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Family centre / Families' House: joint help for families with children
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 →
Many municipalities bring the health centre, PPT and preventive child welfare under one roof, so you don't have to find the right service yourself. The name and offer vary from municipality to municipality.
Norwegian original last checked against official sources: 30 September 2026. Rules and figures change, so always check the official site before you act.
Do you have children and need someone to talk to, without first having to work out which agency is responsible? In many municipalities this is gathered in one place, often called a Family Centre (Familiesenter) or Families' House (Familiens hus).
What is it?
A family centre (or Families' House, Family Team, various names in different municipalities) is a collaboration model where several municipal services for children, young people and families are gathered, physically or organisationally. The idea is that you only need one place to turn to: you should not need to know exactly which service can help you, as they work that out together with you.
Services often included in the offer:
- the health centre (helsestasjon) (0–5 years) and the school health service,
- preventive child welfare and family guidance,
- PPT (the educational-psychological service), see also PPT,
- courses and groups for parents, and in some places open kindergarten.
Is it free, and do you need a referral?
The health centre is free and is a service all families with children receive automatically, without a referral. The rest of the offer at a family centre varies, but much of it is designed as a low-threshold service you can approach yourself.
Important: this varies a great deal from municipality to municipality
There is no national, common entry point for this, as there is for example for the Healthy Life Centre. Some municipalities have a combined family centre, others have the services spread across different places without a shared name. The safest thing is to contact the health centre where you live, as it exists in every municipality, and ask what family support is available locally.
Why it can be worth checking, even if things are going fine
This is meant as a low-threshold service, not only for crises. If you are unsure about something in your parenting role, or are struggling a little with sleep, interaction or everyday life, this is a place you can raise it without it having to have become a big problem first.
Other places to start
- PPT: educational-psychological service, if it concerns development, learning or wellbeing in kindergarten or school.
- Child welfare support measures, if the family needs more comprehensive support over time.
- Family counselling office, if it concerns cooperation between parents who do not live together.
Tip: Don't know what the offer is called where you live? Search for "familiesenter" or "familiens hus" together with the name of your municipality, or call the health centre and ask.
Sources
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.