Van toeslagen naar herstelschandaal? - Dit nooit meer!

From 2004 to 2019, thousands of families in the Netherlands were affected by errors made by the Tax and Customs Administration in childcare allowance. Parents were wrongly labelled and treated as fraudsters, did not receive what they were entitled to and ended up in major problems. The Rotterdam-Rijnmond region was hit hardest with over 11,000 families. With children and (ex)partners included, that number easily reaches 40,000 victims. The impact is enormous and the recovery process is dragging on for far too long.

Since 2023, the Rijnmondse Alliantie, consisting of affected parents, young people, ex-partners, (children's) ombudsman Rotterdam-Rijnmond and representatives of the municipalities of Rotterdam, Nissewaard, Capelle aan den IJssel, Krimpen aan den IJssel and Albrandswaard, has formed a 'warm fist'. The alliance draws attention to the scandal, proposes solutions and calls for action, empathy and justice. There is still a lot of work to be done.

Why should attention continue to be paid to the benefits scandal? Is there already a recovery scandal? What should we do now to accelerate the recovery and do justice to victims? How do we ensure that young people, just like their parents, are recognized as victims and receive the support they deserve? And how do we prevent a new benefits scandal? We will discuss this and more together with the chairman of the advisory committee on the progress of the benefits recovery operation Chris van Dam, Ombudsman Marianne van den Anker and Children's Ombudsman Stans Goudsmit, aldermen, members of parliament and the public in Arminius. Names of other speakers will follow.