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Private persons behind CPS decisions.
When the CPS has made a decision in a case, it is not always so that the person who has signed the decision, is a civil servant. In Juristkontakt (magazine for Norwegian jurists) no 9/2010, it is revealed that many municipalities hires private companies to handle CPS cases. Outsorcing CPS cases to private firms raises serious questions regarding judicial security. Of course, we know that the Norwegian state does not offer its citizens judicial security, especially not in CPS cases, but outsourcing CPS cases to private firms is anyway a policy to be avoided.
Juristkontakt mentions the example of Fredrikstad municipality. Fredrikstad municipality was fined 6 millions kroner for breaking the tender laws. Both the CPS and the municipal service for the handicapped had bought services for more than 58 millions kroner without inviting tenders. KOFA, the supervising authority, characterized the municipality’s break of the rules as a wilful choice by the municipality.
Also Oppegård municipality (from january 2020 a part of Nordre Follo municiplity), a suburb to Oslo, has used millions of kroner on private firms doing the work for the CPS. According to the local newspaper Østlandets Blad, a private CPS consutant was paid 96 000 kroner one month for handling CPS cases. According to the tax lists, this consultant had an annual income of 1 million kroner in 2009 (about 125 000 Euros).
According to the magazine Fontene, more than 100 municipalities had bought services from the consulting firm Barnevernkompetanse AS (“CPS compenance Ltd”) during the ten years in which the firm has existed. Norway consists of 429 municipalities.
Fampo 