The State Administrator notifies of serious findings following inspections at asylum reception centers – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country

The inspection of a reception for unaccompanied minor asylum seekers in December yielded such serious findings that the State Administrator in Oslo and Viken has sounded the alarm. Before the inspection report is finished, the State Administrator has notified the Directorate of Immigration (UDI). They are responsible for the care of the children. They have also notified Link AS, which runs the reception. – We consider some of what the children at the reception have told during the inspection to be serious, writes Mari Hagve in an e-mail to news. She is department director for the social and children’s department at the State Administrator in Oslo and Viken. The children must have expressed that they did not feel safe at the reception. This is revealed in a letter from the State Administrator. – Regardless of the final conclusions after the inspection, the State Administrator provided that the operating operators and UDI make their own assessments and follow up the situation, writes Hagve. STATE PROFESSIONAL SOUNDS ALARM: Because the inspection is not finished, Mari Hagve will not comment on the case further. The final report is expected during the month of January. Photo: PRESSEFOTO / State administrator in Oslo and Viken Supervision of reception for unaccompanied minor asylum seekers From 1 July 2022, the State administrator is responsible for overseeing the care that unaccompanied minors receive in asylum reception. At the start of the supervision scheme, it is the State Administrator in Oslo and Viken who is responsible for supervision, regardless of where in the country the asylum reception center is located. In line with the supervision regulations, the State Administrator must plan supervision based on a risk-based approach. The National Health Inspectorate has the overall responsibility for the inspection scheme. Unaccompanied minors are children under the age of 18 who have come to Norway without a carer. UDI has care responsibility for the children when they live in reception, with or without an accompanying person. “Strongly refuses” In a letter from the State Administrator to Link AS, the sender writes that during the inspection, the State Administrator must have spoken to 24 children, both in groups and individually. The residents are from 15 to 17 years old. Several of the children told about threatening behavior from staff at reception. On some occasions, employees must have pushed and physically grabbed children, it appears in the letter. Almost half of the children expressed that they were afraid of the manager at the reception. They describe him as aggressive in his demeanor. Several of the children also told about an episode where they witnessed the reception manager grab a child. He is said to have held and shaken the child while speaking in an angry and loud voice. The letter states that the reception manager confirmed the episode in a video call with the State Administrator. In an e-mail to news, the head of reception writes that he strongly disagrees with the State Administrator’s use of the term “shake”: – I am sure that has not happened. But I know that my “outside voice” can seem intimidating. Several of the children are said to have told the State Administrator that they have no adults to talk to when they feel scared, sad and sad. UNCERTAIN: According to the letter to the State Administrator, the young people at the reception center live in uncertainty. news is aware that one has bid on the reception for a year, while others have just moved out after just a few weeks. For some of the children, departure from Norway also awaits in the future. The picture was taken outside the reception. Photo: Astrid Gerdts / news The reception manager has explained the episode as follows: “This was a weekday around two o’clock when many of the other boys had come home from school. A group stood in the corridor outside the staff report room. The resident had not been to school that day either, and as a reception tenant I want a new conversation about compulsory schooling, and that this is a very central expectation of living in Norway. I came walking into the corridor from the common room at the same time as he came walking from the other side – the residential area. We met in the corridor. I said hello and asked if we could talk. He understood the message, but chose to demonstratively look the other way and continue going straight ahead with the ambition of passing me. I then stood in front of him and blocked the way. I put my hands on his shoulders and said in a low voice that I should talk to him. He made another attempt to turn away, and I put a hand on each side of his head, turned his face towards me and said in a low voice that he should look at me. He wriggled free of this. We stood a little above each other and I spoke loudly to him that this was very stupid. That I should talk to him etc. The situation resolved itself and lasted maybe a minute in total. He continued to the common room, and I went to the overflow room. Many of the boys standing around could probably find this very confrontational, and I see in hindsight that it should have been handled differently. I swear most strongly that the boy was left withered and shaken.” Source: E-mail from the head of reception at UDI. Forwarded to news from the day-to-day manager of Link AS, Morten Jørgensen. They don’t think they live in fear Daily manager of Link AS, Morten Jørgensen, thinks the reception provides good care for the residents. – The state administrator points to two individual cases that are clearly worthy of criticism, says Jørgensen in Link AS. But he believes there is no basis for generalizing and rejects that there is a “culture of fear” in reception. HAS SORRY: According to Jørgensen, Link AS has gone into the matter and looked at what can be done to improve matters. They have apologized in the two individual cases. The receipt in the picture is not what is mentioned in the case. Photo: Anne Wirsching / news Jørgensen also questions the method the State Administrator has used during the inspection. He has therefore written to UDI, among other things, about the form of supervision and group interview as a method. Having reported the episode to the police, UDI is taking the matter very seriously, says Gro Anna Persheim, subject manager for reception and return at UDI. They have reported the incident where a child was physically grabbed to the police. – Reception staff do not have a mandate to do anything physical to residents in reception, says Persheim. UDI now has a close dialogue with Link AS. In cooperation, they have involved an external party who will look at what can and should be changed at the reception. The person responsible for prosecution in the relevant police district confirms to news that they have received a message from UDI. Out of consideration for the investigation, the police cannot comment further on the case. REACTING: Persheim is reacting to what has emerged in the notice from the State Administrator. – They are supposed to ensure that the asylum seekers are safe, she says. Photo: PRESSEFOTO – Received praise from UDI UDI was also in control at the reception, in October 2022. Jørgensen in Link AS points out that they did not receive the same feedback then. It is also something the reception manager reacts to. – The dispute between the UDI and the Statsforvaltaren’s feedback on safety is very surprising, wrote the person concerned in an e-mail. UDI found seven deviations that the reception was ordered to improve. All deviations are now closed. Jørgensen explains that it was mostly about improving plans and documentation. He says they were praised for their caring work. During its supervision, the UDI spoke to five residents. According to an email from UDI to the reception, the children expressed that the employees were “very kind”. It also says in the e-mail, which news has seen, that “the young people feel safe”. THE CHILD’S VOICE: Residents must be heard both when the UDI conducts inspections and when the State Administrator comes to inspect. Everyone must be offered a conversation with the State Administrator during the inspection visit, including those who are not present during the visit itself. Photo: Astrid Gerdts / news Several whistleblowers In December last year, a resident in the ordinary reception department in the asylum reception sent a letter to the Ministry of Justice and Emergency Services. In the letter, the sender writes about threatening comments and abuse of power from reception managers. It is claimed that the residents do not get the help they need. The notification has now been forwarded to UDI for follow-up. Persheim says it is natural to see the notice in connection with the report from the State Administrator. Neither Jørgensen in Link AS nor the reception manager knows the contents of the letter when news asks questions about it. But the reception manager assumes that it concerns a case the reception is already in dialogue with UDI about. Jørgensen says that everyday life in an asylum reception center can be demanding. He explains on a general basis that it will often be the reception managers who take care of the most challenging matters in contact with residents. Will look at control routines There may be several reasons why the UDI does not uncover insecurity among the residents, believes Persheim in the UDI. – The fact that we did not discover this during our inspection may be an indication that we should look at our own inspection routines at reception. Persheim says young asylum seekers do not always have enough trust in the UDI to say that they are living in difficult conditions. She says someone thinks it can affect the asylum case if they speak up. – That is why UDI is very happy that we have an independent supervisory system under the auspices of the State Administrator, says Persheim. She clarifies that there is still much that has not been clarified in the case, and UDI is waiting for the final report from the State Administrator. Persheim says UDI will travel to the reception and talk to the young people. – A reception should function as a home where the children feel safe from external threats, a place where they can talk about concerns and get help to resolve them, says Persheim. ACTIVITIES: In the basement of the reception there are both football games and billiards, but chess is the most popular. The staff try to get the young people involved in activities in the local area. Photo: Astrid Gerdts / news



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