The main purpose of the Act is to prevent, treat and facilitate coping with disease, injury, suffering and disabilities. The Act regulates the municipalities’ responsibility for health and care services. It lists the duties that rest with the municipalities in this field and stipulates requirements for the appropriateness and quality of services.
The Child Welfare Tribunal’s role under the Health and Care Services Act is limited to the provisions on coercive measures. The tribunal decides whether the conditions are met for detaining substance abusers in an institution for a period of up to three months without their consent. For pregnant substance abusers, such detention will apply for the duration of the pregnancy. Provisions concerning such cases are provided in Sections 10-2 and 10-3 of the Health and Care Services Act.
The Child Welfare Tribunal is the appeal body for decisions made by the county governor in certain cases concerning coercive measures in relation to persons with mental disabilities. These provisions are found in Section 9 of the Act.
You can find the Health and Care Services Act here (in Norwegian only).