Iceland addresses foster children registration issues amid privacy concerns

Efforts are underway to address the registration issues affecting foster children in Iceland. The National Registry, alongside two other agencies, is working to resolve complications that have arisen following changes to custody communication. Currently, foster parents do not have access to electronic information sources they previously used.

Previously, foster children were registered in the National Registry under the identification number and family number of the current custodian. However, this arrangement was criticized by privacy advocates, who noted that it severed the link between legal residence and custody.

Hildur Ragnars, the director of the National Registry, acknowledges that the situation is complex. She explains that the framework surrounding foster children and parents includes various types of foster care and numerous variables that must be managed. “What we need is information about what needs to be registered, who the foster parents are, and what documents are applicable in different cases,” she stated.

The changes made at the beginning of 2023, aimed to resolve issues for co-parenting arrangements, inadvertently created new challenges for foster parents. Hildur remarked, “While this resolved significant issues for separated parents, it simultaneously led to complications for foster care.”

Recent discussions have highlighted the concerns of foster children, who feel invisible within the system. In an interview, Guðlaug Kristmundsson, chair of the Foster Parents’ Association, mentioned that these children often experience a lack of responsiveness from public authorities regarding their issues.

Hildur emphasized that part of the responsibility lies with the National Registry and that collaborative efforts with the Child and Family Agency and the Ministry of Infrastructure are ongoing. While a solution is not expected immediately, she is confident that one will eventually be found.