Overall description / Legal basis

In Norway speech and language therapy is a public service, free of charge, provided by either the School system or the Health system.

The obligation to provide the service is regulated by -

1. The Law of Education

    a) Those from the ages 0 - 16 and  from 20 - 100 are the responsibilities of
        the local community

    b) Those from the ages 16 - 19 are the responsibility of the county

2. The Law of Public Health

    Primarily adults, referred from doctors, are offered services under this law. Some children that are refused services under the Law of Education or those that are on long waiting lists may receive services under this law too.

Organisation

In Norway each community has a Pedagogical Psychological Counselling Service (PPS) responsible for all individuals with special educational needs. (For ages 16 - 19 the county's Pedagogical Psychological Counselling Service is responsible). SLTs are usually employed by the community  and work in the PPS, directly in the schools (including Adult Education centers), or in community SLT centers. Some SLTs also work in hospitals and rehabilitation centers.
All these SLTs are employd under the Law of Education.

Organisation of SLT in the country

For organisation of SLT according to the Law of Education - see above.

SLTs in private practice work under the Law of Public Health (or sometimes the community education system buys services from them).

Because of these two different law regulations, the authorities have tried to eliminate consumer rights under the Law of Public Health, pointing out that speech and language therapy is defined as special education and therefore the rights of the consumers are included under the Law of Education.

The Norwegian Association of Speech and Language Therapists (NLL) has during the last 4 years worked hard against this. We have advocated that speech and language therapy is a profession belonging under education AND health. Services are far from good enough under the Law of Education, in spite of our work to promote the rights since the 1976, when the adults also obtained the right to remedial education after disease or accidents.

There has since 1955 been a small amount of private practice by SLT in Norway under the Law of Public Health. Usually SLTs have taken a few hours on a part time basis, when needed. In recent years private practice has increased, due too cut-downs in community budgets and an increased focus and emphasis on "system" and indirect services, reducing the direct services for consumers from the community, county and State services.

The services are free of charge for the consumer, no matter in what system he gets his services from. Some SLTs charge a small additional fee for a consultation.

The Norwegian Association of Speech and Language Therapists (NLL) has determined the size of fee for private practice and notified the authorities about it. We have so far been exempted for the Law of Competition (Konkurranseloven).

The Norwegian Association of Speech and Language Therapists (NLL) work very hard to try to maintain the possibilities for private practice.

We have been notified by State authorities that major changes may occur next year. We hope to influence them to keep good affordable services to our consumers.

Education / training

SLTs have traditionally had a pedagogical education, usually having a teacher's or preschool-teacher's certificate before starting on their specialty in speech and language therapy. This is now changing. Many students have different backgrounds.

Until now only a few colleges have offered the education. The Norwegian Association of speech and language therapists (NLL) has managed to influence the universities and colleges not to continue offering a program, if they did not meet our association's requirements and standards.

From Dec. 31 st 2005 only a Master's degree (5 years) in logopedics or in special education with emphasis on logopedics will qualify for practicing as a

SLT. This education is offered at the University in Oslo, department of special education, University of Bergen, department of health sciences, the College of Sogn and Fjordane and the College of Tromsø.

Authorisation / license / recognition of diploma

Norwegian SLTs are considered authorized by the diploma, which is granted by a governmental authority, i.e. a State university or college.

There is no system of licensure. The Norwegian Association of speech and language therapists (NLL) has, however, worked out an authorization for membership. If the education is not good enough, the applicant will not be accepted in our organization. Membership in NLL is a guarantee that the SLT follows its rules of ethics. Members can be suspended if these rules are not followed.

A member of our organisation is allowed the title: logoped MNLL (medlem av Norsk Logopedlag - member of the Norwegian Association of Speech and Language therapists). 

We have recently applied to the Health department to be recognized as a health professional. If we will be accepted our next step is to apply for licensure from them. The department of Education does not give licensures.

There are no regulated requirements of continuing education for SLTs. It is considered a responsibility of the employer. However, Norwegian SLTs are very eager to participate in courses out of personal professional interests and the often pay the costs of keeping updated themselves.

Recognition of professional qualifications obtained abroad

The Department of Education has recently established a special office evaluating educations from abroad. NOKUT (Nasjonalt organ for kvalitet i utdanningen - National Agency for Quality Assurance in education). NOKUT evaluates the level of the education (Bachelor, Masters, etc) and give a general accreditation. But they will send the diploma etc to University of Oslo to evaluate the more specific content of a coursework to determine compatibility with the SLT-training received in Norway.

The Norwegian Association of speech and language therapists has outlined requirements for sufficient language/linguistic skills in Norwegian for SLT from abroad. These are only guidelines, but we strongly recommend them to be followed. We also require a certain level (based on official tests) to be attained as members in our organisation.

The employing authority has the right and the power to judge the qualifications and to decide if they can be considered sufficient, but they usually require a recognized diploma from NOKUT.

Status of the profession and the professional + income/salary

Speech and language therapy has been recognized mainly as a part of the special education in Norway, but also partially as a health profession. This is evident in the content of the Norwegian SLT-education programs and in the types of organisations where SLTs are employed.

Although the status of the profession gradually has increased, there has been periods when authorities have not wanted to recognize speech and language therapy as a distinct profession, but rather as a part of special education, with emphasis on speech and language.

Still today, we see authorities who have difficulties understanding what services we really are giving. As a profession of communication, it's our own responsibility to get that message out!

Compared to special teachers, SLTs have a higher status. In health organisations, SLTs have slowly but surely gotten a higher status over the years.

However, the interest in becoming a SLT is extensive; the number of students applying for SLT programs is high. The number of positions are few, which means that may newly educated SLTs work as special teachers or start in private practice.

The level of salary for SLTs in Norway depends on the place of  employment. School systems pay better than hospitals, unless the hospital-working SLT is employed by the school-system serving the hospital. The fees for private practice is based on an average school based caseload per week + certain employer costs, like health insurance and pension points.

For 2004 the annual salary varies from NOK 275.000 to NOK 392.000 (equivalent to approx. EUR 33.133 / 47.230), depending on seniority and level of education and organisation of employment.

There are approx. 1.500 SLTs in Norway. The country has 4,5 mill. inhabitants.

Professional association(s)

Norway has one Association for speech and language therapists, Norsk Logopedlag (NLL), only admitting individuals with a recognized SLT diploma. The association was founded in 1948.

NLL has approx. 1100 members.

Further information / Useful links

www.statped.no    

(The Norwegian Support System for Special Education - "Statped")

www.NOKUT.no

(Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education)

www.norsk-logopedlag.no

(The Norwegian Association of Speech and Language Therapists)

Author / reference

Trine Lise Dahl, MNLL, M.A,

SLT, Munkvoll Rehabilitation Center, Trondheim

President NLL 2000-2004

Representative of NLL to CPLOL

June 2004