When your child becomes ill, tell your employer about your absence as soon as possible. Clarify any necessary handover and when you will provide an update. Do not promise to work from home if your child needs care all day.
What should your first message to the employer contain?
Say that you need to be absent because your child is ill, when the absence starts and when you can give another update. Follow your workplace’s absence notification procedure.
One example is: “My child is ill and I need to stay home today. I do not yet know whether I will come tomorrow. I will provide an update by 15:00.” The time is a suggestion, not a legal deadline.
You do not need to guess how long the illness will last. It is better to say what you know and agree the next update. If your workplace requires a telephone call, a message in a group chat may not be enough.
Nav, the labour and welfare administration, explains the conditions for omsorgspenger when a child is ill, checked on 4 October 2026. This guide concerns communication and handover. For an overview of the scheme, also see care days for a sick child and check your situation with Nav.
Who should be notified about the absence?
Tell the person responsible under the absence procedure. Also clarify who will inform colleagues, customers or others waiting for you.
This may be your immediate manager, shift supervisor or another contact. Find out who to contact if that person does not respond. Save contact details before you need them.
A team message can be brief: “I am absent today. The manager has been informed. The report is in the project folder.” Share information about the task rather than private details about your child.
If you have several employers, each needs notice of your absence from their job. A message to one employer does not automatically reach another. Follow each workplace’s procedure and clarify recording separately.
How do you hand over without promising to work all day?
Give a short overview of urgent tasks, where materials are stored and who can take over. The handover should fit the situation and should not become a hidden agreement to work a full day.
If your child needs you immediately, say so: “I cannot give a full walkthrough now. The most important information is in the shift log.” The manager needs enough information to organise the work further.
A simple overview might look like this:
| Task | Status | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| Order | Draft saved in approved folder | Manager assigns checking and sending |
| Customer meeting | Scheduled in calendar | Manager chooses a new contact or postpones |
| Shift | Not started | Shift supervisor arranges staffing |
Give relevant deadlines, but do not send passwords or sensitive documents in private chats. Use approved systems. Do not include customer details in a private message about your child.
Clarify availability: “I can give a short update now, but cannot monitor email for the rest of the day.” Do not propose this if your job requires another arrangement. Describe what is actually possible and ask your manager to clarify further handling.
What if you can work part of the day?
Agree which hours you work and which hours you are absent to provide care. Working from home and care-related absence are different situations.
As of 4 October 2026, Nav’s rules on omsorgspenger require absence from work and loss of employment income. You cannot treat the same time as both ordinary full work and absence with omsorgspenger.
If the other parent takes over care later, you may be able to work part of the day. Ask how partial absence is recorded at your workplace. Do not assume every employer uses hours or parts of days in the same way.
One example is: “I can work after 13:00 if we agree that. How should I record the hours and absence?” This suggests a possible solution. It does not automatically give a right to work from home or change your shift.
How do you record absence and documentation?
Use the correct absence type and clarify who receives necessary documents. Note the dates so your records and your employer’s records match.
Your own illness and your child’s illness are different reasons for absence. Do not choose your own illness just because that code is easiest to find. If the system is unclear, ask payroll or the personnel department.
Nav states that the employer can request a medical certificate from the fourth day of absence, checked on 4 October 2026. This concerns consecutive absence. Nav says a non-working weekend may count, for example Friday to Monday. Clarify the need in time if the absence continues. Documentation for additional care days is a separate question with its own conditions.
Send documents to the correct contact through an approved channel. A group chat for the whole team is unsuitable for health information. Ask for an explanation if you do not know which form or documentation is required.
What if your child becomes ill during a shift?
Contact the shift supervisor immediately and clarify a safe handover before leaving tasks that require continuous responsibility. The manager needs to know you must leave.
You can say: “The kindergarten has called. I need to collect my child. Who can take over my tasks now?” When working with patients, children or machines, handover may matter for safety.
This does not mean you must solve staffing alone. Give necessary information and follow workplace procedures. If the situation is urgent, explain it clearly and ask for help with the next step.
Note when the absence actually started. Clarify later how the rest of the shift should be recorded. Avoid recording the whole day as absence if you already worked part of it.
What do you do if your care days have been used up?
Still report the care need, but clarify leave and payment separately. More days of absence do not automatically mean more paid care days.
The Working Environment Act regulates leave when a child is ill in § 12-9. Conditions for time off and income benefits are not identical. Check what applies with your employer and Nav, particularly during longer illness.
Do not take holiday or unpaid leave without understanding the agreement. Ask which options apply to your particular situation. In a disagreement, an employee representative or trade union can help with the employment relationship.
Checklist when you return
Check the absence records and clarify which tasks you should resume. Ask for a short update if the plan changed while you were away.
- Absence dates and any working hours are correct.
- Necessary documentation has reached the right person.
- I know who handled important tasks.
- I know new deadlines and priorities.
- I have clarified further absence if my child still needs care.
SamfunnPrep has a checklist for your first week in Norway. Consider adding a task to find your workplace’s absence procedure and contacts before your family needs them.
