The cabinet recognizes that more than 1115 children of affected benefit parents may have been placed out of their homes. It is now being examined whether the children who are still in an institution or foster family can return home.
The Central Bureau of Statistics released on Monday that 1115 such evictions have taken place in families known as victims of the allowance affair. That outcome led to shocked reactions in the House of Representatives. Parliamentarians were angry that the cabinet had not shared the CBS results with the House in a letter.
Now that letter has arrived. Outgoing Minister for Legal Protection Sander Dekker calls it ‘terrible if problems with the childcare allowance have in any way played a role in an out-of-home placement’. He acknowledges that a situation may have arisen as a result of the allowance affair at home ‘as a result of which authorities were ultimately forced to proceed with the out-of-home placement of children’.
Outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte has also responded. The fact that hundreds of children of victims of the allowance affair have been removed from their homes is ‘very serious’, he said in Brussels. We must look at that very seriously,’ said the prime minister.
Number higher
According to Dekker, the actual number of children may be even higher than the measured 1115, because not all parents who reported as victims have yet been assessed. In addition, new parents still report as victims.
In addition, Statistics Netherlands only conducted research into the period between 2015 and 2020, so there is a chance that children were already being admitted to an institution or foster family by order of the judge before that time. According to Dekker, it has only been since 2015 that central records have been made of how many children come under youth protection and are placed out of their homes. Investigating the period before that is therefore difficult.
The best interests of the child come first
Dekker points out that the cabinet has set up arrangements for affected parents and children. However, he also recognizes that more is needed for families still affected by out-of-home placements. There must be a place where they can go with questions. At the same time, ‘it can be examined whether recovery of the family situation is desirable and possible, and to what extent an ongoing out-of-home placement can be reconsidered’, writes Dekker.
He points out, however, that an individual assessment will have to be made on a case-by-case basis, ‘whereby the best interests of the child must come first’. Children can only be placed out of their home for a year after the intervention of the judge. If youth care is of the opinion that the stay should be extended, the judge must agree to this.
Dekker says that he will provide the House with clarity about the precise details of the approach as soon as possible.
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