Aim for full nationwide emergency social services
One feature of the national development project to upgrade the social sector is to ensure that emergency access to social services is available throughout the country by 2007.
Such services have been available in some municipal areas for a long time, and municipalities have worked out their provision outside regular hours.
But many local areas are still in the early stages of creating workable emergency social service models. In doing so they aim to ensure they can offer sufficiently swift response to emergency needs. These can often be met by phone consultations, but services need proper staffing prepared to handle situations requiring home visits. Emergency help also has to be available during normal working hours.
In addition efforts are being made to better coordinate the social work available at police stations and to develop closer collaboration between healthcare and emergency and rescue services. Te safety of emergency social work staff is also being developed.