If you want to work in child care in the Netherlands you need to have a Certificate of Good Conduct, or a ‘Verklaring Omtrent het Gedrag’ (VOG). This is also known as a Certificate of Good Behaviour. You will not be able to start work at Zein Child Care before you are in possession of this certificate/declaration.
You may apply for a VOG online or in the municipality where you are registered. Applying online is faster and cheaper than submitting a paper application via your municipality. If you are not registered at any municipality in the Netherlands, then you will need to apply for it directly at the Ministry of Security and Justice.
The applicant and employer need to submit the online application together. The process is as follows:
- Zein Child Care requests a Certificate of Good Conduct (VOG) for the employee through the website of the Dienst Justis (Integrity and Screening Agency).
- Once Zein Child Care has requested the application, the employee will receive an email with a link to the subsequent procedure. Employees log in with their DigiD and pay for the certificate through iDeal. In order to request the certificate, the employee needs a valid email address, iDeal and a DigiD code. The employee also must be registered in the Municipal Personal Records Database (BRP).
- Once the application has been completed and payment has been made, the Centraal Orgaan Verklaring Omtrent Gedrag (COVOG) will decide if the employee will get the certificate. If so, the employee will receive the certificate within 4 weeks by post. As soon as the certificate is received, the employee needs to contact the Human Resources department of Zein Child Care.
- Candidates who subsequently start work for Zein will have their VOG costs refunded.
More information about applying for a Certificate of Good Conduct online can be found on the website of the Ministry of Security and Justice.