More than 200 children in the Netherlands whose parents have lost their parental rights through court decisions are living without a permanent legal guardian because of staff shortages in the child protection system.
According to research by investigative platform Investico and newspaper Trouw, the affected children live with foster families or in care homes and should each have a dedicated guardian from a child protection organisation.
The guardian is responsible for monitoring the child’s welfare and making important decisions on their behalf.
“This is absolutely unacceptable,” said Mariëlle Bruning, professor of child law at Leiden University. “There must always be someone keeping an eye on the child.”
Without permanent guardians, decisions about medical treatment, education, and passport applications are being made by temporary staff who may not be familiar with the child’s case.
Associate professor Joost Huijer of Utrecht University said this creates risks for the children’s wellbeing.
The Netherlands has 14 child protection organisations responsible for about 7,500 children under guardianship.
Six of these organisations have reported waiting lists. Five said they had a combined total of 133 children without a guardian on April 1, while another organisation reported having 90 children without guardians in February.
The organisations blamed the problem on high staff turnover, employee sickness, and administrative instability.
Professor Bruning pointed to the case of a foster girl in Vlaardingen, who was left permanently disabled after being abused by her foster parents, as an example of the consequences of poor oversight.
The girl reportedly had several different guardians over time, and social workers failed to speak with her privately for long periods.
Figures also show that around 1,500 children were waiting for some form of child protection worker in October 2025.
