Our story

Kontaktpunkt24 is a platform for people who need information, support or a way forward when they meet large and complicated systems.

The platform grows out of personal experience, but it is made for everyone. It may be you who feel alone or helpless when dealing with NAV, the health service, the school, child welfare services, the justice system or other public services. It may also be you who has had a good experience and wants to tell others what actually worked.

We want to make it easier to understand the systems around us, find the right information and know where to turn when something is not working. At the same time, we want to bring forward experiences, questions and stories that could otherwise easily disappear.

The aim is not to set people against each other. It is not about men against women, citizens against the system, or pointing at individuals as the problem. We want to be able to talk openly about system failures, discrimination, unfair treatment and other challenges – while also highlighting what works.

For some, a small amount of the right information may be enough to move on. For others, it can be crucial to discover that they are not alone.

My story

I am a single father, solely responsible for the daily care of my son. He has had some extra needs throughout his upbringing, and our family situation has at times been demanding. Together this has meant that over several years we have been in contact with a large network of services and professionals.

As a father, I have over several years had to navigate between health and specialist services, educational and adapted services, school and kindergarten, NAV, the family system, child welfare and the justice system – in addition to many other bodies and professionals.

It has not been because we wanted to be part of so many systems, but because I have had to find my way through them to look after my child and our family. It has been necessary to ensure that he gets the follow-up, adaptation and security he needs.

At the same time, these years have given me an insight into how extensive and complicated the system around a family can become when many different services are meant to work together. I have experienced how difficult it can be to know whom to contact, what rights you have, what you can do when something is not working – and how demanding it can be to live with this over time.

I have also seen that the challenges are not always about individuals. Many people I have met have wanted to help. Yet systems, rules, lack of coordination, limited resources, communication and the way services are organised can have major consequences for those in the middle of it.

This is an important part of why Kontaktpunkt24 came into being.

I want to use my experience for something that can be useful to others. Not by telling people what they should think or do, and not by pretending I have all the answers. But by making information easier to find, experiences easier to share, and the way forward a little simpler to see.

A link between people and systems

Kontaktpunkt24 is not meant to replace NAV, the health service, lawyers, the school, the municipality or other services. Nor do we pretend that we can solve every problem.

We want to be a link.

A place where you can start when you are not quite sure where to start.

Here you should be able to find information about, among other things, NAV and public benefits, rights and the justice system, child welfare and family, school and kindergarten, health and mental health, economy, work, discrimination and equality – and other areas where people may face challenges.

The aim is not just to collect links. We want to explain things in a way that is understandable, find relevant resources and make it easier to see which options exist.

More than just information

Kontaktpunkt24 is also meant to be a place where current cases and issues are brought forward.

Through the weekly most important cases, we want to highlight current cases that may be relevant for people who meet systems, services and social challenges.

The cases should not disappear when they are no longer on the front page. That is why we are also building an archive where earlier cases can be found again.

In addition, we publish our own articles, guides and explanations that can make complicated topics a little easier to understand.

The complaint guide helps you find out where to turn if you believe something has gone wrong. It does not give legal advice, but helps you understand where you can begin and which options may be relevant.

Share your experience

Sometimes the best information comes from people who have actually been through the situation.

On Kontaktpunkt24 you should be able to share your own experiences – both good and bad.

Perhaps you met a service that really saw you and made a difference. Perhaps you experienced that you were not heard. Perhaps you found a solution that made everyday life easier, or perhaps you are still in a situation where you do not know what to do next.

Through Share your experience, people should be able to tell about their experiences, also anonymously.

The experiences are published under Shared experiences, so that others can recognise themselves, learn from what has happened and perhaps find a way forward.

At the same time, there should be a clear difference between a personal experience and a documented fact. That one person has experienced something does not necessarily mean it applies to everyone. That is why we want to treat experiences with respect, and at the same time be clear about what is experience, what is documented information and what are different views on a matter.

A channel for questions and civic engagement

Through Politician contact you can send a question you want answered by a politician, a party or an elected body. We select questions we can take forward, send them to the right place, and publish questions and answers openly and anonymously – without naming who asked. The answer is reproduced as it was actually given.

A question from a single person can be relevant to many others. In that way, a single enquiry can become the start of something that helps many people.

Kontaktpunkt24 is not meant to be tied to any one party or to tell people how to vote. The aim is to make room for questions, information and dialogue.

A place where people can meet

Information is important, but sometimes people also need other people.

Under each shared experience, registered users can comment, ask questions, give input and show support for one another.

There should be room for disagreement, but not for hate or personal attacks. We want a place where people can be frustrated, disagree or be angry without losing respect for other people.

We are also planning a podcast where experiences, professional knowledge and different perspectives can have more room than is possible in an ordinary article.

When there are enough active users who want it, we will also start a newsletter that gathers important news, new resources and articles in one place. It will not come often, only when there is something worth collecting.

What we want to contribute

Kontaktpunkt24 is first and foremost about four things:

Support and community. No one should have to feel that they are completely alone when they meet something difficult.
Knowledge and resources. It should be easier to find information and understand which options you have.
A voice. People should have the opportunity to tell about their experiences and be heard.
Constructive change. When something is not working, we want to shed light on the problem and at the same time look for possible ways forward.

We do not only want to point at what is wrong. We also want to find what can make things better.

Our values

Kontaktpunkt24 is meant to be warm, inclusive and solution-oriented.

We should be able to talk about discrimination, system failures and unfair treatment regardless of who is affected. At the same time, we should be careful not to draw conclusions about people or systems without a basis.

We should distinguish between personal experiences, documented facts and different perspectives.

We should be able to be critical without being destructive.

We should be able to be frustrated without losing respect for others.

And we should lift people up – not set groups against each other.

Above all, we want to see the person first.

This is Kontaktpunkt24

Kontaktpunkt24 is not just a website.

It is an attempt to create a place where knowledge, experiences, support and people can meet.

Change does not always have to begin with something big. Sometimes it begins with one person saying:

"This happened to me."

Then another says:

"The same thing happened to me."

And perhaps a third comes forward:

"I know where you can start."

If Kontaktpunkt24 can make that path a little shorter for some people, the platform has already achieved something important.

Kontaktpunkt24 – you should not have to stand alone.

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.