Illness during relief

What rights does the family have if the child falls ill before/during relief?

Some municipalities practice that the family must pick up the sick child in case of proven fever, communicable disease, diarrhea and other illnesses, but it is not right that the municipality can impose that on parents. Parents are entitled to relief, even if the child is ill.

The state administrator has replied:

"The county governor carried out a survey in the autumn of 2009 to investigate what routines exist in relief homes in relation to children and children's illness. The mapping showed very different practices in the case of illness in the children, and the municipalities usually find good solutions in collaboration with the parents. Many people want to have their children at home when they are ill, while others need relief even when their children are ill. Agreements and good dialogue between the municipality and parents mean that these situations are usually resolved in practice. However, the county governor found that several municipalities have municipal routines that are in conflict with the law. The routines mean that children who are ill are not allowed to come to the relief, and the parents thus do not get the service they are rightfully entitled to. The municipality has a duty to fulfill the decisions regardless of external conditions. This ultimately means that if a child (or others who are entitled to relief) must be isolated when they are on relief due to the risk of infection, the municipalities must make arrangements for this, possibly find alternative relief.»
- The county governor in Buskerud, 2010

It is thus the family themselves who decide whether they wish to interrupt the relief due to illness, not the municipality!
The right applies to everyone who has a decision on relief.

Legislation / guidelines for relief:

Act on patient and user rights

§ 2-1 a. Right to necessary help from the municipality's health and care service.
Patients and users have the right to immediate help from the municipality, cf. health and § 3-5 of the Care Services Act.
Patients and users have the right to necessary health and care services from the municipality.
Patients and users have the right to a worthy service offer in accordance with health and § 4-1 of the Care Services Act first paragraph, letter b.
The municipality must provide the person seeking or needing health and care services with the health and treatment-related information he or she needs to safeguard his or her right.

Act on municipal health and care services etc. (Health and care services act)

§ 3-6. The municipality's responsibility towards relatives
To people with particularly burdensome care work, the municipality must offer the necessary relative support in the form of, among other things: