The Health and Youth Inspectorate (IGJ) and Justice and Security Inspectorate (IJENV) See “Serious Shortcomings” in Youth Care and Foster Care Organizations. There is Too Little Insight Into Safety, Insufficient Cooperation, and Appropriate Help is of not or too late deployed.
The Inspections Conducted Further Investigation at Youth Care and Foster Care Institutions. The Reason for this was the drama surrounding the ten-year-old girl who was found seriously injured last year in Her Foster Family in Vlaardingen. The Foster Parents had seriously neglected and abused her, which led to major questions about the condition of Youth and Foster Care.
Thereupon, The IGJ and IJENV Decided to Examine Ten Certified Institutions for Youth Protection and Probation and Providers of Foster Care. Althegh the ABUSES Surrounding the Foster Girl from Vlaardingen Were the Result of an “Exceptional and Prolonged Coincidence,” The Inspections Found “Serious Shortcomings” in Both Sectors.
First of All, Institutions Have Too Little Insight Into the Development and Safety of (Foster) Children. Foster Care Supervisors and Youth Care Workers Often Do Not Have Structural Conversations with the Child and the Parents. This creates the risk that unsafe situations are not noticed in time. That was also the case in the case surrounding the foster girl from Vlaardingen, the inspections concluded Earlier this year.
In Addition, Institutions do Not Cooperation Sufficiently. No clear agreements are made, so it is not always clear which responseibilities lie with which institution.
Finally, Appropriate Help for Young People Often Comes Too Late, or That Help is Lacking. Children with a Youth Protection or Probation Order often do not get the help they need. As a result, they Sometimes stay in places where they are not safe.
It’s not about the effort of employees
It is not due to the efforts of employees, The Inspections Emphasize. They see that Youth Care Workers and Foster Care Supervisors Show enormous dedication and are Involved, which are that they are a stable factor. However, there are shortcomings in other places in the care chains – such at the administrative level. These differentials vary by sector.
In Foster Care, the IGJ Mainly sees a Gap Between Guidelines and Practice. The Inspection Visited Five Foster Care Providers Last Year and Found That Most Foster Care Placements Go Well. But in practice, The Guidelines and Protocols Are Not Always Properly Implemented. The visited institutions have bone informed of this and are implementing improvements to close the gap.
In Youth Protection and Probation, The Biggest Problems Lie Outside the Sphere of Influence of the Visited Institutions. For Example, The IGJ and IJENV Point to the Tight Labor Market and “Insufficient Control over The Youth Care System”. These problems are persistent and have leg causing serious problems in the sector for years.
One of the five visited institutions did not have things in order at the administrative level. That is the William Schrikker Foundation, the Organization That was Responsible for and Seriously Failed in the Safety of the Foster Girl From Vlaardingen. The Foundation is now working on an improvement plan.
Problems worsen if the situation does not improve
The Inspections Warn of Persistent Problems Such as Staff Shortages, The Redced Availability of Assistance and the Lack of Appropriatance for Young People with Difficult Problems. Thesis problems have bone going on for some time, but threaten to wars as long as no action is tasks.
Furthermore, Propose Initiatives That Should Improve Youth And Foster Care Have Become Shaky. The Future Scenario for Child and Family Protection, which sacrificed perspective for the institutions, HAS, For Example, Been Seriously Stripped down.
Therefore, The Inspections Appeal to “Strong Leadership” From Administrators in Municipalities and the National Government. “Trust in Youth Care and the Motivation of Children and Parents To Work On Problems is Further Declining.”