About the center

The other three RKBUs are RBUP Mid-Norway, RKBU West and RBUP East and South. The RKBUs receive basic funding from the Norwegian Directorate of Health, and form part of the national mental health system. RKBU North is responsible for the regions of Nordland, Troms, Finnmark and Svalbard.

The overall objective of RKBU North is to help improve the quality of services provided to children and young people who have mental health problems or who risk having such problems. RKBU's primary remit included teaching, research and specialist training.

National responsibility
RKBU North is responsible for providing preventive mental healthcare on a national level. This work is carried out by its Prevention Unit. In the autumn of 2003, RKBU North was commissioned by the Norwegian Directorate of Health to establish a permanent department/unit which would provide preventive mental health services to children and young people within RKBU North. This unit has been entrusted with the task of developing effective intervention strategies and leading prevention efforts on a national level (which comes on top of the work normally carried out by other RKBUs).

The Prevention Unit is a research and development unit and its purpose is to establish services in a way that increasingly incorporates knowledge and research-based approaches and methods into existing practice. At the same time, the unit is also responsible for developing and sharing knowledge about any effective strategies with practitioners.

Organisation
RKBU North is managed by a leadership team composed of the Head of Centre, the Head of Research and Development, the Heat of the Prevention and the Head of Training.

RKBU North's Regional Council was established in 2007. The Council is responsible for providing advice about RKBU's activities and helping RKBU gain a foothold in clinical practice and local and regional communities. The Council also has the task of promoting regional cooperation between professionals in the child and adolescent mental health field in Region North. The following entities are represented on the Council: Northern Norway Regional Health Authority, Finnmark Healthy Authority, University Hospital of the Northern Norway Health Authority, Nordland Hospital HF, Helgeland Hospital HF, Norwegian Directorate for Children, Young People and Family Affairs (Region North), the County Governor of Troms, Nordland and Finnmark, Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities, Adults for Children, The Faculty of Medicine/Department of Clinical Medicine of the University of Tromsø. RKBU North performs the roles of the Council's secretariat.

In 2008, RKBU North established an internal Scientific Council. The Scientific Council is composed of professorial staff who spend 20% or more of their hours working for RKBU North. The Council is headed by RKBU North's Head of Research and Development (FOU).