The Ministry of Children and Equality hereby invites tenderers to an open tender competition on reviewing opportunities and hindrances for children in low-income families.

The objective of the assignment is to gain more knowledge about the consequences of growing up in a family with a weak economy. The reviewer shall create a knowledge summary across the disciplines about how and to what degree and in what manner, low income and living conditions affect children's’ development opportunities. The summary shall cover children's’ development over time - through early childhood, schooling, youth and transition to working life and adulthood.

Norway is a country characterised by economic prosperity and good material living conditions. However, we recognise that there are differences in child and youth upbringing conditions and that individual groups are over-represented in the statistics of those who grow up in families with lasting low income.

There is a need to gain a better overview and knowledge regarding the research related to how growing up in low-income families hinders social growth for children, and contributes to exclusion and transferring of poverty through generations. The proportion of children and adolescents growing up in continual risk of poverty in Norway is increasing according to EU’s definition ‘risk of poverty’. It is now at 10 percent. Not all children in this group are vulnerable. Many manage very well. This indicates that the broad preventative measures such as health centres, schools and nursery schools work. But we aren't reaching everyone. The concern is for the group of children who fall outside during upbringing and become poor as adults.

See Annex 1 in the contract for a more detailed description of the assignment.

Start-up of the work will be February 2018. The upper economic limit for the assignment is NOK 1.1 million excluding VAT. The final review shall be delivered to the Ministry by 19 September 2018.