Maarten Halsema
Managing Director
0653525196
Reputation Investigation: Child Protection Board
The Child Protection Board has the vital task of defending the rights of children for whom growing up safely is not a given. This makes its social role clear. At the same time, the organization sometimes faces complex issues and criticism, such as those surrounding the child benefit scandal and out-of-home placements. The Child Protection Board considers it important to understand the views and expectations of its partners, citizens, and clients. That is why, in 2023, the Board asked IVRM Reputation to conduct a study on this topic. The results of the study will be used to strengthen collaboration with partners and further improve the Board’s working methods. The Board also intends to use the results for its communication policy, including in the area of client communication.
Result
The reputation study conducted by IVRM has provided the Child Protection Board with concrete information and recommendations for managing its reputation. The study’s findings offer valuable insights for further improving the Board’s investigative procedures and the implementation of community service orders. In addition, the results provide insight into opportunities to strengthen working relationships with partners in the chain, such as youth protection services, municipalities, the police, the Public Prosecution Service, and the judiciary.
The findings of the study have also been used as part of efforts to improve communication with clients. This includes, for example, letters and the information on the website for parents and children.
Results
Among other things, the study shows that supply chain partners generally have a positive view of the RvdK. Professional, knowledgeable, independent, and always focused on legal protection. In other words, a good partner. But sometimes it could be more dynamic and outward-looking. Stakeholders also speak highly of the quality of the research and advice provided by the RvdK, particularly regarding juvenile criminal law. However, they believe more attention should be paid to the issues faced by parents and to the family context.
The public is generally positive about the RvdK but often does not know exactly what the Council does. However, they do recognize the Council’s importance in ensuring that vulnerable children can grow up safely. The Council is best known to the public for its youth protection duties, particularly its role in out-of-home placements. Its duties related to juvenile criminal law (such as advising on sentences for minors and coordinating the enforcement of community service orders) are much less well known.
Clients of the RvdK have a much more personal, but less positive, view of the RvdK than members of the public who have not had any dealings with the Council. They are particularly critical of the quality of the Council’s investigations and advice. For a large proportion of clients, the RvdK scores relatively low on the traits of empathy, diligence, and reliability. At the same time, nearly half of the clients do have a positive view of the Council, for example because, in their eyes, the Council listened carefully and acted appropriately.
IVRM Approach
The reputation study for the Child Protection Board consisted of two parts: an online survey (completed by over 500 members of the public, 110 clients, and 165 network partners) and 28 in-depth interviews with professionals from these network partners. IVRM utilized the Reputation Mix in the design and reporting of the study. The report includes recommendations on improvement priorities, reputation opportunities, and risks. By adapting the Reputation Mix to the context of the RvdK and combining quantitative and qualitative research, the results are directly applicable to policy.
About the Child Protection Board
Children have the right to healthy and stable development. This is enshrined in the International Convention on the Rights of the Child. In the Netherlands, the Child Protection Board safeguards this right for children whose development is at risk, as well as for those who are suspected of or have been convicted of a criminal offense. In addition, the Child Protection Board coordinates community service orders and provides guidance on adoption, foster care, and complex divorces.
Jeroen Duijvestijn, acting senior communications advisor and press coordinator at the RvdK“We provide recommendations that can have far-reaching and significant consequences for the families and young people we work with. This requires diligence and expertise, but also the ability to put ourselves in these families’ shoes and an understanding of the expectations and experiences of our partners in the child welfare system. The research has made a very valuable contribution to this.”
