Assessed the well-being of children in Hafnarfjörður

Services for children when they need them!

Contacts for the success of play, primary, and secondary schools, along with health centres in Hafnarfjörður, have met in two status meetings to coordinate the information gathering for the Success Act and the procedures of Brúin at Hafnarfjörður Municipality. The meetings were held under the banner of mutual information gathering.

Eiríkur K. Þorvaldsson, Head of Family and School Services, and Erla Björg Rúnarsdóttir, Project Manager for the Implementation and Integration of Children's Well-being, led the meetings, which are part of the implementation of the Act on Integrated Services for the Well-being of Children. They came into force in 2021. The Act ensures that children and their families do not fall through the cracks or get sent between service providers and government agencies on their own responsibility.

Roles and procedures clarified

The meetings reviewed the role of the liaisons in accordance with the Act and the procedures of Brúin, but the City of Hafnarfjörður has been integrating services within its Education and Public Health Department and Family and Child Affairs Department since the Brúin's procedures were implemented in 2018. The central theme of the Bridge is the welfare and quality of life of children and their families. The municipality's main challenge today is to adapt its procedures to the legislation. The meetings were part of working with key stakeholders on this task.

All children have the right to receive the services they need when the need arises. As stated on the website of the Welfare Act, it can be complicated to get appropriate help and to know where to seek it. The Act is intended to ensure that children and parents receive the right support, at the right time, from the right people.

Find out more about the Welfare Act here.