Entire oversight board resigns after child agency criticized over delays, staffing
The entire supervisory board of Jeugdbescherming Noord (Youth Protection North, JBN) and Veilig Thuis Groningen has resigned following an inspection report revealing that the organization fails to provide timely and appropriate protection and support to vulnerable children and families in Groningen and Drenthe, RTV Noord reports.
The inspection, conducted in March by the Health and Youth Care Inspectorate and the Justice and Security Inspectorate, placed Jeugdbescherming Noord under intensified supervision for seven months. During this period, the organization will be subject to frequent checks and must implement and report on a series of mandated improvements.
The inspectors concluded that children, teenagers, and their families “do not receive the protection, guidance, and assistance they need on time.” Many families are left without a consistent youth protection officer, and support services are frequently delayed.
In a statement, Jeugdbescherming Noord said that many of the reported deficiencies had developed over recent years. “By stepping down, the supervisory board takes responsibility for the past and seeks to clear the way for the improvements that are now being implemented,” the organization said.
JBN lost its official certification in December due to ongoing problems, and has been operating under a temporary certificate since. The organization has until September to prove that it meets the requirements to regain its certification and continue serving families.
Each year, JBN is responsible for handling around 1,000 cases involving court-ordered youth protection measures, such as out-of-home placements or supervision orders.
As early as October, JBN had already commissioned its own internal review, which resulted in a recovery plan. According to the organization, it has been working hard to implement those changes. The new inspection findings will now be used to further refine the plan.
Inge Scholing, the outgoing chair of the supervisory board, said in a written statement, “The board has full confidence in the recovery plan and in the current director who has been leading that effort since February. With our resignation, we express our hope that attention can now turn toward the future — that the director and the organization can continue rebuilding from the past and work toward a stronger future.”
While inspectors acknowledged the dedication of frontline workers under pressure, they warned that the quality of care is still “insufficient” and said they have “no confidence that the problems can be resolved in the short term.”
According to the inspectors, part of the underlying causes lies beyond JBN’s direct control and are rooted in broader failures in the national youth protection system. “However, the causes that are within the organization’s responsibility must be addressed swiftly,” they said.
Director Hemmala Sheerbahadoersing acknowledged the severity of the findings. “That’s exactly why I joined the organization in February 2024, to guide it toward a sustainable recovery,” she told RTV Noord. “But it’s important to recognize that problems that have existed for years can’t be fixed overnight. It takes time to improve in a lasting way.”
She emphasized the organization’s top priority is to ensure every child and family is assigned a dedicated youth protection officer. “That can only happen if we succeed in retaining staff and making sure youth protectors want to keep doing this crucial work in a system that doesn’t always support them,” she told the newspaper. “That remains our biggest challenge. Ultimately, our goal is and remains to ensure that the children, young people, and families entrusted to us receive the care and protection they deserve.”
