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Worried about a child? How to report your concern

report concern worried about a child neglect report child welfare

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 →

You can report a concern to child welfare services, anonymously if you wish. How to do it, and the 24-hour Children's Helpline 116 111.

Norwegian original last checked against official sources: 21 September 2026. Rules and deadlines change, so always check the official site before you act.

If you are worried about a child, you can report it to child welfare services (barnevernet). You don't need to be certain. It is child welfare services' job to investigate.

Is the child in danger right now?

Call 112 (police) or 113 (medical emergency).

The Children's Helpline: 116 111

The Children's Helpline (Alarmtelefonen) is open 24 hours a day, and the call is free. Children, young people and worried adults can all call. You can call, for example, if someone is being subjected to violence, sexual abuse, neglect or genital mutilation.

You can choose to give your name to both child welfare services and the parents, give it only to child welfare services with a wish that the parents not find out, or stay completely anonymous. (Public employees cannot report anonymously.)

The emergency child welfare service assesses whether the situation can be resolved with advice, whether a report should be sent to the municipality, or whether urgent help is needed.

Reporting to the municipal child welfare service

You can submit a report of concern digitally, or send a form by post to the child welfare service in the municipality where the child lives. You can report using your full name or anonymously. Bufdir states that it is usually an advantage to give your name and how you know the family, since it helps child welfare services in the follow-up.

What happens afterwards?

The child welfare service must assess the report within one week, and you should receive a confirmation within about three weeks. You usually will not be told how the case is followed up, due to the duty of confidentiality. Read When child welfare services receive a report of concern.

Tip: Describe what you have seen or heard, specifically and with dates, and avoid interpreting it. It is child welfare services' job to assess it.

Bufdir. Reporting to child welfare services as a private person (Norwegian) →

Sources

• Bufdir. Reporting to child welfare services as a private person (Norwegian)
• Barnevernvakten. The Children's Helpline 116 111 (Norwegian)
• The Children's Helpline

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.