Mariëlle Bruning at roundtable discussion on child protection system
On 3 November 2022, Mariëlle Bruning, Professor of Children and the Law, spoke as an expert on child protection at a roundtable discussion with Dutch Lower House members of the Standing Committee on Justice and Security.
Her position paper focused on legal protection in the child protection system. She discussed the main findings of the final evaluation of the Child Protection Act 2015 which she conducted with colleagues from Leiden, commissioned by the WODC (Research and Documentation Centre) and published in September 2022 (see English summary).
She stressed, as did Ms Van der Putten, chief inspector of the Inspectorate for Health and Youth Care (IGJ), among others, that emergency measures are necessary to implement this law and comply with international obligations to protect children. As examples of emergency measures, she suggested that a temporary choice could be made to prioritise youth assistance for children and young people facing child protection orders. Also, situations involving complex divorces should be kept out of the child protection system as much as possible. Speakers Bart Tromp (Groningen children's judge and Groningen University) and Herke Elbers (director of the Child Protection Board) supported these proposals.
To view the position papers or discussion with Lower House members (in Dutch) see: Jeugdbescherming | Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal.
The roundtable discussion (in Dutch) can be viewed using the following link: Jeugdbescherming | Debat Gemist (tweedekamer.nl)
