Social workers responsible for the welfare of a foster child in Vlaardingen, who has been left with permanent serious injuries after months of physical abuse, failed in their duties to take care of her, government inspectors say.

The girl, who made several efforts to get help, was ignored by officials, and that meant her personal situation became worse as time went on, the official report on her case said.

The girl, then aged 10, was taken to hospital at the end of May last year, and the inspectors were then alerted by social workers.

“We must acknowledge that the girl’s situation worsened during her stay in the foster family due to prolonged and frequent shortcomings in the care provided to her,” chief inspector Angela van der Putten said.

“This is unimaginably distressing for the girl and her family. Our thoughts are with her, the other children who have lived in this foster family, and everyone who cares about them.”

The girl was placed with the family in March 2022 under the supervision of foster family group Stichting Enver and social workers from the William Schrikker Stichting. But the two organisations failed to work together and share relevant information. They both failed to take action when the girl said she was being abused.

From December 2022, she stopped going to school, but there were no follow-ups, and she had no contact with her biological family, the official report said.

A spokesman for the family told broadcaster NOS that “many people dropped the ball.” “Even after reading the report, you have to ask ‘how could this happen?’” Bart Visser said.

“The girl was left to fend for herself, and the foster parents were given all the space they needed to behave like beasts. The girl paid a heavy price for the collective failings of the care system.”

He also slammed the decision to place the girl and her sister with the family, given that three Syrian boys had already been physically abused by the couple, and the authorities knew about it.

The foster parents, John and Daisy van den B, have been in pre-trial detention since May. They will next appear in court for a pro forma hearing on February 12.