Personnel in the municipal child welfare service, 2009

In relation to the population below 18 years, the number of man-years increased from 3.0 per 1 000 children in 2008 to 3.1 in 2009.

Large differences among the counties

The three northernmost counties and Oslo have most employees in relation to population, with between 3.7 and 4.0 employees per 1 000 children. Lowest staffing in 2009 was in Akershus, Aust-Agder, Sogn og Fjordane, by 2.6 employees per 1 000 children.

Hedmark has the largest growth in the number of employees by 11 per cent, followed by Hordaland and Nord-Trøndelag with 9 per cent growth. Telemark, Sør-Trøndelag and Troms had a negative trend in the number of employees in 2009.

Increasing number of child care workers and social workers

The majority of employees in the municipal child welfare service are either child care workers or social workers. In 2009, these occupational groups made up 46 and 33 per cent of all employees respectively.These two groups also had the strongest growth during 2009; with a 6 per cent increase in social workers and 5 per cent more child care workers. The number of employees with other higher education increased by 2 per cent. The number of office workers is unchanged from 2008 to 2009, while the number of unskilled workers declined by 25 per cent.

A growing number of vacant positions

At the end of 2009, the number of vacant positions - measured in man-years - was 134, compared to 127 the year before. Not since 1993 have so many positions been vacant in the child welfare service.

Tables:

• Table 1 Man-years in the child welfare service per 31 December, by county. 1993-2009
• Table 2 Man-years in the child welfare service per 31 December, by municipality. 2009