The cabinet will apologize to children affected by the childcare benefits scandal who were subsequently taken into care. The children suffered additional harm due to the problems that arose in their families because the Tax Authorities wrongly reclaimed a lot of money.
The cabinet wants to explicitly acknowledge the suffering of the children, according to outgoing NSC State Secretaries Teun Struycken (Legal Protection) and Sandra Palmen (Recovery and Allowances).
It is a reaction from the cabinet to the report Legacy of Injustice, which was presented in March by an independent commission. It showed that the financial problems of affected families led to debts, poverty, and stress. Sometimes this even led to children being taken into care. In many cases, this could have been prevented if youth care had recognized the causes – the battle with the Tax Authorities.
“The young people were first affected by wrongful reclaims from the Tax Authorities and then by being taken into care when the causes of family problems were insufficiently recognized,” says Struycken.
The consequences for the children who were taken into care are still significant. They have mental problems, have not been able to complete their education, and have not been able to develop their talents. In addition, relationships between parents, children, and siblings are often severely damaged.
Consequences still unclear
It is not yet clear in what form the apologies will be offered. The State Secretaries report that the cabinet wants to “develop the precise form and content of this explicit recognition, including apologies, with the partners and organizations involved and with young people themselves.” According to the cabinet, this is important for regaining the trust of the affected families.
“These young people still carry the negative impact with them every day,” says Palmen. “We see and hear you and acknowledge that a lot of suffering has been caused by the government. That is why we want to help the young people with what they need most.”
In any case, there must be a national support center for parents and young people seeking mental help. There must also be a new regulation that helps young people who have been taken into care with their education and development.
Between 2005 and 2019, the Tax Authorities wrongly identified tens of thousands of parents as fraudsters, with childcare benefits being stopped and reclaimed. It is still unclear exactly how many children have been affected. The CBS estimated that it concerns more than 2,000 placements in care. The Ministry of Justice and Security spoke of 3,500 children.