Wake-up call for Dutch youth care after Vlaardingen foster abuse
In the media image: Lottie Dolls on Unsplash
Last year, the abuse of a girl by her foster parents shocked the Netherlands. Their trial begins today in a case that marks a turning point for youth care. Mariëlle Bruning, Professor of Child Law, has spoken to various news outlets.
Today marks the start of the trial against the foster parents of the ten-year-old girl from Vlaardingen. The abuse was able to continue for two years, because youth care, despite several warnings, did not intervene. The question of how this could happen made headlines in the Netherlands last year. 'It was not so much a signal that the system is failing, but that the people who implement it have not so correctly,' says Mariëlle Bruning. 'To put it mildly.'
For both the government as well as youth care organisations, the failings in the care for the girl from Vlaardingen was a wake-up call. The Ministry of Security and Justice is now working on new legislation that aims to provide extra supervision for children who have a guardianship order. In addition, the workload within the youth care system must be reduced, legal protection must be strengthened and cooperation between the parties involved must be improved. Youth care organisations have also tightened their policies. For example, they want more one-on-one meetings and also to be able to file reports faster and call in confidential counsellors more often.
'These improvements are essential. In this way, a full picture can be obtained about a child. A confidential counsellor can help to ensure a child’s voice is heard even in difficult times,' says Bruning. 'A lot now seems to have been set in motion and that’s an important step forward. But first and foremost, this is about a critical professional attitude by the care providers. To avoid tunnel vision, they must be constantly alert and speak out if they sense something isn’t quite right.'
More information?
Read the NOS article
Read the reconstruction by Rijnmond
Watch the explanatory video of Twee
Watch the full Nieuwsuur broadcast
Read the full interview in NRC (€)
(All in Dutch)