Parents who keep their keep children away from school for reasons of faith or ideology may no longer face legal action, education inspectors have said.

The public prosecution office is reportedly contemplating the move because legal action does not contribute to the return of the children to school.

“It’s worrying,” Corien van Starkenburg from the truancy office Ingrado told the AD. “How do we make sure these children get the education and development they need? In the current system, prosecution is the only guarantee, and as long as there is no clear alternative, we would lose an important link in the way we police this.”

In the Netherlands, parents are required by law to register their child in a school but there are circumstances in which parents can be allowed to home school their children. But if they no longer need council approval it is unclear what the authorities can do to intervene, Van Starkenburg said.

Van Starkenburg said the prosecution department has said it would “provide a framework” of some sort. “I hope that includes the conditions for exemptions, such as limiting them to children under five, and requiring parents to prove they have tried to find a school they like,” she said.

Although there are plenty of parents who do a good job home homeschooling their children, the inspectors want “some means of testing doubtful motives, in the case of silly religions. Our inspectors have seen some pretty astounding examples,” Van Starkenburg said.

The public prosecution office would not comment but is expected to provide more clarity in the coming days.