The Netherlands - VOG denial blocks experience expert employment.

The Netherlands - VOG denial blocks experience expert employment. A significant development: a trained experience expert was denied a role at TBS clinic Veldzicht due to not obtaining a Verklaring Omtrent het Gedrag (VOG), the required background certificate in The Netherlands. 🧠 What happened Jorge Chito, who completed professional qualifications and works from lived experience, could not take up employment at Veldzicht because the clinic requires a VOG that he cannot obtain. This effectively blocks his placement despite meeting training and motivation criteria: - Completed professional training as experience expert - Relevant lived experience in mental health - Motivated to contribute in a forensic mental health setting 🧠 Why it matters This spotlights a structural barrier for experience experts with past legal involvement. Recent examples have shown successful employment of experience experts with criminal histories in Dutch social care, yet mandatory VOG policies in certain clinical contexts can override that progress and exclude qualified candidates. This tension directly affects workforce integration of lived experience roles.