Halogen - With the child, the whole way

Halogen

Committee leader Erik Stene handed over the committee's report to Minister for Children and Families Kjersti Toppe and Minister for Health and Care Ingvild Kjerkol (2023)

With the child, the whole way

for the Ministry of Children and Families

For the first time, a youth committee was involved in creating a public inquiry for the government. Halogen helped young people put their stamp on the report.

Rune M. Akselsen / Barne- og familiedepartementet

With the child, the whole way

for the Ministry of Children and Families

For the first time, a youth committee was involved in creating a public inquiry for the government. Halogen helped young people put their stamp on the report.

Rune M. Akselsen / Barne- og familiedepartementet

With the child, the whole way

for the Ministry of Children and Families

For the first time, a youth committee was involved in creating a public inquiry for the government. Halogen helped young people put their stamp on the report.

Rune M. Akselsen / Barne- og familiedepartementet

The historic inquiry was presented to ministers Kjersti Toppe and Ingvild Kjerkhol in the autumn of 2023. The report "With the child, the whole way" is a proposal for what the government should do to improve the situation for children in child welfare institutions.

The inquiry (an Official Norwegian Report) was shaped by professionals and experts in the field. Halogen supported the ministry in using clear language to assemble a meaningful and understandable report.

Photo: Dan P. Neegaard

Read the inquiry on regjeringen.no: With the child, the whole way. (In Norwegian)

In addition, a separate youth committee was appointed to ensure real co-determination from children and young people. The youth committee consisted of seven people who have lived or are living in child welfare institutions. Their role was to use their experiences to advise the adults.

We supported the youth in making their mark on the comprehensive inquiry. We helped the youth committee clarify their thoughts and articulate them into clear points. Together, we developed a good way to communicate their opinions as a common thread throughout the inquiry.

To make the inquiry accessible to the people it is about - the children in child welfare institutions - Halogen also assisted the youth committee in conveying their message and appeal to the readers.

"It has been absolutely fantastic to have Halogen on the team—both as strong professional contributors and as an enthusiastic team of cheerleaders. This is groundbreaking work we have done here, and I am very proud of what we have accomplished together. Halogen has undoubtedly helped make this a better and clearer Official Report, which I am convinced will leave a lasting impact."

– Erik Stene, Chair of the Committee

Realistic Illustrations

Whilst working on the inquiry, it was important to have an emotional appeal without compromising the factual presentation of feasible actions. Illustrations are an effective tool, and it was important for the youth committee that the style was not too naive or unrealistic.

Together with the youth, we arrived at a hand-drawn, familiar style that conveys the seriousness of what they are trying to say.

Til ventre er det en illustrasjon av en voksen og en ungdom som snakker fortrolig med hverandre. Til høyre er det en illustrasjon av en voksen og et barn som klemmer.

Two examples of illustrations created for the Official Report.

"In a 400-page text, it's important to make things visual. However, this is not a common approach in an Official Norwegian Report. I think both the adult and youth committees have been brave in taking these steps to reach more people. I hope others are inspired to push the boundaries of what an Official Report can be."

-Eila Rishovd, designer at Halogen

Glimpses of the future

The motifs in the youth committee's illustrations were created in a youth workshop where the participants cut out images and phrases from magazines and glued them together on a poster.

Verksted med ungdomsutvalget som resulterte i plakater som fungerte som utgangspunkt for illustrasjonene i utredningen Med barnet hele vegen.

Photo from a working session with the youth committee.

The illustrations eventually took shape as five glimpses of the future, spread throughout the inquiry.

The glimpses consist of an illustration and a brief description of concrete and positive situations. They represent the young people’s dreams for future institutions and are designed to remind the reader of what the youth committee wants.

The inquiry was well received and widely read, partly due to its good structure, accessible language, and strong illustrations. The hope is that the work the youth committee has done leaves a lasting impact and improves the lives of children in child welfare institutions.

As the adult committee writes in its preface: "(...) society must have the very highest ambitions for these children. They are not many, but they need us."