Here we look at a typical process for implementing integrated services for children as described by law (link in Icelandic).

The aim of the law is to ensure that children and parents needing integrated services have access to them without barriers, so that children receive the right services in a timely way – reducing the need for them to have more comprehensive services later in life.

Parties that serve children

In the Act on the Integration of Services for the Children's Prosperity, the parties that serve children are categorized in two categories:

On the one hand, providers of child welfare services in the public sector, or on their behalf.

• Examples of service providers are preschools, primary schools, recreational homes, social centers, secondary schools, health care centers, specialized health services, police, social services and child protection.

On the other hand, there is other organized work related to the prosperity of children, called general services.

• Examples of public service providers are self-employed professionals, sports, arts and youth activities, non-government organizations and interest groups.

All of these parties have the obligation to monitor children's welfare and prosperity.

Evidence of a child's needs not being met

If providers of services in the interest of children's prosperity notice evidence that the needs of the child are not adequately met, and that the child needs more services than are being provided, they are required to react.

This is done by providing parents and/or the child with information about the integration of children's services. This includes informing them about the role of the children's services contact.

Children's service providers can assist parents in filling out a request for information to the children's services contact. In practical terms this means that that person has the right to inform the children's services contact of the child's circumstances.

Parents or children may also take the initiative to reach the children's services contact.

Children's services contact in the local area leads the conversation

All children and their parents have access to the children's services contact, at the health care center, preschool, primary or secondary school, or via social services.

The children's services contact is a professional in the child's immediate environment who has an overview of the services available and can answer questions or point out possibilities regarding services to the child.

The location of the contact point depends on the age of the child:

The children's services contact allows children and parents to go to one person who has an overview of services, instead of having to go to many places to look for such information. The children's services contact is available to both parents and children if necessary, and can provide guidance on where to seek services and help in ensuring access to them.

Parents and/or child must specifically give permission before the children's services contact may get in touch with other parties.

Children's services contacts do not have the right to contact others once they have received information, they must begin by contacting the parents and/or child.

Integration of services activated if appropriate

The children's services contact processes the provided information and in conversation with parents and/or child assesses whether there is a need for integration of services for the child.

• If the children's services contact believes that the child is receiving all the services needed and does not require further integration of services, they will continue to assist the family and evaluate whether integration may be needed at a later date.

• If the children's services contact believes that integration of services is best for the child, they will inform parents and/or the child what the integration of services involves, and guide them on their requests for integration of services.

The request for integration of services is a form that parents and/or child fill out. The request allows children's services contacts, case managers, service providers and those who provide services for children's prosperity to process information about a child to ensure that he or she receives organized and continuous service.

With a request for integration of services, direct communication is established between providers of services in the interest of the child's prosperity. The communication is led by the children's services contact, or the case manager, if appropriate.

Grading of services for children

Services for children are divided into stages depending on the level of the service needs. A child can receive services at more than one stage at any given time.

At the first level, the children's services contact manages the case of the child, but if a child has a great need for services and is receiving them at the second or third level, the case manager takes over the role of the contact point. The case manager is responsible for the preparation of a support plan and manages the support team that is established for the child in question.

The first level of services is divided into two parts:

• Basic services that are accessible to all - for example, general services for preschools, primary and secondary schools, including general education, prevention and guidelines against bullying and violence, etc. General health care, pregnancy check-ups, birthing courses, general social services and services for day-care parents.

• Individual and early support with resources that respond to a need for services that exceed basic services. This could be for example increased assistance or teamwork, for example when a child has a specific need for school services due to special needs, learning difficulties, behavioral problems, consequences of bullying etc.

Secondary level services are resources where individualized and more targeted support is provided than at the first level. These are resources where more specialised or diverse services are needed than at the first level.

These are services that are provided when support for children has become so extensive that it is likely that the needs of the child will not be met unless services are integrated. Examples of such services are various support services provided by social and school services in municipalities, special departments or vocational courses in schools.

Third-degree services are a means of providing specialized support to ensure that a child's prosperity is not compromised. A child who is receiving services at this stage has a complex and multifaceted problem and a high need for care.

A child is then in a situation where lack of appropriate support and resources can have serious consequences and threaten the child's health and development. Examples of third-tier services are various care arrangements based on the Child Protection Act, multi-dimensional support for disabled children and long-term hospital stays for children.

Processing of personal data

All persons working on the basis of the law on integrating services for the prosperity of children shall treat personal data in accordance with the law on data protection. Personal data is also processed in accordance with criteria based on the law, which will be published by the Ministry of Children and Education.

This means that everyone who processes personal data is may only process information where there is a legitimate purpose for doing so, should process only the necessary information, and share it only with those who are authorised. The security of personal data should be strictly protected.

The service provider, the public service provider for the welfare of children, children's services contacts, case managers and others who work with personal data on the basis of the law on welfare shall inform parents and/or the child how the transfer of personal data is carried out in their individual case. Information shall be provided on which data will be transferred, and where it will be sent, as well as what security measures are taken in order to protect the security of the data.

Monitoring and guidance

The National Agency for Children and Families provides a wide range of support for integrating services for children's prosperity.

The agency publishes guidelines, checklists and other supporting material for those who provide services for children.

It also provides education and advice to those involved in the integration of services.

The Quality and Supervisory Authority of Welfare monitors the quality of service integration, including the resolution of complaints from service users.

Generally, service providers are allowed to communicate information on a child's situation to the supervisory authority, and the authority is allowed to communicate information on the situation of a child to service providers.

The service providers are also obliged to communicate to the supervisory authority the information about the child's situation that the institution considers necessary for it to carry out its tasks.

The Quality and Supervisory Authority of Welfare and the National Agency for Children and Families are obliged to share information that each institution considers necessary to carry out its role. They may also share information on the situation of a child with each other in accordance with the objectives of the relevant laws.