Evaluating the Ombudsman against Bullying

NOVA is responsible for a research-based evaluation of the regional ombudsman office.

The bullying ombudsman institute was made national in 2018 and its mandate is to prevent bullying, discrimination and physical and psychological violation amongst peers in schools and kindergartens in Norway. The results from the evaluation will be reported in June 2020.

NOVA will analyse a) how the regional ombudsman offices work to ensure the equal rights of all children to an environment free from bullying, and b) the administrative arrangement of the ombudsman offices in the regions.

Several existing surveys in the municipal sectors responsible for schools and kindergartens will be utilised for data collection in this evaluation. NOVA will also select one region and construct a survey to record the experiences of parents who have been in contact with the ombudsman, and interview the ombudsman in each region.

The project will inform the implementation of the new psychosocial school environment paragraph (2017) in the Norwegian Act of Education, holding municipalities responsible and punishable if they do not take actions against reported bullying. The evaluation is funded by the Norwegian Directorate of education and training.