THE HAGUE, WILLEMSTAD – Victims of the Dutch childcare benefits scandal living in Curaçao, Aruba, Sint Maarten and the BES islands would have until September 1, 2027 to apply for additional assistance under new legislation proposed by the Dutch government. After that date, access to the special support program would generally end.
The proposed legislation is intended to gradually wind down the extensive assistance provided to parents and families affected by the childcare benefits scandal, while introducing clearer and stricter deadlines for financial assistance and personal guidance.
The support program covers five areas: finances, family, employment, housing and healthcare. For victims living outside the European Netherlands, including those in the Dutch Caribbean, assistance is provided through the Ondersteuningsteam Buitenland (OTB), or Support Team Abroad.
The OTB also maintains a physical presence in Curaçao.
Under the proposal, victims who have not yet requested additional assistance must indicate by August 31, 2027 that they want to make use of the program. Applications can be made through the Uitvoeringsorganisatie Herstel Toeslagen (UHT), the organization responsible for implementing the benefits recovery operation.
Those who register before the deadline could continue receiving assistance after September 1, 2027.
An exception would apply to people who are only officially recognized as victims after the deadline. They would have six months following their recognition to apply for additional support.
New Deadlines for Assistance
The proposed legislation would also impose deadlines on the delivery of assistance.
Within 12 weeks of the first meeting with a victim, an individual support plan would have to be prepared. This is four weeks longer than the corresponding period applied in the European Netherlands.
Financial assistance for material necessities, including household goods, laptops and other essential items, would have to be approved within six months of the first meeting. The actual payment could take place later.
A victim's support plan could be modified for a maximum of two years. After that period, no new objectives or provisions could be added.
Assistance that had already been approved, such as education or psychosocial treatment, could nevertheless continue beyond the two-year period.
Young Victims in Caribbean Do Not Have Same Independent Right
One significant difference in the proposed system concerns children of affected parents.
In the European Netherlands, children aged 16 and older can receive their own individual support plan. That independent entitlement does not apply in the same way to children living in Curaçao, Aruba, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba.
On the Caribbean islands, children can receive assistance as members of their family through their parents' support plan rather than through an independent plan of their own.
The Dutch government acknowledges that assistance outside the European Netherlands is organized differently.
The OTB depends on arrangements with local governments and service providers, meaning the same services are not necessarily available in every country or territory.
The proposed legislation would also introduce a necessity test. Victims would have to demonstrate that the assistance they request is necessary to enable them to make a new start.
More Time for Victims Who Want to Return to Netherlands
While some deadlines would become stricter, victims in the Caribbean who want to move back to the Netherlands would receive more time.
Currently, an intended return must take place within one year after the support plan has been established. The government proposes extending that period to two years following the victim's first support meeting.
According to the explanatory memorandum accompanying the proposal, the current deadline has proved difficult to meet in practice, particularly because of the housing shortage in the Netherlands.
Finding suitable housing would remain the responsibility of the individuals concerned, although the Dutch government can cover certain relocation costs when the applicable conditions are met.
Lawyers Warn Young Victims Could Miss Out
The Dutch Bar Association and the Childcare Benefits Parents Committee have criticized the proposed end date.
They are particularly concerned about children and young adults who may only understand the impact of the benefits scandal on their lives years later.
According to the organizations, some victims are not emotionally ready to address other consequences of the scandal until their immediate financial problems have been resolved. They fear that imposing a fixed deadline could mean that some people discover their need for assistance only after they are no longer eligible.
Questions have also been raised about what happens to victims outside the Netherlands once the special recovery program ends.
The lawyers have pointed to differences between the social support systems available in the Netherlands and those available abroad and say it remains unclear whether victims living outside the Netherlands will have sufficient access to assistance after the special arrangement expires.
The Dutch government nevertheless intends to maintain the proposed deadline, arguing that the broad support program was always intended to be temporary and that victims have been given sufficient opportunity to make use of it.
Number of Victims in Curaçao Remains Unclear
One unanswered question is how many victims of the childcare benefits scandal currently live in Curaçao and the other Dutch Caribbean islands.
The explanatory memorandum does not specify the number of affected people living in Curaçao, Aruba, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba.
It also does not provide an island-by-island breakdown showing how many victims are already receiving assistance or how many potentially eligible people have not yet applied.
Across the European Netherlands, more than 32,000 support plans had been prepared by municipalities through June 2026. However, that figure does not indicate how many victims are receiving assistance in the Caribbean.
The OTB has also warned in its implementation assessment that some victims could still require assistance after 2030. This could occur, for example, when someone is officially recognized as a victim only after the proposed general deadline.
The legislation still has to go through the legislative process before the new deadlines take effect. Until then, the existing rights and conditions for victims remain in place.