One in 10 children in the Netherlands had some form of contact with social workers or other help agencies last year, according to new figures from national statistics office CBS.

The figures cover psychiatric help, behavioral issues, mental health concerns and problems relating to child rearing, the CBS said.

North-eastern parts of Groningen province, which is one of the most deprived parts of the country, had the most children with problems. There one in six children had contact with social workers last year.

Children of non-western immigrants are less likely to be referred for help than the native Dutch, the CBS said. In some 40,000 cases, children were taken into care and half of them ended up in a foster home.