Children and parents often do not receive the right care when children are placed out of home. This is partly due to the long waiting lists in care and the lack of appropriate help, according to an exploratory study by the children’s rights organization Defense for Children, which is sounding the alarm today about the youth protection system.
“A home placement is a very emotional and radical event for children and parents,” says Eva Huls, lawyer and author of the report. In recent years, Defense for Children received several signals from the Children’s Rights Helpdesk. For example, children should often not have contact with their parents during the first phase. Also, families would not always receive appropriate help and treatment in the period before and after the custodial placement.
On the other hand, the number of children who do not grow up at home in the Netherlands has hardly fallen. Last year, 43,000 children did not grow up in their original home situation. More than 18,900 children were removed from their homes through the juvenile court. Huls: ,, In order to reduce the annual number, appropriate care and guidance is needed for children and parents. The Netherlands therefore has to work hard.”
Research
In response to the signals, Defense for Children conducted a survey among 95 employees in and around youth protection. Among them were 26 youth protectors, 22 social workers, 15 foster care workers and 13 lawyers. A third felt that parents do not receive enough help before their child is placed out of their home. According to almost half (46 percent), proper help was lacking during the out-of-home placement. This could be due in part to the multitude of different authorities involved.
Less than half (46 percent) see that children and parents usually have contact during the first phase of the out-of-home placement. According to about half of the respondents, parents and children are involved in decisions about this contact.
According to the respondents, youth protectors should be given more time to prevent evictions and reduce the number. Investments should also be made in trauma screening and treatment and in making a better analysis of the problems that run in the family.
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