Support person and friendly family for children in care

If you have your heart in the right place and want to make a difference for children and young people who are either in foster care or living in a Children's and Youth Home, you or your family can become involved in the scheme.

What is a volunteer support person or friendly family?

Individuals or families who want to make a difference for a child or young person in care can become a volunteer support person or a friendly family.

When you register as a support person or friendly family, you and your family have the opportunity to help create security, stability and positive experiences for a child or young person.

What is the difference between a support person and a friendly family?

If you are a volunteer support person, you are registered in the scheme as an individual and do not need to involve your family in the interaction with the child or young person. The child or young person will be placed in a foster family or in a Children and Youth Home.

Voluntary foster families are entire families who are registered with the scheme and who have the child or young person with them in their private home. The child or young person will be placed in a Children's and Youth Home.

What does it take for me to become a support person or a friendly family?

If you find that you have enough energy in your everyday life to include a child or young person in part of your daily life, the scheme is for you.

Your most important task is to invite the child or young person in as part of your everyday life.

Examples of activities with the child/young person could be:

• Help with homework one afternoon
• Spending a day together doing ordinary everyday activities like shopping and frying meatballs
• Friday fun with a movie on the couch
• Participating in small projects around the home or garden
• Shared hobbies 

Together with the child's counselor, you agree on how much and how often you will meet with the child/young person. The contact can be both physical and by telephone/video call.

There is no requirement for how much time you spend together. However, it is expected that you meet at least once a month, but preferably more.  

As a support person and/or friendly family, you are subject to the rules on notification and confidentiality. Criminal and Child Certificates will be obtained for everyone over the age of 18 in the household to ensure the safety of the child or young person.

As a municipality, we do not follow up on your agreements with the child or young person, and you should not participate in meetings or anything else related to the child/young person.

The task is voluntary and you do not receive a salary.

How do I get matched with a child or young person?

After you register for the scheme, you will be invited by phone for an interview where we will assess whether a match is possible. You will also have the opportunity to express your wishes for a match that suits you and your family's interests.

We also make a home visit to you in connection with a match.

If there is no match with a child or young person immediately

If there is not a match immediately, you will be listed in our file.

We store your contact information as well as a short description about you and possibly your family for use in matching a child or young person to you as a support person or to your family as a friendly family.

You can stop volunteering at any time and ask to be deleted from the file.

Can I become a support person for the parent of the child in foster care?

If you are passionate about making a difference, you can also become a support person for a parent whose child is in care.

It is your job to listen and be there for the parent who has had a child placed, and to talk about the difficult things and feelings that come with it. You can also help with clarifying questions and in meetings with the municipality. This can include preparing and evaluating meetings, reading and understanding written material and decisions about the placement itself and contact. It is not your job to ensure that the child is returned to their home, but you can talk about the reason for the placement.

Your role is crucial in strengthening the collaboration between the parents, the municipality and the placement, which can improve the relationship and contact between parents and child.

Apply to become a support person for a parent of a child in foster care here.

After you register, we will invite you for an interview, after which we will obtain a criminal record check and create a brief description of you for our file.

As a support person, the parent can get help from you for 2 hours per month per placed child. You have a duty of confidentiality and a strict duty to notify.

There are no special professional requirements for you, and you will be paid 185 kroner per hour.