In this project, we explore how children, parents, and foster parents experience their interactions with the Norwegian Child Welfare Services.
On behalf of the Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs (Bufdir), the Work Research Institute (AFI) at OsloMet, in collaboration with Statistics Norway (SSB), is conducting two nationwide user surveys during the period between 2025 and 2029.
The surveys target five groups:
- children receiving support services
- children living in foster care
- children living in residential care
- foster parents
- parents of children receiving child welfare support services
The aim is to gain a better understanding of how people who receive child welfare services experience them.
The surveys are designed to be representative. This means that we invite a large and diverse sample of participants so that the results provide as accurate a picture as possible of the experiences of children, parents and foster parents involved with the Child Welfare Services in Norway. We also use a range of methods to ensure that all groups are well represented.
The survey is completely anonymous. This means that we do not know who has responded, and that responses cannot be traced back to individual participants.
Data are collected through questionnaires in two rounds, in 2026 and 2028/29, using survey solutions specifically adapted for children and young people. The results are analysed both separately for each group and across groups. They are published in reports and short summaries that can be used to support the further development of child welfare services.