Victims of the childcare allowance scandal who also faced forced foster care placement will receive a letter today from Minister Franc Weerwind with information about additional support, such as assistance from the Support Team and free legal aid. With this targeted support offer, the government aims to help a larger group of affected parents improve their family situations. By comparing data from 2005, the minister can reach out to these parents more effectively.
Minister Weerwind stated, “The injustice done to victims of the allowance scandal continually affects me. As a government, we must take responsibility for the role the allowance scandal may have played in foster care placements. It is crucial that affected parents and children are aware of the help and support available to them, such as the Support Team. That’s why I am now making a targeted support offer to a larger group of parents with this letter.”
Thanks to the Temporary Personal Data Exchange Act UHP KOT, which was introduced on July 1, 2023, it is possible to securely compare personal data from the Tax and Customs Administration, the Council for Child Protection, and the judiciary. This comparison identified 1,819 children from 1,168 affected parents who have experienced foster care placements.
Further investigation will determine whether there are more affected parents from the childcare allowance scandal who have experienced foster care placements besides these 1,168 parents. Not every court records judgments in the same way, which requires further analysis. This additional group of parents will receive a letter with the support offer as soon as possible. In total, it is likely to involve a larger group of children from affected parents than previously reported by Statistics Netherlands (CBS). This is because the new comparison was made with data from 2005, whereas CBS had used data from 2015.
Parents who have now come forward will receive the letter with the offer of help and support. This assistance is provided, among other things, by the Support Team. This team assists affected parents and children with contact restoration, housing, and financial problems. Since its establishment in April 2022, 500 parents have already contacted the Support Team.