Young people in a youth care institution in Emmeloord were transferred after the Health and Youth Care Inspectorate (IGJ) determined that there were acute safety risks. “The building is neglected, dirty and physically unsafe for young people in various ways,” said the report that came out today.
The inspectors took an unannounced look at Flevostate in September and October, after they had received “worrying reports and signals from various sources”.
The IGJ established that the young people – against the rules – were firmly grasped by the employees of the youth care institution. Such a ‘freedom-restricting measure’ may only be applied in very exceptional circumstances. But the employees were not aware of this, the inspectors write.
Property neglected
At the location in Emmeloord, the condition of the property was also worrying. Doors hung loose in the rabbets, a bathroom was inaccessible because the handle was not on the door and there was blood on the wall in a bedroom.
The television in the “chill room” was broken and the minors could hurt themselves on the sharp edges of the hole in the device, according to the inspectors. There were bedrooms with no windows and good ventilation and also the bedding was missing.
Incorrectly informed
The inspectors also noted that the Flevostate driver had not informed them correctly. The driver had said that there was a “neat and clean living environment” and had sent “changed reports” about violent incidents to the inspectorate: the driver had omitted all reports about two minors who were involved in many incidents.
“The driver was of the opinion that this did not do justice to the current situation at Flevostate,” the inspectorate writes. As a result, the inspectors received reports from Flevostate in which the number of incidents appeared to be decreasing. Employees, on the other hand, told the inspectors that they consider the risk of new serious violent incidents to be high.
Note
The IGJ has been monitoring Flevostate for some time and is now giving the healthcare institution a so-called ‘indication’. The Inspectorate thus obliges Flevostate to improve care within four months. If this does not happen, they can fine the institution or forcibly transfer clients to another institution.
The director of Flevostate is on vacation and cannot comment on the report, he said Broadcasting Flevoland.
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