Personnel in the municipal child welfare service, 2001

The number of staff relative to the number of children under 18 has grown from 2.4 to 2.5 man-years per 1 000 children last year. A key trend is that more and more of those employed have professional training.

It is the number of residential child care workers in the municipal child welfare service that is increasing the most, by a total of 88 man-years last year. This represents an increase of 8.6 per cent over the year before.

More have professional training

The number of social workers and residential child care workers has increased every year since 1995. Of these two occupational groups, it is residential child care workers that have seen the greatest increase, and they now form the largest professional group in child welfare service. From 1995 until today the number of residential child care workers has increased by 338 man-years. In the same period the number of social workers has increased by 99 man-years. The group of employees with other college/university education has declined since 1995 despite of an increase of 15 man-years last year.

Residential child care workers and social workers now comprise 41 and 36 per cent, respectively, of all employees in the municipal child welfare service, and 87 per cent of all employees of the municipal child welfare service now have educations at the college level. The number of unskilled workers in the municipal child welfare service has been reduced by 45 man-years since 1995, to 97 man-years in 2001. The decline last year was 4.2 man-years.

Still big differences among counties

The number of employees of child welfare services relative to the number of children under the age 18 years shows a national average of 2.5 man-years per 1 000 children, compared with 2.4 in 2000. The best staffing is found in Oslo, with 3.7 man-years per 1 000 children under aged 18. In second and third place are Vest-Agder and Østfold, with 3.3 and 3.2 employees, respectively, for the same corresponding population. Sogn og Fjordane, Møre og Romsdal and Nord-Trøndelag, all three with 1.8 per 1 000 children, had the lowest staffing. Oppland also had few employees in the child welfare service relative to the number of children.

Fewer vacancies

At the end of 2001 107 positions remained unfilled in the municipal child welfare service. The number of vacancies has increased each year from 1997 but reached a peak in 2000. Last year there was a decline of 22 man-years. At the end of 2001 about 4 per cent of all budgeted positions in child welfare service were vacant.

Tables:

• Table 1 Man-year in the child welfare service per 31 December, by county. 1995-2001
• Table 2 Man-year in the child welfare service per 31 December, by municipality. 2001
• Table 3 Organization of the child welfare service, by county and size of municipality. 2001