A man suspected of sexual abuse has been able to continue working in childcare despite being suspended. That is according to PowNed. The case raises serious questions about the effectiveness of oversight and enforcement within the Dutch childcare sector.
How is this possible?
In the Netherlands, childcare organizations are required to screen employees through a Certificate of Good Conduct (Verklaring Omtrent het Gedrag/VOG). There is also a legal obligation to notify the Municipal Health Service (GGD) and supervisory authorities when an employee is suspended or dismissed due to a serious incident. In practice, however, these systems are not always watertight.
A suspension by one employer does not automatically bar someone from working elsewhere in the sector. As long as there is no criminal conviction and no record on the VOG, a suspected employee can, in theory, find work at another childcare organization.
A structural flaw in the screening process
The case of Jan B. is unfortunately not an isolated incident. Previous cases have come to light in which employees were able to start at a different childcare location after being dismissed or suspended elsewhere. The so-called childcare staff register (personeelsregister kinderopvang) and the continuous screening system based on the VOG are steps the government has taken to prevent this — but critics point out that gaps in the system remain.
For example, a new VOG is only requested when someone joins a new employer, not automatically when a current employee comes under suspicion of a criminal offence. The Childcare Persons Register (Personenregister Kinderopvang), introduced in 2018, offers greater scope for continuous screening, but even this system has its limitations.
What does this mean for parents?
For parents who bring their child to childcare, this kind of news is understandably alarming. It is worth knowing what rights and options parents have:
- Ask about the screening policy: Parents are entitled to ask their childcare organization how staff are screened and how incidents are reported.
- Report concerns to the GGD: If you have concerns about safety at a location, you can report them to the Municipal Health Service (GGD), which is responsible for supervising childcare.
- View inspection reports: Through the National Childcare Register (Landelijk Register Kinderopvang/LRK), inspection reports for all registered locations are publicly available. A summary of each report can also be found on the location's page on Kiddie.
The case once again underscores the importance of robust oversight and rapid information-sharing between employers, supervisory authorities, and the justice system whenever there is a suspicion of abuse in childcare.