11 Working method and organisation Under its prevention mandate, the Parliamentary Ombudsman has a right to visit all places where anyone is, or could be, deprived of their liberty. This includes public and private institutions and facilities. The Parliamentary Ombudsman is not a supervisory body, however. All of the sectors where the Parliamentary Ombudsman conducts visits have dedicated bodies that are responsible for their ongoing supervision. The National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) is in dialogue with these bodies in connection with its visits. Announcement of visits As a rule, the places we visit are not informed about the dates of the visit. Before a visit, they are notified by a phone call and letter that a visit will take place within a period of two to four months. They are also asked to submit some information prior to the visit. — This work method makes it possible for the NPM to obtain relevant information before a visit, while also gaining a realistic impression of the conditions there. In 2017, all visits, except one, were announced in this manner. An unannounced visit was made to the police immigration detention centre at Trandum. Planning visits Obtaining information from a number of sources is the first step when planning all visits; from the place to be visited, the supervisory authorities, official authorities and other relevant bodies. The Ombudsman has right of access to information that is relevant to the conditions in places where people are deprived of their liberty. In some cases, the Ombudsman may already have received information from various sources. Every visit is planned individually. How many people take part in a visit, the duration of a visit and the organisation of the visit team varies depending on, among other things, which sector we are visiting and how big the institution is. It is important to ensure that the visit team are there when the people deprived of their liberty are also there so that they have an opportunity to talk to the team. Visits are always planned with a high degree of flexibility. In 2017, the NPM carried out four visits to child welfare institutions. Special information materials have been developed for these visits. The Parliamentary Ombudsman also has a dedicated website aimed at children and young people. — Visits to places where people are deprived of their liberty During our visit, we would like to have a private conversation with you. Your experience can help others and people who come here at a later date. The conversations are kept confidential. We do not give advance notice of our visits to ensure that the conditions we observe at your institution are as accurate as possible. After the visit, we write a report describing our findings from the visit. The report also contains recommendations about what should be done to prevent anyone being subjected to inhuman or degrading treatment. Read more at: www.sivilombudsmannen.no or in our brochure. You can ask one of the staff for a brochure. The report is made public. Prevention of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment www.sivilombudsmannen.no 22 82 85 00 or 800 80 039 (Free number) P.O. Box 3 Sentrum, NO-0101 Oslo Sivilombudsmannens forebyggingsenhet