Too many children and families in vulnerable situations are currently waiting too long for appropriate youth care. At the same time, the demand for and spending on youth care has significantly increased over the past decades. This is not sustainable in the long term. When children in vulnerable situations need help, it must be available. Therefore, the cabinet is making nearly 3 billion euros extra available for youth care between 2025 and 2027. State Secretary Vincent Karremans (Youth, Prevention and Sports) is also taking strong measures to ensure that the sustainability of youth care is improved, that children do not unnecessarily end up in youth care, and that when care is needed, they receive appropriate care in the right place without getting lost in a maze of processes.

State Secretary Karremans: “The most vulnerable children are not being helped properly. They are the victims of the increasing pressure on youth care. One in seven children currently uses youth assistance. We see that youth assistance is increasingly being used for lighter issues, or situations that might be better resolved in another way. This overloads the system, to the detriment of the children in vulnerable situations who need help the most.”

The government and the Association of Dutch Municipalities (VNG) are making additional agreements to improve youth assistance. By paying more attention to underlying problems in areas such as education, housing, and security of existence, the demand for youth assistance is prevented as much as possible. When youth assistance is needed, informal support and collective basic facilities in the childs living environment are prioritized, so that help remains as light and close as possible, preventing the need for heavier care. The youth care system is being adjusted so that light assistance does not unintentionally lead to additional demand, and waiting times for heavier care are shortened. Local teams play a crucial role in this. Finally, efforts are being made to improve the quality of youth assistance and to better utilize available data, so that children can be helped more quickly and efficiently. By making youth care more sustainable, municipalities have more room to invest in important facilities such as swimming pools and libraries or to maintain them.

Children sometimes unnecessarily remain in a youth assistance process for too long, while it is unclear whether the care really works. Therefore, agreements will be made about the duration of the process at the start of youth assistance. This way, youth care professionals and families can continue to think together about whether the care is working optimally or whether another solution is better. By helping young people more purposefully, care remains available for children in vulnerable situations who are currently waiting too long on a waiting list. This will be further developed in the coming period with professionals, providers, and municipalities.

Every young person who needs help must be able to receive it. At the same time, we want to ensure that youth care remains available for those who truly need it. Therefore, the cabinet is working on a plan to introduce a limited personal contribution for some forms of youth assistance starting in 2028. The goal is not to discourage necessary help but to look more consciously at which assistance is appropriate and effective. The cabinet will develop this intention with the utmost care, keeping in mind vulnerable families and children.

Professionals, municipalities, and the government are working hard on a better youth care system. The Youth Care Availability Act, recently adopted by the House of Representatives, improves access to specialist youth care for vulnerable children and parents. Additionally, this summer, the bill on Scope will go into consultation, aiming for clear agreements on which assistance falls under the Youth Act. With these laws and other measures from the Youth Reform Agenda, children in vulnerable situations should be better helped.