Photo: Mona Ødegård 5 The NPM also used findings and experiences from visits to actively participate in public debate and in democratic processes relevant to the prevention of torture and other inhuman treatment in Norway. In 2019, we made four consultation submissions. The Parliamentary Ombudsman made a ­consultative submission in July on the then Ministry of Children and Equality's draft on a new Child Welfare Act. Our comments concerned the proposal to set out further rules for child welfare institutions. In September, we made another consultation submission concerning the Directorate of Health's proposal to establish national guidelines for medical personnel relating to health services for detainees in police custody ­facilities. In the same month, we made a c ­ onsultation submission on the Ministry of Justice and Public Security's proposal to change the Execution of Sentences Act’s rules regarding coercive ­measures. In December, we made a fourth consultation ­submission in ­connection with the ­proposal for a new law on limiting the use of ­coercion in the health and care services. Our work on the consultation submissions is the topic of a ­separate article in Chapter three. Although much of the year has been devoted to a few selected projects, we have carried out twelve visits to places where children and adolescents are deprived of their liberty in child welfare and mental health care institutions. Many of the institutions we have visited are small, which meant that we had to develop our methodology for visits. Thorough preparation has been key to ensure that the visits were carried out in an appropriate manner and that accurate information concerning the ­institutions has been received. We have also followed up visits that were carried out in 2018 through dialogue with the respective institutions. This work is described in Chapter five. There has also been a focus on dissemination in 2019. For the first time, the NPM hosted an event during the political festival “Arendalsuka”. This launched the Special Report to a wider ­audience, with a panel discussion on solitary ­confinement and lack of human contact in Norwegian prisons. There has been a great deal of interest in the findings we presented in the Special Report, and it is being used by both the responsible authorities and civil society. Furthermore, we have conducted external activities through meetings with central government ­authorities and other parties. A solid national dialogue will always be an important part of the preventive work. Hanne Harlem Parliamentary Ombudsman