– Let those who apply for emergency aid not have to sit for questioning at the Nav office. It is a very difficult situation when you are struggling with anxiety. It hurts so much. This is what disabled Knut Ragnar Hegseth Bakke said to Labor and Inclusion Minister Marte Mjøs Persen (Ap) when they met in the Debate, earlier this autumn. With only NOK 10 in his account, he stopped applying for social benefits because it was perceived as burdensome. – I am working to ensure that everyone has a good experience when they meet Nav, the minister then replied. ASK FOR HELP: Labor and Inclusion Minister Marte Mjøs Persen (Ap) encourages everyone who is struggling to ask for help from Nav. Photo: Mathias Moene Rød / Mathias Moene Rød New supervisor will provide more individual treatment Today, the Minister for Employment and Inclusion presented a new supervisor to the Nav offices. Now the employees must exercise discretion. – The main message is that those who work at NAV can go into every single case and assist, says the minister to news Knut Ragnar Hegseth Bakke, calling the new supervisor a light in the tunnel for all those struggling with the economy. – I hope it will be as they wish, that it will be easier for people to get help quickly. Knut Ragnar Hegseth Bakke calls the new supervisor a light in the tunnel for all those struggling with the economy. Photo: Håkon Benjaminsen / news But he himself is not ready to make contact with Nav: – I still have doubts about applying, due to the experience I have. The experience of how horrible it was is still fresh in the memory. Maybe I’ll apply in six, seven months when it’s settled, he says. The Nav director: – Sorry – I hear stories about people who feel that they have not been looked after well enough by Nav – I apologize for that, says Nav director Hans Christian Holte. He makes a clear appeal to those who are struggling financially: – On behalf of the whole of Nav, I really want to ask people to give Nav the chance to help them. I know there are many Nav managers who are concerned with meeting people in a good way. They are passionate about their work and really want to help people who are in a difficult situation. WANT TO HELP: Nav director Hans Christian Holte is clear that they want to help everyone who needs it. Photo: Leif Rune Løland / news Unsettled by discrimination The new supervisor will provide the NAV offices with an updated aid to exercise discretion and make concrete and individual assessments. But individual treatment is not necessarily exclusively positive, believes Hegseth Bakke. – Case managers are also people. And it is us as users who are affected by their discretion. So it will be very individual and up to each case office how it is handled, he says. The minister does not share the uneasiness, but points to the need for individual treatment: – I am concerned that the right to individual treatment should be given. The situations are different, some have children, some need short-term help, others for a longer period. The help from Nav must cover the actual needs people have, so it is important that you give individual help, says Marte Mjøs Persen. Nor is the Nav director worried about discrimination: – The many good Nav supervisors who work outside the system have training in making good assessments. It’s about seeing the people who need help. The equal treatment lies in everyone getting the best social assistance possible, but we can’t push everyone into the same square, says Holte. And if the need is short-lived, there shall be fewer requirements for mapping and documentation. The guide states that if the inquiry concerns an emergency situation, the application must be assessed quickly – preferably on the same day. – These are the cases where a person does not have what is absolutely necessary, for example food or accommodation, and also does not have the opportunity to obtain this on their own, explains the head of Nav, and points out: – Why the situation has arisen is not relevant in our assessment. Increase in the number of applications for social assistance The past year has been difficult financially for many, and more are asking for help. New figures from NAV show an increase of 18 per cent in the number of applications for financial social assistance from October last year to October this year. And the share of persistently low incomes, colloquially known as poverty, is greatest among young adults aged 18–34. Almost one in seven in this age group is in the low-income group. – What is the government doing to get the young people out of poverty? – The most important thing is to get them to work. The government has therefore included a youth guarantee in the state budget for next year. It will give more people the opportunity to take the necessary education or work experience. The Minister encourages everyone who is struggling financially to contact NAV: – I hope everyone who needs assistance will contact NAV. There are many skilled supervisors who will provide the right help based on what you are entitled to. They can guide you financially, provide debt advice and a range of other services.
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Nav will now make fewer demands – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
