Staff shortages leading to risks in youth institutions, Inspectorates say

Staff shortages in juvenile detention centers have recently worsened due to stricter regulations on hiring freelancers. Three inspection agencies are warning that this poses “risks to the safety of both staff and youths.” The growing lack of personnel is also affecting the treatment and rehabilitation of young people held in these facilities, according to the Inspectorate of Justice and Security, the Health and Youth Care Inspectorate, and the Education Inspectorate.

The inspectorates are calling on State Secretary Teun Struycken “to urgently ensure the availability of qualified staff, sufficient high-security placements for youths, and appropriate funding.”

Currently, around 480 youths reside in the juvenile detention centers. Six of these facilities have been struggling with staff shortages for years. These shortages have worsened because freelancers are no longer being hired, due to the tax authorities potentially classifying them as disguised employees.

Until early this year, one in three pedagogical staff members at the six locations was a temporary hire. The facilities now want to employ only permanent staff, but the tight labor market has led to "significant gaps in staffing."

This has consequences for the detained youths: their daily programs, which include education and guidance, have been shortened, and they are "spending more time locked alone in their rooms." They also have less contact with their loved ones.

The idea is that youths in juvenile detention learn from their sentence through education, upbringing, and treatment, with the aim of a safe return to society. According to the inspectorates, this primary goal is increasingly under pressure due to the shortages.