Haarlemmermeer tackles soaring youth care costs with reforms and prevention
Rising youth care costs are straining municipalities like Haarlemmermeer, where spending has doubled in five years. With one in seven young people now receiving care, the municipality is introducing reforms, prevention programs, and data-driven measures to ensure sustainable support for families in need.
| Key Data Point | Details |
|---|---|
| Youth care spending increase | Doubled in Haarlemmermeer over the past five years |
| Youth care recipients | 1 in 7 young people (up from 1 in 27 in 2000) |
| National savings target | €1.5 billion through the Youth Reform Agenda |
| Local savings target | Nearly €10 million per year for Haarlemmermeer |
| Prevention program | "Sterk van Start" (Strong from the Start) launched in 2025 |
| Personal contribution | Under consideration for introduction by 2028 |
| Pilot projects | Testing group-based care in two neighborhoods and a secondary school |
Municipalities like Haarlemmermeer are responsible for implementing youth care policies and managing local budgets. They work with the central government to ensure accessible and sustainable care while balancing rising costs and demand. The municipality plays a key role in prevention, regulation, and collaboration with care providers.
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Why youth care is becoming increasingly expensive and what Haarlemmermeer is doing about it
The costs of youth care continue to rise rapidly. This is also evident in Haarlemmermeer. In just five years, spending on youth assistance has doubled, partly because more and more young people are receiving youth care. While in 2000 only one in 27 young people received youth care, this has now risen to approximately one in seven.
This trend puts pressure on municipalities. The funds provided by the central government to municipalities are not increasing at the same rate. That is why municipalities, together with the central government, are looking for ways to make the youth care system more sustainable.
“The most important thing remains that young people and families receive the help they need,” says alderwoman Charlotte van der Meij (Social Affairs and Well-being). “But we must also ensure that youth care remains available for those for whom it is truly intended.”
National reform
An important step in this process is the Youth Reform Agenda. In this agenda, municipalities, care providers, professionals, and the central government have made agreements to improve youth care and limit costs. Nationally, this is expected to result in savings of €1.5 billion.
In addition, the central government is considering additional measures, such as introducing a personal contribution for youth care and controlling the duration of care trajectories.
For Haarlemmermeer, savings on youth care have already been included in the budget, amounting to nearly €10 million per year.
What is Haarlemmermeer already doing?
Over the past few years, the municipality has taken various measures to curb the growth of youth care costs.
For example, the Social Domain Regulation has been tightened. This makes it clearer when young people are entitled to youth assistance and when they are not. It also clarifies what falls under the responsibility of parents and caregivers.
In addition, the municipality is investing more in prevention. The preventive youth policy “Sterk van Start” (Strong from the Start), adopted by the municipal council in 2025, focuses on three pillars: a strong foundation at home, opportunities to grow, and a positive environment in which young people grow up.
By investing earlier in support and prevention, the municipality aims to prevent the need for more intensive forms of care later on.
Data-driven
The municipality is also taking other steps to gain better control over costs.
For example, Haarlemmermeer uses so-called “signal budgets” for a large portion of outpatient youth assistance. These are small, quickly deployable budgets for light, preventive care. This allows for better tracking of how much budget has already been used and where adjustments are needed.
The municipality is also increasingly working in a data-driven manner. Using dashboards and reports, it monitors the number of clients, costs, waiting times, and developments among care providers.
Additionally, the municipality is collaborating with partners on a national approach to reduce waiting times in youth care.
New measures under consideration
In addition to the measures already implemented, the municipality is also exploring new ways to limit costs.
One option is the early introduction of a personal contribution for youth care. Nationally, the central government plans to implement this measure from 2028. The municipality is currently investigating whether this is legally possible and what the consequences would be.
Furthermore, the municipality is examining whether it is possible to better control the duration and intensity of care trajectories.
Pilots
Through various pilot projects, the municipality aims to reduce the need for intensive care. This is being tested in two neighbourhoods and at a secondary school. Haarlemmermeer is closely monitoring what works in other municipalities, including the use of group-based offerings instead of individual trajectories.
Alderswoman Charlotte van der Meij: “Children and young people should grow up happily and with joy. Too many of our youngest residents are currently ending up in a care trajectory. I believe we owe it to our youth to find the best way to turn the tide.”