New office will return children to the family’s country and courts
Starting in July, Norway will change its procedures with its Child Welfare Service of Norway (Barnevernet).
The country will create a new office that will contact the Czech Republic and keep Czech families informed from the beginning when Czech parents or children are concerned.
In the case of the removal of children from Czech parents in Norway, the children will be sent to the Czech Republic and not kept in Norway, as has been done with previous cases.
Norway will also leave the resolution of suspected cases of neglect or abuse up to the courts of the country from where the family originates.
The changes, however, will not be retroactive and will not apply to the Eva Michaláková case, which involves two children of a Czech mother put into foster care in Norway in 2011.
There are other current cases involving Czech children as well.
The Barnevernet has come under international scrutiny for taking children from families without transparent reasons or procedures.