News Social Improvement
2 min.
Parents of children who need extra care in the European Netherlands receive additional child allowance (kinderbijslag), but this is not yet the case for parents in similar situations in the Caribbean Netherlands. In response to parliamentary questions raised by political party PvdA during a recent debate in the House of Representatives in the Netherlands, Dutch Minister for Poverty Policy, Participation and Pensions Carola Schouten confirmed that the situation regarding extra child allowance for parents of children who need intensive care is being looked at. “I believe that such extra child allowance should be available for parents of children who need intensive care in the Dutch Caribbean as well”, she wrote in her answer to the House.
Steps taken, but not enough
The previous Dutch cabinet had started exploring the possibilities of bringing extra child allowance arrangements for special cases up to similar levels. As she writes in her letter to the House, child allowance in the Caribbean Netherlands has doubled since it was introduced there back in 2016. Nevertheless, Minister Schouten also admits that there is still a lot to be done for this situation to be completely remedied. State Secretary for Kingdom Relations and Digitalisation Alexandra van Huffelen also touched on this during her visit to the Dutch Caribbean earlier this year, saying that the current government will be taking concrete measures to advance the issue.
One of the main problems is that, when child allowance was introduced in the Caribbean Netherlands in 2016, no attention was paid to children who require additional and often intensive care. The priority at the time was to set up a child allowance system to start with, which also was understandable, as no such system existed at all back then. Fast forward to 2022 and it’s more than time to improve the system in place, in order to provide support for those parents who need it most. The central government is currently working on a proposal in collaboration with the SZW unit (Social Affairs and Employment unit) of the Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland (National Office for the Caribbean Netherlands). According to Minister Schouten, the plans include an inclusive day-care center and specialized educational facilities for children with intensive care needs. More news regarding the proposal is expected over the coming summer.
The basis for this article was originally published on www.antilliaansdagblad.com in Maart 2022.
