The information meeting held by the local CPS office at Skjervøy in Troms (in the north of Norway) after unrest in the local Romanian community at the treatment of the Bodnariu family's children in Sogn og Fjordane:
Sender barn heim til Romania av fykt for norsk barnevern (Sending children home to Romania out of fear of Norwegian child protection)
Rumenske foreldre i Noreg har sendt barna sine attende til heimlandet, fordi dei fryktar at det norske barnevernet skal ta ungane.(Romanian parents in Norway have sent their children back to their home country, because they are afraid that Norwegian CPS will take the children.)
Bergens Tidende, 10 February 2016
"Bakgrunnen er barnevernssaka i Naustdal, der ein norsk-rumensk familie vart fråtatt alle dei fem barna sine i november. Saka har vekt enorm oppsikt i Romania, og utløyst protestar verda over. Ho har også skapt frykt blant andre rumenarar i Noreg for at dei urettmessig skal bli fråtatt omsorga av barnevernet. På Skjervøy i Nord-Troms skal to par ha sendt barna sine attende til heimlandet av denne grunnen.
- Eg veit om to familiar her som har sendt barna sine heim dei siste par vekene. Dei er redde for barnevernet. Det er trist, og unødvendig. Så lenge dei veit at dei ikkje har gjort noko gale mot ungane sine, har dei heller ingenting å frykte, seier Alexandru Cuc (biletet)."(The background is the CPS case in Naustdal, in which a Norwegian-Romanian family was deprived of their five children in November. The case has caused enormous publicity in Romania, and has triggered protests all over the world. It has also created fear among other Romanians in Norway that they will unjustifiedly be deprived of the care by the CPS. At Skjervøy in North Troms, two couples have reportedly sent their children back home for this reason.
– I know of two families here who have sent their children home the last couple of weeks. They are scared of Barnevernet. That is sad, and unnecessary. As long as they know that they have not done anything wrong to their children, they have nothing to fear, says Alexandru Cuc (picture).)
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Interview with the local Romanian resident Alexandru Cuc at Skjervøy:
- Flere har sendt barna sine til Romania (Several have sent their children to Romania)
Rumeneren Alexandru Cuc på Skjervøy sier rumenske familier i kommunen frykter barnevernet. (Romanian Alexandru Cuc on Skjervøy says Romanian families in the municipality fear Barnevernet.)
Framtid i Nord, 10 February 2016
What Cuc says:
"- Jeg vet om to familier her som har sendt barna sine hjem de siste par ukene. De er redde for barnevernet. Det er trist, og unødvendig. Så lenge de vet at de ikke har gjort noe galt mot ungene sine, har de ingenting å frykte, sier Cuc."(– I know of two families here who have sent their children home the last couple of weeks. They are scared of Barnevernet. That is sad, and unnecessary. As long as they know that they have not done anything wrong to their children, they have nothing to fear, says Alexandru Cuc.)
"- Det handler om frykt og om feilinformasjon. Eller mangel på rett informasjon. Mange rumenske familier kjenner ikke til lover og regler i Norge og da har de en ubegrunnet frykt for at barnevernet skal komme, sier Cuc.
…. Det handler om panikk og frykt, sier Cuc."(– It is about fear and incorrect information. Or the lack of correct information. Many Romanian families do not know laws and rules in Norway and then they are afraid with no reason, afraid that Barnevernet will come, says Cuc.
…. It is about panic and fear, says Cuc.)
What the CPS people at Skjervøy say:
"Barnevernstjenesten tok selv initiativ til to informasjonsmøter med den rumenske befolkningen i Skjervøy onsdag.
Årsaken er ifølge Mette Øyen Bless, leder av barnevernstjenesten i Skjervøy kommune, at mange rumenere er redde for barnevernet."(Barnevernet themselves took an initiative to two informational meetings with the Romanian population in Skjervøy on Wednesday.
The reason is, according to Mette Øyen Bless, the leader of the CPS in Skjervøy municipality, that many Romanians are afraid of the CPS.)
"- Det er ikke ønskelig at folk flytter fra Skjervøy fordi de er redde for barnevernet, sier Mette Øyen Bless."(– It is not desirable that people move from Skjervøy because they are afraid of Barnevernet, says Mette Øyen Bless.)
"Therese Johnsen Høyer, barnevernskonsulent i Skjervøy kommune, sier at det verserer "skrekkhistorier" i både rumenske medier og i rumenske miljøer på Facebook."(Therese Johnsen Høyer, CPS consultant in Skjervøy municipality, says there are "horror stories" going around, both in Romanian media and in Romanian groups on Facebook.)
"Det ene infomøtet var på formiddagen, onsdag. Der var det ifølge barnevernskonsulenten en rekke spørsmål fra rumenerne.
- Det var mange spørsmål, ja. Vi hadde en tolk med oss og rumenerne lurte blant annet på hva vi legger i begrep som "alvorlig omsorgssvikt" og "adferdsvansker". Det var en god del ord og begreper vi forklarte, sier Høyer."(The one information meeting was in the morning on Wednesday. At that meeting there were a number of questions from the Romanians, according to the CPS consultant.
– Yes, there were many questions. We had an interpreter with us and the Romanians wondered e.g what we understand by concepts like "serious failure to care" and "behavioral difficulties". There were many words and concepts which we explained, Høyer says.)
"Bergens Tidende skriver blant annet at det norske barnevernet trekkes fram som et skrekkeksempel i utlandet - blant annet i forbindelse med at foreldre fratas omsorgen for barna.
- Det som beskrives der er fremgangsmåter som barnevernstjenesten ikke er bekjent av. Det er ikke sånn vi jobber, understreker Høyer og Bless."(Bergens Tidende writes e.g that the Norwegian CPS is taken as a horror example abroad – among other things in connection with parents being deprived of the care for the children.
What is described there are methods which the CPS do not acknowledge. That is not how we work, Høyer and Bless emphasise.)
Really not the way they work? If so, they are pretty unique in Norway and must be hated by all their colleagues and the authorities.
There are some good readers' comments under the article!Including one from Knut-Helge Jacobsen, who says (my translation)
"All, both permanent residents and people of foreign origin, ought to fear the CPS with good reason. I support their decision to sende their children home promptly, but they should do it WITHOUT telling anybody and especially not employees of the municipality, just do it, before it is too late. The CPS can take the action of making an "acute decision" if they get to know that anyone wants to send the children out of the country. - Do not trust the municipality and especially not the CPS !"*
My comment article in Norwegian here:
Når barnevernet hevder: "Det er ikke slik vi jobber" (When the CPS claims: "This is not how we work")