Cases reported to the police can be referred to Konfliktrådet (the National Mediation Service)

Cases reported to the police may end up before Konfliktrådet, and that can produce good solutions. But be clear about the difference between bullying and conflict before you consent to mediation.

In cases of violence and threats, the police can send the case to Konfliktrådet, which itself lists bullying among the typical cases referred to it by the police (see Spørsmål og svar at Konfliktrådet, in Norwegian)

The threshold for bringing cases before Konfliktrådet is meant to be low, and mediation is voluntary, but Konfliktrådet is a judicial body and carries weight.

It is important to distinguish between bullying and conflict, and for that reason some people oppose the use of Konfliktrådet. If bullying is treated as conflict, it can make the situation worse for children who are being bullied. Conflict presupposes a degree of equality between the parties, whereas bullying is characterised by the lack of it.

In some places Konfliktrådet succeeds in bringing out the situation of the bullied child, and arrives at good solutions. Konfliktrådet can correct the behaviour both of young people who bully and of schools that do not take bullying seriously. The fact that a politianmeldelse (reporting the matter to the police) has been made, and that the case is dealt with by a judicial body, can bring out the seriousness of the bullying and act as a deterrent against further bullying.

It is worth looking into the expertise and the practice of your local konfliktråd. If they handle bullying cases well, referring the case to Konfliktrådet can be a good solution.

Read: Compensation and damages

From the original FOMIS parents' guide (2018). The content is reviewed and updated.