3 Foreword of children’s liberty, however, entails an increased risk of torture and ill-treatment, and the Ombudsman will closely follow the development of this practice. In the field of child welfare, we have continued to visit state-owned emergency institutions and have also expanded our visits to include visits to institutions for long-term substance abuse treatment. We visited both a non-profit and a private institution. Worrying findings included young people being subjected to an alarming amount of pressure through one institution’s use of involuntary trips alone with staff. The use of isolation and isolation-like methods will be a focus during visits to child welfare institutions in 2018. With respect to mental health care, we have visited emergency psychiatry wards at four hospitals. Two of the thematic articles in this annual report concern topics that have been a particular focus: the use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) on grounds of necessity, and the use of segregation. was opened by Norwegian and international experts, and three panel discussions were held in which various parties discussed the ethics, principles and practical challenges of work on ensuring that inmates and detainees receive the healthcare they are entitled to. The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) has announced that it will visit Norway in 2018. Norway will also be examined by the UN Committee against Torture in Geneva in April 2018. The Parliamentary Ombudsman will provide information and input to both bodies, and looks forward to Norway being in the international spotlight in this field in the coming year. Aage Thor Falkanger Parliamentary Ombudsman The third thematic article in this annual report concerns isolation in Norwegian prisons. Isolation has long been a challenge in the Norwegian Correctional Service. Worrying findings emerged during several visits to prisons in 2017 relating to the conditions for inmates who are held in isolation. This is an area we want to examine more closely in the coming year. However, the Parliamentary Ombudsman also identifies good practices during its visits. In our reports, we try to highlight practices that appear to reduce risk and that strengthen the rights of those deprived of their liberty. We also note that a number of supervisory bodies use the Ombudsman’s findings and recommendations in their work. The topic of the Parliamentary Ombudsman’s 2017 human rights seminar was: ‘The role of health personnel in relation to people deprived of their liberty in police custody facilities and prisons.’ Around 200 people from the Correctional Service, the health sector, the police and other relevant parts of the public administration attended the seminar, as well as experts in the field and voluntary organisations. The seminar Photo: Mona Ødegård