Refugee families with children will no longer be placed in prison to await assessment or deportation from 2015, junior justice minister Fred Teeven said on Friday.

Instead they will be housed in a special secure housing unit in Zeist where they will have their own living space and cooking facilities. The staff will not wear uniforms and there will be outdoor play areas for the children, Teeven said.

In addition, if the parents have to be detained for longer periods, the children will be placed with host families, Teeven said.

Every year, some 70 families end up in border prison accommodation for periods of up to two weeks, news agency ANP reports.

Refugee and children’s rights groups have criticised the way the Netherlands locks up children and called for change. Teeven also pledged last year to make changes.