If you close the game and then reopen it any stuck kids will be freed, although a different set might be caught instead. I've never had any difficulty retrieving kids from the hut. I simply click and drag the guiding hand over the hut a few times and out come a few wriggling kids.

If you use the arrows in the details screen to move between peeps they will be highlighted when you return to the main screen. I've found this the most efficient way of finding the chief. If the screen shows the clothing hut (usually with a small amount of the highlighting ring showing) I know the villager I want is in the hut and can click on the hut to rescue him/her as above.