Draft Bill Opens Consultation on Continuous Screening Register for Foundational Education (Netherlands, June 2026)
The government opened consultation on a draft bill for a continuous screening register in foundational education. The proposal would require people working with pupils to hold a valid certificate of conduct and be registered for ongoing screening.
The government opened consultation on a draft bill for a continuous screening register in foundational education. The proposal would require people working with pupils to hold a valid certificate of conduct and be registered for ongoing screening.
What Changed?
The draft bill proposes a register for continuous screening in primary, secondary and special education. It would also expand the certificate-of-conduct requirement to additional groups such as interns, staff of special-needs partnerships and certain volunteers working structurally and unsupervised with minors.
Old System vs New System
Schools already used certificates of conduct for many staff, but the system did not operate as a single continuous screening register for all relevant groups in foundational education.
A future register would allow Justis to conduct continuous screening for serious and relevant criminal-record changes, using the same substantive assessment as the education certificate-of-conduct process.
Who Is Affected?
Student Impact
Students would be covered by a stronger safeguarding framework if the proposal is approved and implemented.
Parent / Family Impact
Parents may gain reassurance that schools have a continuous screening system for adults working with children.
School / Institution Impact
Schools would need to register relevant workers, monitor compliance and adapt onboarding procedures if the bill becomes law.
Teacher / Staff Impact
Teachers and other workers may need to maintain registration and rely on the register when changing jobs instead of repeatedly requesting a new certificate in some cases.
Key Dates
- 2026-06-25: consultation announced
- 2026-09-14: consultation closing date.
What To Do
- School boards
- staff organisations and safeguarding specialists should review the proposal and submit consultation responses before the deadline.
What To Watch Next
After consultation, the government may revise the bill before submitting it for formal legislative consideration.
Global Context
The proposal reflects a wider international emphasis on child safeguarding, workforce vetting and risk monitoring in schools.
Source Record
Source type: Public consultation
Source name: Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) Newsletter