– I choose to call this a reverse Nav scandal, where the municipality has taken in illegal money, and now has to pay back with interest and compound interest. That’s what Håvard Ravn Ottesen says, board member of the Handicapped Children’s Parent Association (HBF). For the past year, he has been fighting to get Steinkjer municipality to stop charging fees for supervision before and after school for pupils with special needs in secondary and upper secondary schools. The supervision scheme can be compared to after-school care, and is an offer for pupils with such great challenges that they cannot be alone at home. The purpose is to make it possible for the parents to be able to work. In Steinkjer, they have demanded out-of-pocket payment for supervision, but such a service must be free, Ottesen points out. – The municipality believed that this was personal assistance, and that it was therefore authorized to charge. We corrected them to say that this is relief so that parents can be at work. Relief must be free of charge. Dot. Håvard Ravn Ottesen in the Disabled Children’s Parents’ Association. Photo: Stein Roar Leite / news Engaged Brynjar Meling Getting the municipality to turn around was, however, easier said than done. When HBF took this up with them after being made aware of the practice last winter, they denied that anything had been done wrong. – It made me stiff. I have worked with such cases for so long that I know they had the wrong understanding of the law, says Ottesen. HBF engaged lawyer Brynjar Meling to give his legal assessments, which gave the association the upper hand. And after the municipality had consulted with the State Administrator, they chose to turn the matter around. In December, the municipal council decided to discontinue the practice, and in addition to pay back what the families have paid too much. In total, the municipality has to pay NOK 750,000 in incorrectly collected fees since 2012. Each family receives between NOK 8,000 and 100,000. This is what Unn-Elisabeth T. Kristiansen, head of the sector for prevention, upbringing and inclusion, tells us. – This applies to approximately ten to twelve families, and it will vary how much each individual family has paid and will get back. From 1 January 2023, we have not taken parental payment, and we will draw up new guidelines, she says. Unn-Elisabeth T. Kristiansen is sector leader for prevention, upbringing and inclusion in Steinkjer municipality. Photo: Eivind Aabakken / news Just the beginning According to HBF, they have also found similar practices in Ås, Asker and Lillestrøm municipalities. They believe that this is something that could apply to even more people. The case in Steinkjer is just the beginning, Ottesen believes. – In this case, we have once again uncovered a municipality that has fairly rigid rules and chooses to make it more difficult for families to get the help they are entitled to, he says. – We will work on this continuously, follow up and prosecute municipalities that have an illegal understanding of the regulations. – Very nice In Steinkjer, the municipality has chosen to survey and call around to the families concerned. – I have personally called all the ten to twelve families concerned and told them that we have made a mistake and that mistake must now be corrected, says sector leader Kristiansen. Ottesen in HBF is happy that Steinkjer municipality has chosen to clean up after itself, after it turned out that they had made a mistake. – The families I have been in contact with find it very nice to get money back that they didn’t know they could get back, he says.
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Steinkjer demanded an illegal fee for supervision of children with special needs, must repay NOK 750,000 – news Trøndelag
