The case in summary: A psychologist lost his authorization after sexual abuse of dogs, but still managed to get a job in Nav The man was arrested at work at St. Olav’s hospital in Trondheim in June 2020, and admitted to three sexual abuses of dogs during police questioning The psychologist was employed by Nav in 2022, even though he did not have the right to practice the profession Nav has now taken measures to ensure that something similar cannot happen again The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. In 2022, the man in his 50s was employed as a neuropsychologist in Nav, without being allowed to practice the profession. – We expect employers to check that the health personnel they employ have valid authorisation, says director of the Norwegian Health Authority, Sjur Lehmann to Nidaros and news. According to the director, the inspectorate has not previously experienced that separated psychologists have managed to get a new job after being stripped of their authorisation. Director Sjur Lehmann takes the matter of the psychologist seriously. Photo: Morten Andersen / news – We are not aware of other cases like this, says Lehmann. With access to final agreements, service certificates, employment process as well as the psychologist’s references and two police investigations, Nidaros and news can tell how the psychologist got it. Subsequently, Nav has taken measures to ensure that this cannot happen again. Arrested at work In June 2020, the psychologist was arrested by the police at work at St. Olav’s hospital in Trondheim. Several colleagues saw the man being picked up by investigators. Psychologists being arrested at work is not an everyday occurrence at the hospital. The then managing director Grethe Aasved was informed. There were also employees at the department. – It was necessary, both for operational reasons and for employees to have observed the arrest, says communications director Marit Kvikne at St. Olav’s hospital. St. Olav’s hospital closed the man’s access and notified the Norwegian Health Authority. A few hours after the arrest, the psychologist acknowledged three sexual assaults against dogs in police questioning and cooperated with the further police investigation. Lawyer Marit Lomundal Sæther photographed in connection with another case in mid-September. Photo: Oliver Ivanowitz / news His long-time lawyer Marit Lomundal Sæther has not answered Nidaros’ and news’s questions about the animal abuse. Was fined and separated The man in his 50s never returned to work at St. Olav’s hospital after his arrest. The case led to the Norwegian Health Authority suspending his authorisation. The sexual abuse of dogs was punished in December 2020 with a fine of NOK 20,000. The Norwegian Health Authority followed up by depriving the man of his authorisation. The psychologist complained about the decision from March 2021, which stated: Before the Norwegian Health Authority had made the decision, the man had already looked for a new psychologist job at Nav in Oslo. Got a new certificate of service Before the police investigation ended, the psychologist and his lawyer discussed a final agreement with St. Olav’s hospital. The agreement was “as an alternative to dismissal or dismissal” and was signed on 3 November 2020. The day after the agreement was signed, i.e. 4 November, a new service certificate was made for the psychologist. There was nothing to the effect that he had quit. The document states that the man in his 50s was employed as a full-time psychologist specialist “to date”. The practice at the hospital in Trondheim is that certificates of service are ordered either by the employee themselves via a manager or HR consultant. It is not possible today to find out who got it made, says communications director Marit Kvikne. – It is not logged in the personnel system who orders a certificate of service, and in this particular case it is therefore difficult to trace this several years later. Marit Kvikne is director of communications at St. Olav’s hospital. The psychologist, via lawyer Marit Lomundal Sæther, has not answered whether it was he who obtained a new service certificate from the day after he quit or why it was necessary. A position that “hit” “I have reached a point in my career where I am particularly concerned with service development and work at system level, so this advertisement and the position “hit”, wrote the psychologist in the job application to Nav. The psychologist attached the service certificate from 4 November 2020. In the application from the beginning of 2021, the psychologist does not mention that he is without authorization after a fine for sexual abuse of dogs. He also sent Nav a CV in which there was no end date for the employment relationship in Trondheim. The man stated that he had three months’ notice from his job. “I feel that the position of neuropsychologist at Nav is a good ‘fit’ for me at this stage of my career,” wrote the psychologist in the application. Two interviews without authorization The psychologist was summoned for an interview in Oslo in March 2021. Neither here nor in a second interview did the man say anything about his lack of authorization. The psychologist worked at Nav’s aid center. Acting managing director Grethe Fleischer has not had the opportunity to be photographed in this case. Photo: Morten Andersen / news Nav’s internal review of the application and the psychologist’s CV shows that the agency’s recruitment officer did not perceive that there were any problems related to the psychologist’s suitability. In the application for employment, Nav wrote: According to Grete Fleischer, who is acting department director at Nav, the psychologist also had “good references” from his job in Trondheim. With good references When the psychologist was arrested at work in the summer of 2020, the hospital chose to inform colleagues: – This was at a time before the Norwegian Health Authority suspended the authorisation. The employees were not informed of the reason for the arrest, says communications director Marit Kvikne at St. Olav’s hospital. According to the application process at Nav, references stated that they knew him from St. Olav’s hospital. Both told Nav that they would hire him again. The children’s and youth clinic in Trondheim, where the psychologist worked for several years until he was arrested. Photo: Morten Andersen / news After initially refusing to state who was listed as the psychologist’s references, Nav released this information following a complaint from Nidaros and news. Both references have been contacted in connection with this matter. They do not want to be interviewed. None of them were aware of the criminal case against the psychologist or that he had lost his authorisation. One reference stated to Nav that the psychologist still worked at St. Olav’s hospital. And after two rounds of interviews and a reference check, the psychologist was employed by Nav. When the man started in the position in January 2022, he had been without a valid authorization for a year and a half. When asked why it was not checked whether the psychologist had the authorization or why it was not done, Nav replies: – We had no reason to suspect that the authorization was not valid when we employed him. We have subsequently tightened our routines, says Grethe Fleischer in Nav. Laying low for the police In May 2022, the psychologist’s complaint about the loss of authorization was processed. The complaint was rejected and the case was described as serious. The Norwegian Health Personnel Board in Bergen is the complaints body for psychologists. Photo: Matilde Sunde Solsvik / news The psychologist’s lawyer Marit Lomundal Sæther has not answered questions about why the man applied for a job at Nav, but writes in an e-mail that they disagreed with the tribunal’s decision: – We agree with the tribunal’s minority who came to that the relationship was not serious enough to meet the condition of behavior incompatible with the professional practice as a psychologist. The minority pointed out that the matter has been settled in criminal law with a summons and legally cannot be considered a serious breach of the Animal Welfare Act, which was in line with our submissions. Nav’s aid center is located at Alnabru in Oslo. Photo: Morten Andersen / news Shortly afterwards, Nav also found out that the psychologist they had employed was without authorization. – It was discovered in connection with Nav following him up. At the time, he still had a probationary period in the job and was undergoing training, says Grethe Fleischer, who is acting department director at Nav. Left for the day When Nav confronted him, the man resigned from his position for the day. And when Nav informed the Norwegian Health Inspectorate that the psychologist had lied to them, the inspectorate went to the police: Nidaros and news have been given access to the Oslo police’s investigation of the psychologist from 2023. The man laid flat and said he had no excuses for taking the NAV job without authorization: “The suspect was very nervous and knew what he was doing was not right.” He explained that he thought he would win the appeal and get his authorization back. “The suspect was put in a dilemma and explained that he made the wrong choice,” the interview says. The man in his 50s pleaded guilty in February 2023 to defrauding Nav. He accepted a fine of NOK 15,000. Changing routines When Nidaros and news made contact this spring, Nav did not know that the psychologist also did not have authorization when he applied for the job at the beginning of 2021. – We were not aware that his authorization had been suspended until he lost it. He attached his specialist approval when he applied for the job, says acting department director Grete Fleischer in Nav. The psychologist received his specialist approval approximately two months before he was arrested by the police. She says that the matter became the topic of a management meeting in May 2022. There it was decided that “during recruitment, it will routinely be checked that valid authorization exists”. In addition, an annual check of authorization has been introduced. – Last week we decided to have an annual review, and that the routines should be updated, Fleischer told Nidaros and news in August 2024. The hospital St. Olav’s hospital is located in Trondheim. Photo: Morten Andersen / news St. Olav’s hospital has not wanted to comment on the psychologist’s new position. – The manager at the time was not aware that a former employee had applied for a position with Nav. St. Olav has no comment on the person in question applying, says communications director Marit Kvikne. Got a job again On Saturday 21 September, Nidaros and news revealed that the man in his 50s in 2024 has been employed as a child psychologist at a clinic in the US capital Washington DC. Here is the man in his 50s outside the clinic in June 2024. Photo: Morten Andersen The psychologist resigned immediately when the management at the clinic confronted him after receiving questions from Nidaros and news. In a statement, the clinic wrote that it has been completely unaware of the two criminal cases in Norway and that the psychologist has been without authorization here for years. Published 04.10.2024, at 06.19 Updated 04.10.2024, at 08.09
ttn-69
Nav changes routines after hiring a psychologist without authorization – news Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio
