dfzs

What dfzs does

De Forensische Zorgspecialisten (DFZS), legally Stichting De Forensische Zorgspecialisten, is a Dutch nonprofit foundation headquartered in Utrecht that delivers specialized forensic mental healthcare, treatment, rehabilitation, research, and professional education. The organization operates through two core wholly-owned subsidiaries: Van der Hoeven Kliniek, which provides inpatient forensic psychiatric (TBS) treatment across multiple clinical locations, and de Waag, which delivers outpatient and community-based forensic care at sites in Amsterdam, Amersfoort, Utrecht, Leiden, and Almere/Flevoland. DFZS also operates the Forensische Academie (training and education), Theater Buiten de Muren (therapeutic theater programs), the Forensisch Spreekuur podcast, and collaborative initiatives such as Stop It Now! (with EOKM) and FAST (Forensische Ambulante Systeem Therapie) family therapy. The organization employed 1,295 staff as of December 2025, up from 1,236 in 2024, and treats more than 6,000 outpatients annually at de Waag.

DFZS's service portfolio spans clinical treatment programs (including the WWW Protocol for anger/resentment/revenge, specialized tracks for sexual offenses, domestic violence, and stalking), proprietary risk assessment instruments (HKT-30, HCR-20 variants) used internationally, and emerging modalities including Virtual Reality exposure therapy. The research function is structurally significant: DFZS researchers teach at and collaborate with universities including Maastricht University and Radboud Universiteit, supervise PhD candidates, and produced 35 international and 35 Dutch scientific publications in 2025 (the latter nearly doubling from 19 in 2024).

The business model is funded primarily through mandatory Dutch health insurance contracts with all major insurers (Menzis, DSW, VGZ, Zilveren Kruis) plus Dutch government contracts for TBS and related services, with patients referred via courts, municipalities, psychiatric institutions, and general practitioners. This produces a sales-led, contract-driven go-to-market with no direct-to-consumer pricing, recurring annual contract cycles, and a regulatory moat underpinned by designated-provider status for forensic care in specific Dutch regions. As a stichting under Dutch law with no parent company or external equity ownership, DFZS reinvests surplus into clinical, research, and training activities.

Name

dfzs

Legal name

Stichting De Forensische Zorgspecialisten

Website

https://dfzs.nl

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Dutch nonprofit foundation providing specialized forensic mental healthcare, treatment, rehabilitation, research, and professional education for individuals under judicial psychiatric measures, serving 6,000+ clients annually across multiple locations in the Netherlands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Forensic Mental Healthcare

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011), Services-Skilled Nursing Care Facilities (8051)

akta.pro primary industry

Forensic & Correctional Behavioral Health Services (HLAFACAM)

Keywords

• Forensic mental healthcare
• Psychiatric treatment services
• Forensic risk assessment
• Behavioral rehabilitation programs
• Clinical professional training

Headquarters

HQ city

Utrecht

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Healthcare Treatment Services: DFZS provides forensic psychiatric treatment services funded through Dutch health insurance system (zorgverzekering). The organization has contracts with all major Dutch health insurers including Menzis, DSW, VGZ, and Zilveren Kruis.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

De Forensische Zorgspecialisten (DFZS) provides forensic mental healthcare services in the Netherlands, including inpatient TBS (terbeschikkingstelling) treatment through Van der Hoeven Kliniek and outpatient forensic care through de Waag for individuals who have committed criminal offenses or pose a danger to themselves or others. The organization also conducts research, develops proprietary risk assessment instruments (HKT-30, HCR-20), and delivers professional training and education programs through the Forensische Academie in partnership with RINO Groep.

Product overview

De Forensische Zorgspecialisten (DFZS) is a Dutch forensic mental healthcare organization that delivers knowledge and services in forensic psychiatry. The organization operates as a unified platform comprising multiple specialized units: Van der Hoeven Kliniek provides inpatient TBS (forensic psychiatric hospital) treatment; de Waag offers outpatient and community-based forensic care for various behavioral issues; the Forensische Academie provides education and training programs; and research departments develop risk assessment instruments and treatment protocols. The portfolio includes therapeutic interventions (WWW Protocol, FAST family therapy), assessment tools (risk assessment instruments), educational programs (P-opleidingen, RINO Groep collaboration), and innovative approaches like Virtual Reality treatment and the Theater Buiten De Muren program. The organization also produces the Forensisch Spreekuur podcast as an educational resource.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Forensisch Spreekuur: DFZS's podcast series covering various topics in forensic mental healthcare
• Forensische Academie
• Theater Buiten de Muren
• Stop It Now!

Products and services

• Van der Hoeven Kliniek (Inpatient Forensic Psychiatric Care)
• de Waag (Outpatient Forensic Mental Healthcare)
• FAST (Forensische Ambulante Systeem Therapie)
• Forensische Academie
• P-opleidingen (Professional Training Programs)
• Risicotaxatie-instrumenten (Risk Assessment Tools)
• WWW Protocol (Woede Wrok Wraak)
• Virtual Reality (VR) in Treatment

Quantifiable outcome

• Only 11 unaccompanied leaves resulted in patient escape out of 70,000+ total leaves (2018 data)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Universities and Universities of Applied SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 June 2026DFZS researchers teach at universities and hogescholen, supervise PhD candidates, conduct research, and supervise student internships including research internships. Collaborative institutions include Maastricht University, Radboud Universiteit, and others.
• RINO GroepcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStructural collaboration with RINO Groep for providing leading training and education programs in forensic healthcare with emphasis on risk assessment and risk management. RINO Groep is a major Dutch healthcare education provider.
• Stop It Now!coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration between de Waag and Expertisebureau Online Kindermisbruik (EOKM) to operate the Stop It Now! helpline, which provides support to people at risk of sexually abusing children. Partnership has existed for 10 years.
• BlijfGroepmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with BlijfGroep, an organization providing support to both victims and perpetrators of domestic violence. Featured in Forensisch Spreekuur podcast on coercive control.
• ProRailminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration where Van der Hoeven Kliniek patients and workshop staff develop sustainable wooden coverings for ProRail technical buildings along Dutch railways.
• SuperuseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign bureau collaborating with Van der Hoeven Kliniek on sustainable design projects including ProRail wooden building coverings.
• Humane ZorgminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExternal partner in theater projects developed by Theater Buiten de Muren platform, creating customized theater projects and training for inside and outside the organization.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• GGZ Drenthe (forensic division): Regional Dutch mental health provider with a forensic care unit offering tbs and outpatient forensic services, comparable in clinical model but operating as part of a broader general mental health portfolio.
• Parnassia Groep: Largest Dutch mental health provider with a forensic care division (Parnassia Haaglanden), comparable as a broad incumbent offering overlapping forensic services within a wider mental health portfolio.
• Antes (Fivoor/Antes Groep): Dutch mental health organization with significant forensic psychiatric capacity including FPC de Kijvelanden, comparable in scale and tbs service delivery though operating as part of a larger general mental health group.
• GGZ inGeest: Major Dutch mental health provider affiliated with Amsterdam UMC, offering some forensic and specialized mental health services, comparable as a research-active Dutch mental health provider though broader in scope than DFZS.

Direct peers

• Pompestichting: Major Dutch forensic psychiatric clinic providing tbs treatment and forensic care, directly comparable to DFZS's Van der Hoeven Kliniek and de Waag operations across inpatient and outpatient services.
• De Rooyse Wissel: Dutch tbs clinic offering inpatient and outpatient forensic psychiatric care, serving the same referral pipeline (courts, prosecution, municipalities) and operating under comparable Dutch reimbursement structures.
• Dr. S. van Mesdag Kliniek: One of the oldest Dutch forensic psychiatric hospitals providing tbs treatment and research, comparable in clinical model, target patient population, and academic research orientation.
• Trajectum: Dutch forensic care provider specializing in treatment for individuals with light intellectual disability and forensic issues, overlapping with DFZS's specialized treatment programs and forensic outpatient model.
• Novadic-Kentron: Dutch addiction and mental health organization with a forensic care division providing treatment under judicial measures, comparable in dual clinical-research orientation and Dutch reimbursement model.
• FPC de Kijvelanden: Dutch forensic psychiatric center providing inpatient tbs treatment and outpatient forensic care in the Rotterdam region, a direct regional peer to DFZS's Van der Hoeven Kliniek and de Waag.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/DeForZorgSpec
• Facebookfacebook.com/deforzorgspec
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/de-forensische-zorgspecialisten
• Instagraminstagram.com/deforzorgspec

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about dfzs