Lene Vågslid | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Vågslid in March 2025 | |
| Minister of Children and Families | |
| Assumed office 4 February 2025 | |
| Prime Minister | Jonas Gahr Støre |
| Preceded by | Kjersti Toppe |
| Deputy Parliamentary Leader of theLabour Party | |
| In office 23 March 2022 – 4 February 2025 Serving with Åsmund Grøver Aukrust | |
| Leader | Rigmor Aasrud |
| Preceded by | Terje Aasland |
| Succeeded by | Ingvild Kjerkol Tuva Moflag |
| Member of the Storting | |
| Assumed office 1 October 2013 | |
| Deputy | Tone E. Berge Hansen Konstanse Marie Alvær |
| Constituency | Telemark |
| Deputy Member of the Storting | |
| In office 1 October 2009 – 30 September 2013 | |
| Constituency | Telemark |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1986-03-17)17 March 1986 (age 39) Tokke, Telemark, Norway |
| Political party | Labour |
| Domestic partner | Arild Grande |
| Children | 1 |
| Occupation | Teacher |
Lene Vågslid (born 17 March 1986) is a Norwegian teacher and politician for theLabour Party. She has served as a member of the Parliament of Norway forTelemark since 2013 after having served as a deputy representative between 2009 and 2013.[1][2] She has served as the minister of children and families since 2025.
Vågsild was elected as a deputy member fromTelemark in 2009 and held the position until 2013, when she was elected as a regular representative. She has been re-elected since.[1]
In parliament, she sat on theStanding Committee on Justice between 2013 and 2017 before leading it from 2017 to 2021. She then joined theStanding Committee on Local Government and Public Administration in 2021, which she led until her ministerial appointment in February 2025.[1]
On 23 March 2022, she andÅsmund Grøver Aukrust were appointed new deputy parliamentary leaders in the aftermath ofTerje Aasland's appointment to the government.[3] When she andÅsmund Grøver Aukrust were appointed to government, the party choseIngvild Kjerkol andTuva Moflag as their successors.[4]
While serving in government from February 2025,Tone E. Berge Hansen deputised in her place until September of the same year. From October 2025,Konstanse Marie Alvær has deputised for her.[1]
Following theCentre Party's withdrawal from government, she was appointed minister of children and families on 4 February 2025.[5]
A week after assuming office, criticism was levelled againstNRK presenter Fredrik Solvang when he questioned how Vågslid in a recentDebatten episode, could manage her personal life due to having abstained from participating in the programme before becoming minister. Former culture ministerAnette Trettebergstuen andChristian Democratic Party deputy leaderIda Lindtveit Røse argued that the editorial team was enforcing stereotypes with the question and Solvang argued that the question wasn't intended to criticise Vågslid's capability to be minister. Vågslid herself stated that she hadn't taken offence by the question.[6]
Following revelations of children in child care institutions getting access to drugs, Vågslid announced in April that the government would be looking to allow institutional staff to search children's phones as a measure to establish boundaries for their freedom of movement in institutions. Furthermore, hospitals would receive the responsibility to take care of drug addicted children under the age of eighteen, rather than the child welfare service.[7]
In late May, prime ministerJonas Gahr Støre and Vågslid announced that the government would be putting forward a law proposal that would seek to lower the age limit for social media to 15. There would however be an exception for video games, communication services utilised in relation to school and services utilised for purchases. Both also conceded that enforcing the law would be challenging as the proposal would be sent out on hearing for feedback.[8]
Verdens Gang revealed that more than 828 children had been moved out of the country while their families were investigated by the Child Welfare Services in the last three years, and at least 72 had been abducted before the Child Welfare Services could take custody of them. Vågslid stated in September that the government would aim for improved national statistics over moves and the same would go for Bufdir.[9]
After a commission specialising in Child Welfare institutional reform presented their report, theConservative Party called for the abolishment of the current system of the child welfare services. Vågslid expressed that she was open to reform the structure of the child welfare services if it would lead to an improved service.[10]
She hails fromTokke.[2] She is currently in a domestic partnership with Arild Grande, with whom she has one daughter.[11]