Myths and anecdotes, or facts? Children receiving care from child welfare services and from mental health services for children and adolescents
Summary of Report of the Norwegian Board of Health Supervision 5/2012
Do children who are receiving care from child welfare services have poorer access to mental health services than other children and adolescents? In this report, the Norwegian Board of Health Supervision aims to summarize available knowledge from statistics, research, reports and experience from supervision in order to identify whether these children receive the mental health services that they need and have the right to receive. Are they denied these services more than other children and adolescents? Are the services they receive inadequate?
During the last few years, the number of children receiving care from child welfare services and from mental health services has increased. Statistics from the mental health services indicate that the proportion of children who were also receiving care from child welfare services has been stable at around 17 per cent during the period 2002–2010.
This report gives examples of children, adolescents or their families who have been denied child welfare services, mental health services, or both.
We have identified large gaps in knowledge about this area. Based on the available knowledge that we have summarized, we cannot conclude that children and adolescents receiving care from child welfare services have poorer access to mental health services than other children and adolescents.
Report from the Norwegian Board of Health Supervision 5/2012 (pdf in Norwegian)