Children and families still waiting too long for help from domestic abuse center

Children and families still have to wait too long for Veilig Thuis, the reporting and advisory center against domestic violence, to come into action in cases of domestic abuse. This was reported by the Health and Youth Care Inspectorate (IGJ). "They do not get the help they need on time to make their home situation safe again. Because of this, they live too long with a constant threat of domestic violence or child abuse."

According to the inspectorate, employees of Veilig Thuis have even told them that they are not sure there is any point in reporting the issues to the center. The only time that reports are handled instantly is when there are signs of acute danger.

The inspectorate checked three of the 25 Veilig Thuis organizations and requested information from all of them. In 2024, it appears that only five Veilig Thuis organizations will manage to assess at least 80 percent of reports within the statutory time limits.

Reasons for the delay are the increase and severity of the reports, insufficient expertise and availability at the local emergency services, and inadequate staff availability.

If there is not a threat of immediate danger then handling the reports has to wait. However, this also includes reports about severe structural assault or neglect. The IGJ is very concerned about the children and families who do not get a safety assessment or investigation on time.

IGJ asks Veilig Thuis to focus on eliminating its own waiting lists and on other partners in the sector. "Because a family is not helped, it is moved from the waiting list at Veilig Thuis to the waiting list of, for example, a voluntary assistance organization."

The inspectorate emphasized that municipalities and various other organizations are also responsible for making Veilig Thuis's work more possible.

The national network of Veilig Thuis "shares the concerns" and will take the findings very seriously.

"We are seeing waiting times increase because of the significant increase and complexity of reports, cuts, tightness in the labor market, and a shortage of specialists and available emergency services to hand over the care," the network said.

As much as possible is already being tackled regionally, but the network said, "an innovative approach and way of working together is needed between all parties involved, nationally and locally. "