Spain closes youth care home run by Dutch couple after reports of abuse
The Spanish authorities have ordered Huize Soria, a Dutch-run youth home in Aspe, Alicante province, where Dutch minors with behavioral problems were placed, to stop providing youth care after an inspection found that it did not have the authorization required to operate as a social-services/youth-care center following reports of abuse, NOS reported.
The intervention was carried out by the Generalitat Valenciana, the regional government of Valencia, through its Department of Social Services and its inspection service. The Generalitat opened its own investigation into Huize Soria after Dutch broadcaster Nieuwsuur published its investigation. The Conselleria sent its inspectors to the site in Aspe.
Nieuwsuur's investigation found allegations from former residents and others about what it described as a "repressive culture." The allegations in the report included young people being punished by having less food, young people being made to sit on a pole for hours as punishment, physical restraint and overpowering of young people,the use of GPS trackers, and restrictions on private communication with parents or guardians.
Inspectors requested documentation from the operators proving that they were legally authorized to provide the services being offered. The Generalitat determined that Huize Soria was not listed as an authorized social-services center in the region's official register. The Spanish authorities subsequently ordered the facility to cease its youth-care activities immediately. The Generalitat said that sanctions or further legal or administrative action could follow if the order is not complied with.
The Spanish inspection reportedly was not previously aware of the facility before the recent Dutch reporting. Nieuwsuur reported that the Dutch Health and Youth Care Inspectorate (IGJ) had received information about safety concerns but had not informed its Spanish counterpart.
The IGJ says it cannot directly supervise Dutch youth-care facilities abroad, although it can pass information to foreign authorities. Its last contact with the Spanish inspectorate concerning this location was reportedly in 2016.
The facility had reportedly been operating in Aspe for around 20 years and had hosted approximately 265 Dutch minors over that period. The facility was located in a rural area known as La Ofra, outside Aspe. Its program was presented as rehabilitation through nature, animals, physical activity, discipline and healthy routines. It had also developed relationships with local organizations and schools, El Espanol de Alicante reported.
The first major complaints publicly documented by Nieuwsuur date to 2021, when five young people went to the Amsterdam children's ombudsman. An investigation by independent experts subsequently examined Huize Soria. Several Dutch organizations then removed young people from the facility because of concerns about their safety.
The concerns were shared with Dutch youth-protection organizations, but some organizations continued sending minors there. One example was SAVE Jeugdbescherming, which operates in Utrecht and Flevoland. SAVE continued making placements despite the earlier concerns and stopped sending young people to Huize Soria only after receiving additional complaints earlier this year.
Nieuwsuur reported that seven Dutch minors were still living at Huize Soria in September 2026, immediately before the Spanish intervention. They are young people with complex behavioral problems who had been sent to Spain partly because appropriate placements were difficult to find in the Netherlands. Alternative placements will have to be found for those children. Nieuwsuur reported that Huize Soria was already working on returning the young people to the Netherlands.
“We do not recognize ourselves in the described abuses,” Huize Soria said to NOS. “We have critically examined our methods, been optimally transparent, and still reach the conclusion that at all times we acted in good faith, with the wellbeing of the parents and young people who stayed at Huize Soria as our highest priority. At this moment, we can do nothing other than comply with the decision and we are working to send the young people back to the Netherlands. We are in discussions with the authorities and hope to be able to welcome the young people back as soon as possible.”