Abstract
ECRs are manifestations of modern society in which three social paradigms, i.e., informational society, risk society, and surveillance society, appear to converge. These scenarios are closely related, even mutually reinforced, and each immensely facilitated by ICTs. The focus of each of these phenomena is different though. The informational society generally has—despite the risks associated (for example, in areas of privacy and security)—a more positive connotation than the other two. The informational society holds opportunities for innovations that generate convenience and freedom, whereas the other two stem from negative premisses, like controlling potential risks and watching over individual behaviour to prevent exigencies. The risk society and the surveillance society present opportunities for those who manage risks and are in charge of surveillance. From an individual’s perspective, these societies are often qualified as lacking personal freedom, privacy, and transparency. Overall, social changes reflected here denote an apparent belief that we can engineer society through government policies so that social problems will disappear (termed ‘maakbaarheid van de samenleving’ in the Netherlands). Each of these scenarios will be briefly sketched in light of ECRs.
Contribution received in 2010.
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Notes
- 1.
The most well-known case is that of the three year old Savanna who was found dead in the back of her mother’s and stepfather’s car in September 2004. She had been systematically starved as punishment for naughty behaviour and was probably killed by choking on a piece of fabric while her mouth had been taped. Besides, convictions of both parents, the death of Savanna also led to criminal proceedings against the youth-care professional involved. Although the court decided she had been negligent in exercising her duties, she was not held criminally responsible for the death or severe physical abuse of the girl; see http://www.om.nl/actueel/archief_strafzaken/savanna/ (in Dutch).
- 2.
Alongside the ECRs, the Reference Index High-Risk Youngsters (‘Verwijsindex Risicojongeren’ or VIR) has been developed in order to identify and monitor risk factors amongst children and adolescents. The VIR collects risk reports (e.g., contacts with the police, drug or alcohol addiction, child abuse) concerning youngsters from various youth care professionals within and across municipalities and mutually informs these professionals on their involvement with these children in case of a ‘match,’ i.e., the system holds two or more reports on an individual child or adolescent. The VIR does not provide the professionals with actual information on the child, but merely provides a signal to all professionals involved. Nonetheless even mere risk signals may disclose information about the particular problems a child is dealing with, e.g., when he or she is reported by a medical specialist for addiction or eating disorder. See also Chap. 4 of this book.
- 3.
Currently, youth healthcare services are provided on a voluntary basis, although most parents are likely to respond to invitations to attend and have their children checked regularly. The obligation envisioned by Rotterdam is inspired by rules on compulsory school attendance and is intended to be endorsed by sanctions.
- 4.
In 2007, the Citizen Service Number (‘Burger ServiceNummer’), was introduced; a unique personal identification number to be used in Dutch public administration (and to a certain extent beyond), which considerably facilitates the linking of data across public sector databases.
- 5.
The Dutch Ombudsman’s 2009 Annual Report shows the tremendous difficulties that citizens are confronted with, if their data is incorrect or compromised and public administration does not take any responsibility for mistakes. One of the particularly complex areas is youth care, involving a mere 24 organisations in the VIR (supra n. 2).
- 6.
See NRC 2009.
- 7.
As laid down in the UN Convention on the rights of the child, see http://www.unicef.org/crc/, accessed March 2010.
- 8.
With reference to De Ruyter 1995.
- 9.
This principle is not one of the general principles of sound administration but constitutes the foundation of our ‘rechtsstaat’ (rule of law). It is not codified in the Dutch Constitution. Rather its applicability to relations of citizens with the state is presumed (Voermans and van Bijsterveld 2000).
- 10.
ECRs are, thus, governed only by generic legislation, like the Personal Data Protection Act.
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© 2011 T.M.C. ASSER PRESS, The Hague, The Netherlands, and the authors 2011
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van der Hof, S. (2011). Electronic Child Records in The Netherlands: A Legitimate Path to Right Wrongs?. In: van der Hof, S., Groothuis, M. (eds) Innovating Government. Information Technology and Law Series, vol 20. T.M.C. Asser Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-6704-731-9_11
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