National child welfare – StatRes (discontinued), 2010

More children in foster homes and fewer in children’s institutions

At the end of 2010, approximately 5 700 children were registered in the national Child Welfare Service. Since 2009, this figure has increased by more than 7 per cent. On average there are 4.6 children per thousand (age 0-19) registered in the Child Welfare Service in 2010; a climb of 15 per cent since 2006. Of the 5 700 children registered in the national Child Welfare Service, 59 per cent stayed in foster homes, 23 per cent stayed in children’s institutions and 19 per cent received assistance while living at home. The number of children in the national supported foster homes increased by 16 per cent from 2009 to 2010. In a longer time perspective, this increase is even bigger; from 2006 to 2010 the number of children in national supported foster homes increased by almost 51 per cent, from nearly 2 200 to 3 300 children. During the same period, the number of children in children’s institutions decreased by 16 per cent, and totalled 1 300 children in 2010.

More than one million treatment days in Child Welfare Service

The total number of treatment days in the national Child Welfare Service was approximately 1.1 million, and this has only changed marginally since 2009. In 2010, the foster homes and children’s institutions together had approximately 900 000 treatment days, while children receiving assistance while living at home had 190 000 treatment days. The latter has seen a marked increase of 21 per cent since 2009.

Expensive bed-day prices in child welfare institutions

The total expenditure for the national Child Welfare Service was almost NOK 5.6 billion in 2010; a rise of more than 3 per cent from the year before. Prices per bed-day in foster homes have climbed 7 per cent from 2009 to 2010. One bed-day in foster homes cost NOK 2 700 in 2010. This is less than half of what a bed-day costs in child welfare institutions, where the price was almost NOK 7 000.

One third of the national Child Welfare Service is not public

In 2010, approximately NOK 1.8 billon was spent on buying child welfare services from the private sector. This is about one third of the total budget for the national Child Welfare Service, and this share has been quite stable for the last 5 years.

Almost NOK 3 billion in wages

In total, there were 4 400 contracted man-year in the national Child Welfare Service in 2010. The total expenditure on salaries in 2010 was a bit more than NOK 2.8 billion; an increase of approximately 6 per cent since 2009.