For Vlaams Belang, the two recent scandals in two nurseries were the last straw and Katrien Verhegge has to resign as top woman of the Agency for Growing Up. "We asked for her resignation during the parliamentary committee of inquiry," says Flemish MEMBER of Parliament Ilse Malfroot. "It is a pity that horrific facts had to surface again before N-VA and open Vld also came to the same insight.

" Flemish Minister of Welfare Hilde Crevits (cd&v) should no longer delay and dismiss her." In the past week, two horrific facts in two different nurseries came to light. In nursery 'Mippie and Moppie' in Keerbergen, children were tied up in bed with duct tape. In the (B)angel in Oudenaarde, the facts were even worse if possible and children were beaten, forcibly fed and even locked up. In the latter crèche, the facts had also been known since 2011. Only after a damning report by 't Veck (Flemish expertise centre for child abuse) did the Growing Up service (the former Child and Family) decide to close the (B)angel. Vlaams Belang is therefore asking for the resignation of top woman Katrien Verhegge." Verhegge has been in post for five months too long"Already during the parliamentary committee of inquiry into safety in childcare, we asked for Verhegge's resignation," says Malfroot. "That ultimately cost the head of then Minister of Welfare Wouter Beke (cd&v), but for Vlaams Belang it was already clear that Verhegge bore an enormous responsibility for not closing crèches or closing them far too late where unacceptable conditions took place. She did not see the urgency in several problem cases and did not manage her teams sufficiently." After the committee of inquiry, Verhegge was able to save her skin and had two crisis managers next to her. "It is clear that this was only a postponement of execution and Verhegge has been in her position for five months too long," said Malfroot.Government parties N-VA and Open Vld meanwhile also asked for Verhegge's resignation. "It is a pity that horrific facts had to surface again before they came to the same insight that she is not the right person to lead the agency Growing up any longer," malfroot concludes. "Current Minister of Welfare Hilde Crevits should stop delaying and dismissing her."