Capelle aan den IJssel introduces faster mental health support for youth via GP practices
Young people and parents in Capelle aan den IJssel can now access mental health support more quickly and locally through their GP. This collaboration aims to prevent escalating issues and reduce waiting lists, ensuring timely help for families.
| Key Data Point | Details |
|---|---|
| Location | Capelle aan den IJssel, Zuid-Holland |
| Initiative | Deployment of Youth and Family Mental Health Practice Support Workers |
| Organizations Involved | Youth and Family Centre (CJG) Capelle, GPs in Capelle |
| Start of Pilot | 2022 |
| Signing Date | 16 March 2026 |
| Key Figures | Alderman Eric Faassen (Youth Care), Alderman Marc Wilson (Health) |
| Programme | ‘Tegen de Stroom in’ (Against the Current) |
| Goal | Early intervention, prevention, and reducing heavy care trajectories |
The municipality of Capelle aan den IJssel is responsible for organizing and funding youth care services, ensuring accessible and preventive support for young people and their families. The Youth and Family Centre (CJG) acts as a local hub for youth care, collaborating with healthcare providers like GPs to streamline services.
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Faster assistance for young people in Capelle through collaboration between GPs and Youth and Family Centres
Preventing problems among young people – and thus heavy care – is one of the key priorities of the Capelle municipal executive in the area of youth care.
On 16 March, the Youth and Family Centre (CJG) Capelle and the GPs in the municipality signed agreements on the deployment of Youth and Family Mental Health Practice Support Workers (POH GGZ Jeugd en Gezin) in GP practices. This makes mental support for young people more easily and quickly accessible and arranged closer to home.
All GPs in Capelle aan den IJssel now work with a practice support worker. As a result, young people and their parents can more quickly and easily seek help with questions about growing up, parenting, and physical and mental well-being. This means concerns are identified earlier and, where possible, kept small.
This signing marks the culmination of a development that began concretely in 2022 with a pilot involving several GPs. Across the Netherlands, efforts are being made to find a good way to organise youth support through GP practices. Capelle aan den IJssel has made its own choice in this regard: not light at the front, but instead robust, highly trained professionals who can quickly assess what is needed and provide appropriate assistance.
On behalf of CJG Capelle, director and board member Erwin Lots signed the agreement. Alderman Eric Faassen (Youth Care) and Alderman Marc Wilson (Health) were present at this moment, an important step in the collaboration around young people and their parents/carers.
Short lines of communication
Erwin Lots, director of CJG Capelle: “With this collaboration, we are literally bringing our expertise closer to GPs and thus closer to families. We are investing in trust and short lines of communication. This means we can act more quickly and better respond to what young people really need.”
The Capelle GPs are also pleased with this approach: “We often see young people and parents first with their questions. With the Youth and Family POH GGZ from CJG Capelle, we can think along more quickly and, together with CJG, provide appropriate support without young people ending up in unnecessarily heavy care trajectories or long waiting lists.”
More focus on prevention
The collaboration fits well with the municipality of Capelle’s ‘Tegen de Stroom in’ programme. In this programme, Capelle aims to pay more attention to preventing problems among young people. By identifying problems earlier and providing light support in a timely manner, more intensive care can sometimes be avoided.
Alderman Eric Faassen (Youth) emphasises the importance of this joint step: “Prevention is the backbone of our policy. With the Youth and Family POH GGZ, we are giving concrete form to our ambition to organise youth care sustainably and affordably. And preferably as close to home as possible, in line with our motto ‘no child leaves Capelle’.”
Alderman Marc Wilson (Health) adds: “We want young people in Capelle to grow up healthy and resilient. This requires collaboration and investment at the start of a care request.”
With the signing, the municipality, CJG and GPs are jointly building a strong foundation for young people in Capelle. Against the current and for the youth.”