News item | 31-03-2022 | 15:38
Victims of the allowance affair whose children have been removed from their home receive extra support. An independent national support team will be available to them from 4 April. Affected parents and children who are (or have had) to deal with an out-of-home placement can register directly with this team. Minister Franc Weerwind for Legal Protection writes this in a letter to the House of Representatives.
The team is independent and is there for the parents and children. The team includes process counselors who offer a listening ear to affected parents. They visualize the situation of these parents and children. Not every family is the same and there are often multiple problems, which is why customization is required. Together with the family it is examined what their wishes are and what is possible. The safety and development of the child are always central. The process counselor can then help to provide further guidance to the parent(s) and child(ren), together with social workers who are already involved with the family. In this way, new insights can be gained and as yet unknown solutions and possibilities can be sought to improve living conditions or the family situation.
The minister has recently spoken with affected parents.
“Their stories about how the benefits affair contributed to the situation they ended up in with their families made a deep impression on me. I want to get things right for these parents and children. We owe this to them as well.”
The Support Team is an addition to the help from the recovery operation allowances and the extra efforts of municipalities, youth protection and the Child Protection Board that is already available to parents.
Free legal aid
Affected parents can already make free use of legal aid within the recovery operation childcare allowance. A new feature is that affected parents can receive free help from a specialized lawyer if they want to defend themselves against a custodial placement. A subsidy scheme is being drawn up for this together with the Legal Aid Board and the Dutch Bar Association.
Independent research
The Justice and Security Inspectorate, in collaboration with the Health Care and Youth Inspectorate, is investigating the youth protection chain in relation to the childcare allowance. She has started this research and is expected to complete it by the end of this year. The minister will talk to the House of Representatives to find out whether additional research is necessary, for example by setting up a committee.