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Care orders and the Child Welfare and Health Board
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 →
A care order is the most serious decision child welfare services can request. What are the conditions, what happens at the Board, and what rights do you have?
Norwegian original last checked against official sources: 21 September 2026. Rules and deadlines change, so always check the official site before you act.
A care order means that child welfare services take over care of the child. The starting point is that children should live with their parents. Bufdir states that a care order only happens in the most serious cases.
The conditions are strict
It is required that the child is subjected to serious neglect, and that voluntary support measures are not sufficient. Child welfare services must first have considered or attempted support measures.
It is the Board that decides
The child welfare service cannot decide a care order on its own. The case must be brought before the Child Welfare and Health Board (previously called the county board). The Board is an independent and impartial body, similar to a court. The case is heard at a hearing under the same rules as in court. The parties attend with a lawyer and can present their evidence and respond to each other.
Your rights
According to Bufdir and the government, parents, and the child themselves from age 15, have:
- the right to a free lawyer. The cost is covered regardless of income, and the lawyer's preparation is also covered,
- the right to be heard,
- the right to bring the Board's decision before the courts.
You must have a lawyer in cases before the Board. See also Free legal aid for other cases.
Contact
As a starting point, children and parents have the right to contact with each other. The Board or the court decides the extent. See Foster care: contact and follow-up for more on how contact is decided and carried out.
Temporary, and possible to try again
Bufdir states that a care order is not final. After one year, parents can have the question of the child being returned to them assessed, if they can provide proper care.
If you disagree with the Board's decision
You can bring the case before the district court (tingretten). The deadline to file a lawsuit is one month from when you received the decision (Child Welfare Act section 14-25). Talk to your lawyer immediately.
Support for you
See Support for parents in a child welfare case.
Bufdir. Care orders (Norwegian) →
Sources
- Bufdir. Care orders (Norwegian)
- Government.no. The Child Welfare and Health Board
- Bufdir. Coverage of legal costs (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.