Social Assistance

Advice

Advice regarding financial matters, housing, child rearing, and divorce, including custody and visitation rights, adoptions etc.

Financial assistance

According to law each individual is required to support him or herself, his or her spouse, and children under the age of 18.

Counselors accept applications for financial assistance which must be accompanied by various other financial documents such as a tax return, tax statement, salary statement, and a rental contract. Information is also required regarding family members, employment, housing, income, debts, and property.
*Financial assistance is taxable. For instructions for tax registry, click here

Services for the Disabled

Disabled people and their families can get counselling and information about services, diagnosis and have their need for assistance evaluated. The department can also provide support for families with disabled children. The department handles job-hunting for the disabled, and runs day centers, sheltered workshops, and job training canters.

For information regarding housing and rental assistance, click here.

For information regarding job hunting in Iceland, click here.

Child Protection

The aim of child protection is to insure decent conditions for children while they are growing up, by supporting the parenting role of the family and by using means at their disposal to protect individual children when necessary. According to Icelandic law children are considered to be minors until the age of 18. Staff members from the department inspect the living conditions of children if there is some suspicion that those conditions are unacceptable and use various approaches to improve things, such as counselling, case managers, personal advisors, support families, foster care placement, institutional placement, and financial aid.

For more information regarding child protection services, click here.

For information regarding child benefits and child support, click here.