Staff shortages in Dutch youth care have impact on court decisions
In the media image: Sasun Bughdaryan on Unsplash
In at least 16 recent court cases, judges took severe staff shortages into account in decisions not to impose compulsory youth care. Mariëlle Bruning, Professor of Children and the Law, comments in ‘Trouw’ on this dilemma for judges.
Due to severe staff shortages in youth care, judges in the Netherlands are sometimes more cautious when deciding on cases involving families with serious problems. An investigation by Trouw shows that in their decisions, judges take into account that there are not enough child protection officers and social workers to implement certain measures. It concerns families where action by the authorities is considered necessary because a child’s safety or development is at risk. In such cases, the court can decide to issue a family supervision order.
According to Mariëlle Bruning, the situation shows the seriousness of the situation in the youth care system in the Netherlands. She says the judges are facing a dilemma. By the time a case reaches the court, there are usually already serious concerns about a child’s welfare. As a result, she says it can be ‘extremely difficult’ to ultimately refrain from intervening. Nevertheless, judges are taking staff shortages into account ‘more than ever’: ‘In all the years I’ve been in this field, I’ve rarely seen this’, Bruning says.
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Read the full article in Trouw (€, in Dutch)