Veilig Thuis asks cabinet for extra funding as advice requests and waiting lists grow
The 25 organisations behind Veilig Thuis say they have reached the limit of what they can handle. Reported requests range from 70 million to 210 million euros, depending on the outlet.
A call for money over three years
Veilig Thuis, the network of 25 regional organisations that gives advice and takes in reports on domestic violence and child abuse, is asking the cabinet for extra money. In a statement the organisations write that 'the limit of what Veilig Thuis can handle has been reached', and say the money is needed to ease acute pressure and waiting lists and to speed up the transformation of the approach. The sums reported differ by outlet. Trouw reports a request of 210 million euros in total over three years, NRC reports 70 million euros over three years, and Het Parool reports 70 million euros per year. Trouw also reports that a spokesperson said on the morning of 13 October that a total of 70 million euros would also be good, and that this amount would have better prospects.
Advice requests and reports keep rising
Requests for advice rose from 122,050 in 2020 to 178,925 in 2025, an increase of almost 50 percent, according to figures from the Statistics Netherlands (CBS) and the organisation itself. Reports of domestic violence and child abuse rose by 7 percent over the same period. Trouw reports that the 25 regional organisations received more than 130,000 reports last year, while NOS puts the figure at 136,000, of which more than 90,000 had not yet involved the family. In Overijssel, Veilig Thuis IJsselland reported a 15 percent rise in reports in 2025 and a further 18 percent over the first three quarters of 2026. Its director Liesbeth Kleisen described the pressure bluntly.
The inflow is now really too much.
- 2020
- 122050 requests
- 2025
- 178925 requests
Waiting lists and delayed follow-up
The law requires a report to be picked up within five days, but NOS reports that this often does not happen. In the past few years about half of reports were picked up later, and people now wait an average of about two months, in some cases longer than half a year. Ida Ouweneel of the board of the Landelijk Netwerk Veilig Thuis said the outlook for this year offers no hope, because the waiting list normally shrinks in summer but did not this year. She added that all reports are screened and that, when there is acute danger, there is no waiting list and the report is picked up immediately. She put the organisation's position plainly.
At this moment we cannot guarantee that we can pick up all signals of unsafety in time.
The Inspectorate for Health Care and Youth (IGJ) has warned about waiting times for years. A study published in 2024 found that the waiting lists lead to unsafety, because many serious cases remain pending even though every report is triaged for acute situations. Minister of Long-term Care, Youth and Sport Mirjam Sterk (CDA) shares the concerns, and her answers to parliamentary questions in July 2026 show that the safety assessment was not completed on time in 40 to 60 percent of cases. Lawyers also issued warnings after it became known that a six-year-old girl had been seriously mistreated in Stadskanaal. Despite several reports to Veilig Thuis, the mistreatment could continue.
Staffing shortages and what comes next
According to Veilig Thuis, staff shortages create a risk that its workers are not always available for partner organisations such as the police and the Public Prosecution Service (OM). A spokesperson told ANP that Veilig Thuis is meant to become redundant after three years, referring to a future scenario the cabinet had drawn up in 2021 in which it would be placed with regional safety teams. The organisation says this cannot work while everyone is overwhelmed by daily work. Veilig Thuis already receives an extra 2.5 million euros a year for a day-and-night chat function, and extra money for that chat has also been made available from 2027. Colinda Guiljam, who works for Veilig Thuis in Zeeland, also sees the pile of reports growing. The Tweede Kamer debates the budget of the Ministry of Health on Wednesday, 14 October.
- A study finds that waiting lists lead to unsafety, with many serious cases left pending
- Minister Mirjam Sterk's answers to parliamentary questions show safety assessments were not completed on time in 40 to 60 percent of cases
- The 25 Veilig Thuis organisations ask the cabinet for extra funding, saying the limit of what they can handle has been reached
- The Tweede Kamer debates the budget of the Ministry of Health
