that:
• for infants of 0 to 18 months, adoption
is considered not later than one year after placement
according to the Barnevern Act § 4-15, third paragraph.
• for children between 18 months and 4
years of age, adoption is considered not later than 2 years
after foster home placement according to the Barnevern Act
§ 4-15, third paragraph.
• adoption is always considered in cases
of children being early and permanently placed in foster
homes.)
"Utvalget
anbefaler departementet å utarbeide en fosterhjemsgaranti
for å motvirke ustilsiktede brudd i fosterforhold."
(The committee
recommends that the Ministry formulate a foster home
guarantee in order to counteract unplanned break-ups in
foster relationships.)
"
Gjentatte begjæringer og søksmål kan føre til negativ og
dermed skadelig uro for barnet. Utvalget foreslår ikke
absolutte grenser for tilbakeføring da disse kan komme i
konflikt med konvensjoner Norge er bundet av. I stedet
foreslår utvalget at krav om tilbakeføring og
samværsendringer kan nektes realitetsbehandlet dersom det
noen tid etter plassering ikke fremkommer bevis som tilsier
at situasjonen er endret for barnet."
(Repeated
demands and civil action can lead to negative and therefore
harmful disquiet for the child. The committee does not
recommend absolute limits for return, since that may
conflict with conventions which Norway is bound by.
Instead, the committee suggests that process can be denied
regarding demands for return and changes of visitation if
there is not, some time after placement, proof indicating
that the situation for the child has changed.)
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