Some people find that they are not taken seriously or are not believed when they ask for help following violence or abuse. Some people find they are passed from one organisation to another without anyone actually taking responsibility for helping them. Others say they have received some help, but not nearly enough, or that it ends prematurely.
You have the right to complain if your rights have not been upheld, or if you have not received the treatment, offer or service you are entitled to as a user of the social, health and care services.
Some of the links to resources (web pages) below are only available in Norwegian or English.
A complaint is based on what you are entitled to. It is therefore a good idea to familiarise yourself with your rights. The County Governor is the ultimate complaints body for most services aimed at victims of violence and abuse.
You can get help to write the complaint.
On the Websites for patient and user rights and appeal/complaints page (only in norwegian), there are links to information about your rights as a user of social, health and care services in Norway. You will also find links to a number of government agencies and NGOs that can provide advice and guidance.
How do I complain?
In most cases, complaints must be submitted in writing. In the first instance, the complaint should be sent to the organisation you wish to complain about. The organisation you wish to complain about will then have the opportunity to rectify what has happened.
There are often formal requirements regarding the information that a complaint must contain. You can for example read about these requirements on the Norwegian Board of Health Supervision’s website (only in norwegian) and on helsenorge.no. In some cases, information can be found on the individual municipality’s website.
You can get help to write the complaint
You can ask for help to complain if you find it difficult to write the complaint yourself, or if you are not sure how to express yourself. The body you wish to complain about must help you formulate the complaint if you ask them to. The County Governor can also help you write your complaint.
The Patient and User Ombud can help you as a patient or next of kin if you need help to complain. There is a Patient and User Ombud in every county.
Read more about the Patient and User Ombud (only in norwegian).
Complaining about the Child Welfare Service
Complaints can be directed at the municipal child welfare service or a child welfare institution.
You can appeal against a decision by the Child Welfare Service to reject an application for support measures in full or in part, or when a decision concerning support measures ceases. You can also complain about the content and scope of measures, or the way in which your case has been handled. The complaint must normally be submitted in writing.
In the first instance, you should send your complaint to the Child Welfare Service concerned.
Read about complaints and reversals of decisions by the Child Welfare Service on the Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs’ website (only in norwegian).
If the Child Welfare Service disagrees with you, it must quickly forward the matter to the County Governor, who is the ultimate appeal body.
On the Norwegian Board of Health Supervision’s page “Children and young people’s right to file a complaint about Child Welfare Services” (only in norwegian), you will find additional information about your rights and your entitlement to complain about the Child Welfare Service.
If you are living at an institution and the institution makes decisions which limit your rights or uses coercion, you can complain to the County Governor.
Complaining about social services from NAV
The Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV) comprises both municipal and central government services which are intended to ensure the provision of a coordinated range of services. As a general rule, it is the NAV office in the municipality in which you are staying which is responsible for the services.
You can appeal a decision if you have an application for social services rejected either in full or in part. You can also appeal against the way in which the NAV office processed the application. The complaint must normally be submitted in writing.
In the first instance, the complaint must be sent to the NAV office concerned.
You can find more information about your rights and your entitlement to complain on The Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administrations (NAV) webpage.
If the NAV office disagrees with you, it must quickly forward the matter to the County Governor, who is the ultimate appeal body.
Complaints about the health and care services
You can complain about health and care services which are provided by the municipalities, the national specialist health service (hospitals), the county council dental health service or private health services.
As a patient or user, you have the right to complain if you believe that you have not received the health and care services you are entitled to. The same applies if your rights are not upheld when you receive the services.
A complaint is based on what you are entitled to. It is therefore a good idea to familiarise yourself with your rights.
Examples of rights include the right to be reimbursed for your travel expenses and to receive a copy of your own medical records. The complaint must normally be submitted in writing.
In the first instance, the complaint must be sent to the treatment provider you are complaining about. This could be your municipality, a hospital, general practitioner or similar.
If the treatment provider disagrees with you, it must quickly forward the complaint to the County Governor, who is the ultimate appeal body.
Read more about “How to complain about health and care services” on the County Governors web page (only in norwegian).
Complaints about the family counselling service
You can make a complaint to the family counselling office if you believe that you have not received the help you need or if you are dissatisfied with the services you have received. You can also complain to the Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs’ regional office in your region. The complaint does not need to be in writing.
See an overview of the Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs’ regional offices (only in norwegian).
If the family counselling office or regional office disagrees with you, it must quickly forward the matter to the County Governor, who is the ultimate appeal body.
Complaints about crisis shelters
You can complain if you have not received the help you need or if are unhappy about the service you have received.
In the first instance, you must address the complaint to the crisis shelter concerned. You can also complain to the municipality that is responsible for the crisis shelter. The complaint does not need to be in writing.
If the crisis shelter or municipality disagrees with you, it must quickly forward the matter to the County Governor, who is the ultimate appeal body.
Complaints about Nok. and Smiso centres
The Nok.- and Smiso centres are independent services which receive funding from the Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs. As an independent service, the centres do not have a public appeals body.
However, the centres must operate in accordance with the regulations for the funding scheme (Bufdir, Circular 10/2024) (only in norwegian). Amongst other things, the regulations state that all centres must have ethical guidelines for their activities and employees.
Nok. Norway also has its own ethical poster (only in norwegian) which is binding for all nok. centres. This requires the centres to have written guidelines concerning the right of appeal, to inform users about their right to appeal, and to take complaints seriously.
Complaints about the police
If you think the police have made an error, you can complain to the police. You can for example complain if you believe that the police have confiscated your phone without being entitled to it. You can also complain about an investigation that has been conducted or you can report a particular police officer.
Who you need to submit your complaint to will depend on what the complaint concerns. If the police have made a mistake without breaking the law, the complaint must be sent to the police district concerned. If an employee of the police or prosecuting authority has broken the law, the matter must be reported to the Norwegian Bureau for the Investigation of Police Affairs (Spesialenheten for politisaker). The staff at the police station will help you to send the complaint to the right place.
See an overview of contact details for the police districts (only in norwegian).
Read about how to complain to the Norwegian Bureau for the Investigation of Police Affairs.
If you believe that the police have made a mistake in an investigation into a criminal offence, you should complain to the prosecuting authority. In most cases, this will be the public prosecutor.
You will find an overview of the public prosecutor’s offices here (only in norwegian).
Read more about your right to complain at politiet.no.
This article was written by dinutvei.no and quality-assured by the Norwegian Board of Health Supervision, the police, the Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs and Nok. Norway.