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Child coordinator: the right to help with coordination
Draft, translated: translated from the Norwegian original with the help of a language model, and may contain errors. The Norwegian version is the authoritative one. See the Norwegian original →
If you are expecting or have a child with a serious illness, injury or disability, the family has the right to a child coordinator who should pull the threads together across agencies, not just within health.
Norwegian original last checked against official sources: 30 September 2026. Rules and figures change, so always check the official site before you act.
Having to keep track of NAV, the hospital, the municipality, kindergarten and school at the same time, when you really just want to spend your energy on your child, is one of the heaviest experiences many parents in this situation recognise. The child coordinator is made precisely to take some of that job off your hands.
Who is entitled to a child coordinator?
You are entitled to a child coordinator if:
- you are expecting or have a child under 18,
- the child has a serious illness, injury or disability, and
- the family will need long-term and complex, or coordinated, health and care services and other welfare services.
You do not need a specific diagnosis. It is the actual need for help and follow-up that decides, not the name of the condition. The municipality makes an individual assessment.
What does a child coordinator actually do?
The child coordinator should, among other things:
- coordinate the overall service offer, so that you don't have to tie the threads together yourself,
- keep an overview and actively contribute to the municipality actually following up the family and the child,
- ensure you get necessary information and holistic guidance, both about health and care services and about other welfare services and relevant patient and user organisations,
- contribute to progress on any individual plan.
How does it differ from an ordinary coordinator?
The child coordinator is broader than an ordinary coordinator in several ways:
- it covers the whole family, not just the child,
- it can start already during pregnancy,
- it covers both health and care services and other welfare services (for example NAV, kindergarten and school), not just health services.
If the family is entitled to both an ordinary coordinator and a child coordinator, the municipality should clarify with you which arrangement you want, not provide both at the same time.
How do you ask for it?
The right to a child coordinator is an individual right for the family. Contact the municipality's coordinating unit, which has the overall responsibility for appointing, training and guiding child coordinators. Many municipalities have their own information about this on their websites.
Other places to start
- Respite care and care allowance
- User-controlled personal assistance (BPA)
- Next of kin rights
- If the child is approaching 18 with a lasting need for help, see also Guardianship.
Tip: You should be able to voice your own needs, wishes and views, both when the right is assessed and in its implementation. Be concrete about what you actually struggle with in everyday life, not just the diagnosis.
Sources
- Lovdata. Patient and User Rights Act § 2-5 c, right to a child coordinator (Norwegian)
- Helsedirektoratet. Guide on the child coordinator (Norwegian)
Kontaktpunkt24 gives general information, not legal advice. If you need help with your own case, contact a lawyer, a legal aid service, or the relevant authority.
This page is translated from Norwegian with the help of a language model, and may contain errors. The Norwegian version is always the authoritative one.