# Youth protection agency removes boy from Den Haag-area children's home

> A court ruling says a boy was belittled and punished at a children's home in the Den Haag region. The youth protection agency has taken him out.

Society · published 2026-11-08 08:41 · https://nlnow.nl/a/judge-dumbfounded-by-mistreatment-of-boy-in-den-haag-area-care-home/

A court has heard how a boy was mistreated at a children's home in the Den Haag region. Jeugdbescherming West Haaglanden, the regional youth protection agency, took him out of the home in September because of the mistreatment. He has been returned to his mother.

At a hearing this week, the judge noted that the boy had been "belittled and punished".

In her decision, the judge said she was "dumbfounded" by the warning signs coming from "children in the most vulnerable situation".

## Earlier cases this year

An earlier case in the north of the Netherlands also became public through a court ruling. There a judge set out in detail how children were seriously abused and neglected for years: they were hit, made to do child labour and bitten by a dog. This year the health and youth inspectorate (Inspectie Gezondheidszorg en Jeugd) concluded that too little had been done to protect those children.

In Drenthe, two girls were removed from a gezinshuis, a small children's home, this year because of "serious concerns" about their safety. The inspectorate also ruled this year that action is needed in Hoenderloo, where several children's care providers house children.

## Background

- **Jeugdbescherming West Haaglanden**: The regional youth protection agency for West-Haaglanden, the Den Haag region. It carries out child protection measures for children whose safety or upbringing is at risk, such as supervision orders and guardianship imposed by a juvenile court. It can also arrange out-of-home placements when a child cannot safely stay with their parents.
- **IGJ (Inspectie Gezondheidszorg en Jeugd)**: The Health and Youth Care Inspectorate, the Dutch government body that supervises healthcare and youth care providers. It checks whether care institutions and other providers meet quality and safety standards, investigates serious incidents, and can take enforcement action when rules are broken.
- **gezinshuis**: A small family-style home in Dutch youth care, where a foster or care family looks after a few children who cannot live with their own parents. It is a form of residential youth care, usually with fewer children than a larger group home, and is subject to supervision by the Dutch health and youth inspectorate.

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