pleegden

Pleegden is a Dutch term that is sometimes used informally to refer to individuals who provide foster care. In standard Dutch, the formal term for such caregivers is pleegouders. Pleegden is not common in official policy language and is found primarily in everyday speech or regional usage. The word pleeg comes from the idea of fostering or taking someone into care, and den can form a plural, but pleegden is not the regular or preferred plural in formal contexts.

In practice, pleegden would correspond to foster parents or foster caregivers who host children temporarily or for longer periods under supervised care arrangements. Their responsibilities include providing a safe home, emotional support, supervision, helping with schooling and healthcare coordination, and working in collaboration with child-protection authorities and social services. They typically receive training and ongoing support from relevant agencies and may receive financial compensation to cover the child’s needs.

Legal framework: In the Netherlands, foster care is part of the youth care system (jeugdzorg) and administered through regional agencies; the official term for the caregiver is pleegouder. In Belgium (Flanders) and other Dutch-speaking regions, similar structures exist, with pleegouders as the caretakers and pleegzorg as the sector. The terminology elsewhere in Dutch-speaking communities mirrors this system, though local usage may vary.

Challenges and goals: Placement stability, matching with children with complex backgrounds, and caregiver burnout are common concerns. The overarching aim of pleegzorg is to provide a secure, familial environment during family disruption, supporting reunification with birth families when possible or transitions to adoption or independent living. See also Pleegzorg, Pleegouders, Pleegkind.