„The “Success Bus" visits Hafnarfjörður
The Brúarinnar procedure and its implementation in Hafnarfjörður were, among other things, taken into consideration when drawing up the new Act on the integration of services for the well-being of children, which came into force on 1 January 2022. Through the 'Brúin' (The Bridge) process, the City of Hafnarfjörður has been systematically working towards solutions since 2018. On 7 November, representatives from the Children and Family Agency (BOFS) visited Hafnarfjörður to speak about the priorities of the Well-being Act.
Professionals in child and adolescent well-being meet and celebrate
The Brúarinnar procedure and its implementation in Hafnarfjörður were, among other things, taken into consideration when drawing up the new Act on the integration of services for the well-being of children, which came into force on 1 January 2022. Through the Brúarinnar process, the City of Hafnarfjörður has been systematically working towards solutions since 2018. On 7 November, representatives from the Children and Family Agency (BOFS) visited Hafnarfjörður to speak about the priorities of the Well-being of Children Act, and met around 150 professionals in the education and family sectors at Hásölum, Hafnarfjörður Church.- and children's affairs within the City of Hafnarfjörður and from numerous service providers involved with children and families in the town. BOFS calls these visits to the municipalities the „Well-being Bus“.
It is about the well-being and welfare of future generations.
On behalf of the City of Hafnarfjörður, Fanney Dóróthe Halldórsdóttir, Director of the Education and Public Health Department, who opened the discussion and presentations and spoke, among other things, about the purpose of the work and the importance of the well-being and welfare of future generations, as human values are fundamentally what inspired the idea for and form the basis of the 'Brúin' procedure. Helena Unnarsdóttir, Head of Child Protection, and Eiríkur Þorvarðarson, Head of Family and School Services at Brúin, reviewed the journey in Hafnarfjörður and summarised the strengths and the challenges that the Brúin's methodology and the Welfare Act have presented. Páll Ólafsson, Executive Director of the Well-being Department at the Agency for Children and Families, reviewed the Act on the Coordination of Services for the Well-being of Children and its background, and took questions from the floor. Guðlaug Ósk Gísladóttir, Director of the Family and Child Welfare Directorate, concluded the day, praising the professionals in the room for their hard work and achievements.
A great spirit of enterprise among the people
There is great enthusiasm among the people within the City of Hafnarfjörður who work on the day-to-day well-being of children. A special day of success was held in Hafnarfjörður in the autumn of 2022. to celebrate and summarise the staff's work on implementing the 'Bridge' procedure, which aims to integrate the work of all those involved in working with children and young people. The day marked both a harvest of success and a vision for the future. It was a time to look back on the journey, map the council's position, and read the cards for the future in light of changes and developments in the environment and legislation concerning the integration of services for the well-being of children. Since autumn 2018, staff at Hafnarfjörður municipality have developed and implemented a procedure, Brúna, which aims to strengthen support and services for the town's children and young people and to improve their quality of life and that of their families. A key focus of The Bridge's work this autumn has been to train case managers, advisers and school staff to become champions of well-being. This autumn, 140 people have completed the well-being school run by BOFS.
The Children and Family Agency serves the whole country.
The Children and Family Agency is a government agency under the Ministry of Education and Children's Affairs, operating under the provisions of Act No. 87/2021. The Agency has a broad remit and handles tasks related to services for children under various laws, such as the Child Protection Act and the Act on the Integration of Services for the Well-being of Children. The aim of the Children and Family Agency is to work towards the welfare of children. The main role of the agency is to provide and support services for children and to promote quality improvement in accordance with the best available knowledge and experience at any given time. The Children and Family Agency serves the whole country.