Youth aid and privacy

In order to best help youth and families towards appropriate help, the Youth and Family Assistance Department (JGH) of the municipality must collect and store a number of personal data. This includes the name, address and date of birth of the youth and his family, as well as records of conversations. The data can come from, for example, the youth and his family, from school, from other youth aid institutions, from the Child Protection Council and from the court.

Rights of clients

A client has several rights when it comes to the processing of his personal data. For example, the right to inspect his own file. The page Privacy Statement of the Municipality of Zoetermeer describes the rights of a client with regard to privacy and how to make use of these rights. For youth aid there are a number of specific additions to this.

A client aged 12 years or older can ask Youth and Family Services themselves to see their records. In addition, the legal representative has the right to see his child's data, if the child is not yet 16 years old.

You cannot see all the information in the file. The municipality will not grant access to the file if it is in conflict with your child's interests. Inspection may also be refused if the file contains privacy-sensitive information about other people (e.g. an ex-partner). Permission from that other person is required to view this information.

Providing information to others

The municipality may share the data recorded about a youth with others in a number of cases. This is done only if it is necessary for the performance of the municipality's legal duties. The municipality will never share data on a youth or his parents with others without good reason.

How long will data be kept?

After the file is closed, the municipality is required by law to keep files for 20 years. In exceptional cases, the period may be extended due to personal circumstances.