9th May 2025

Successful children and the entrance of the Association of Local Authorities in the North West at the Safer North West meeting

The third meeting of the Nordic Council for Safer West was held in Ljósheimar, Skagafjörður, today.

The meeting was well attended and was attended by representatives of local authorities, police, healthcare, educational authorities, social services and other stakeholders in the local community. The meeting focused on the well-being of children and young people, with particular attention to the joint prevention programme for the North West, FORNOR.

FORNOR, the North West Prevention Programme is a co-operation project between all local authorities in the region aimed at promoting prevention and supporting healthy development of children and young people, with emphasis on early support, increased education and integration of services.

Afterwards, a lively discussion was created in the forum, where the role of parents and the different institutions was discussed, the various resources that could be used to support the well-being of children and young people and how to increase follow-up with FORNOR. Ösp Árnadóttir, project manager at the Directorate of Health, gave some good advice for prevention.

Sigurður Hólmar Kristjánsson, Chief of Police in Northwest Iceland, said in connection with the meeting:

We have seen a great deal of benefits from cross-sectoral co-operation in the past year. It has created trust between the parties, strengthened networks and resulted in more focused services for residents and visitors to the North West. We are particularly pleased to see that the police service survey has increased the level of trust in the population. We are hopeful and convinced that the Forum is important to maintain a common vision and ensure better coherence in the actions.

At the meeting, Sveinbjörg Rut Pétursdóttir, CEO of the Association of Local Authorities in Northwest Iceland (SSNV), was formally welcomed as a full member of the Forum. She expressed her satisfaction with the association’s increased participation in this important cooperation and said:

It is important for us to be an active part of the consultation on prevention and child well-being in the region. It is important to support local authorities in the development of the Nordic Region's Regional Welfare Council for the benefit of children. It is important to support a common strategy and to continue to support good multi-sectoral projects like FORNOR.

The Nordic Council of Ministers' Forum for Safer Nordic Regions aims to coordinate and strengthen efforts to prevent violence and other crimes. The Nordic Council of Ministers' Forum consists of the Chief of Police in Northwest Iceland, all the municipalities in Northwest Iceland, the District Commissioner in Northwest Iceland, the Nordic Health Institute, the Nordic Health Institute in West Iceland, the Northwest Iceland University College of Science and Technology, USAH, USVH, UMSS and now SSNV.

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