Information in English


What is the Stine Sofie Centre?

The Stine Sofie Centre offers free help to children and youths who are victims of violence and abuse, to their caregivers and siblings. Our aim is to provide children and youths, as well as adults, with new knowledge and experience to enable them to better master their own lives. Here you will meet others who are in a similar situation, and together create a positive experience within a secure framework. During the week, you will have the opportunity to participate in lots of exciting and enjoyable activities, but there will also be time to address serious issues.


Who can be granted a stay at the Centre?

A stay at the Centre is justified by the child’s experiences. Children or youths between the ages of 0 and 18, who are the victims of violence, have witnessed violence in close relationships or are the victims of sexual abuse can apply to stay. Children must be accompanied by a secure adult. Secure adults may be the biological parents, foster parents, emergency placement parents, adoptive parents or employees of an institution. They may also be accompanied by siblings and other family members.



What happens at the Centre?

During your stay there will be a variety of activities for adults and children, with a good mix of learning and recreation. You will have a happy experience and gain new knowledge in secure surroundings. In the Centre you will meet warm and friendly adults who see the importance of care-based treatment of trauma. The six-day stay at the Centre is filled with learning and a variety of activities that will equip both children and adults with the resistance and strength to rebuild their lives and leave behind them all their bad and difficult experiences.


See all the employees here


Practical information

There is no charge for a stay at the Stine Sofie Centre. We book and pay for travel to and from the Centre. No matter where you live. A stay lasts from Monday to Saturday. You can apply to stay at any time of the year, except for the period between Christmas and the New Year, Easter and the month of July. It is possible to apply for two different stays.

You can live in one of the 15 flats connected to the Centre during your stay. Four meals a day are served.

A stay at the Stine Sofie Centre is valid grounds for absence from education.

All teaching and communication are in Norwegian, so you must have enough command of Norwegian to be able to benefit from your stay.


See the schedule


How you can apply for a stay

To qualify for a stay, the child must have been the victim of either physical or psychological violence, sexual abuse or have witnessed violence. The child must be between the ages of 0 and 18.

In order to be granted a stay, you must complete an application form. The child’s caregiver must print out and complete the application form on behalf of themselves, the child and any other participant.

You will need a covering letter from someone who can confirm the child’s history. The covering letter should be downloaded, printed out and completed by, for example, The Children’s House Oslo (Barnehus), G.P., therapist, Child Welfare Services, The Office for Children, Youth and Family Affairs (Bufetat), counsel for the victim, public health nurse or equivalent. The covering letter should be stamped and signed by the person who wrote it.


The covering letter should include the following information:

  • Brief information on what the family has experienced
  • The family’s status in the process.
  • Agencies that have already been called in.
  • Status of the perpetrator/molester.
  • Whether the child spends time with the perpetrator/molester and, if so, how much.

If you are living under Code 6 or 7, you can call us and let us know your contact information, if this makes you feel safer. All inquiries will be handled with discretion.

Download the application form in Norwegian here

Download the covering letter in Norwegian here

Send the application form and covering letter to:

Stine Sofie Senteret
Østerhusmonen 35
4879 Grimstad.

Mark the envelope with “Application”.

We accept applications and new families on a running basis.

If you want to receive a form or have any other questions, contact us at: post@stinesofiesenteret.no or call us on: 37 29 40 90.